Eight hours after a late phone call on Friday, I joined my friends on a trip across the border to Innsbruck, Austria. Innsbruck should be well known to ski enthusiasts, as a ski town and host city to the Winter Olympics. But for us non-skiers, the opportunity to get up close with the Alps is also a special experience. May proves to be a perfect time to visit the Alps. The snow hasn’t completely melted while the vegetation starts to grow again. This contrast is particularly colourful and startling under the blue sky and plentiful sunshine. We took the cable car up the Nordpark region of the Alps, and trekked the last section up to the peak at Hafelekarspitze. The layout of Innsbruck became immediately clear from the peak. It’s a city founded in a valley surrounded by the Alps and an extensive area of lush-green, with the river Inn snaking through the city. My friend and I took the chance to have lunch in the mountains before heading back downhill. After a whirlwind walk through the Alpi