Ticket on a train
Quotes of the week
Trains are wonderful.... To travel by train is to see nature and human beings, towns and churches and rivers, in fact, to see life. - Agatha Christie
Many times the wrong train took me to the right place. - Paulo Coelho
Hello,
Finally, I have recovered from my cold and have a little bit more energy. I have been out for a few walks which helps. Part of the energy coming back to me might have been that I was inspired by two persons I ‘met’ this week. One is a fellow substack member, and I got in contact with her since I left a comment on her newsletter. A very energetic, Norwegian lady, with whom I might co-operate on a project in the near future. Very exciting. The other lady I met talked about trains.
Reading Goethe in the Goethe Stube
One day this week Martin took a hiking tour up the mountain. It is nothing for me, so I took my book and walked along the Inn, over an old wooden bridge, and up the hill. Although going up it is not for a very long time. Once you reach the next level you walk along a beautiful path, crossing another old, wooden bridge. On the other side are a couple of benches and I sat down in the sun, took up my copy of Goethe’s Faust and started reading. So peaceful and quiet, just hearing the birds singing. After a while I continued, walk down the hill a bit further on, and came down to the Inn again. I crossed the park, and the modern bridge and entered the old city.
Since I was reading Goethe I thought it would be perfect to have lunch at the restaurant Goldener Adler, which Goethe visited on his stay in Innsbruck. The great poet arrived at 11 a.m. on September 8, 1786. He dined at the Goldener Adler and continued his journey the same day. His next visit lasted a little bit longer, from June 5-7, 1790. This time he came from Italy and stayed in the hotel, in room #209, where he had a view over The Golden Roof, today the Town Hall, and one of the famous buildings in Innsbruck. Maybe because Martin and I married there?
I decided to stay outside and not visit the Stube (small dining room) named after him. I ordered fresh, white asparagus with sauce Hollandaise, and was quite happy where I was sitting, eating and reading my book. Once I let my attention go away from the book I noticed the sound of Swedish from a table nearby.
Once finished I hesitated whether I should say something about being from Sweden. I am always keen myself to speak to Swedes I meet abroad, but not all might be of the same idea. Luckily, I did take the chance. When we started exchanging views on what we were doing in Innsbruck, the lady told me that she and her husband were on the way back to Sweden by night train from Innsbruck to Hamburg. It turns out that she is a travel guide author, specialising in train travels. Since I lately wanted to travel more by train in the future, I got quite excited. Maria Unde Westerberg told me about their trip going back to Sweden, the books she had written and we exchanged some experiences of travelling. I ended up buying two of her books. Rivieran inom räckhåll and Languedoc inom räckhåll (the Riviera and Languedoc within reach) A very nice couple that actually inspired me and Martin to go on a short train trip just a few days later.
A train trip to Bozen/Bolzano
Inspired by Maria and her husband, Martin and I decided to go somewhere near just for the day. We finally settled on Bozen/Bolzano in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Up early to catch the train at 8.49 towards Italy. Going this way means you have to change train at the Brenner pass. In half an hour you are up there, having travelled through a beautiful, lush, and mountainous landscape. Seeing the Europa bridge in the distance and enjoying the beautiful sights.
At Brenner we changed train towards Merano. It took around one and a half hour to reach Bozen, also here through beautiful scenery. Arriving in the city it was just to go out of the station, cross the pedestrian walk, and you come to the Waltherplatz, the old square. We started by going to the tourist office for some information, and since we had not really had a very big breakfast we sat down in the square, at the café of hotel Cittá. Cappuccino, brioche and a glass of prosecco we thought was a good way to start the day.
First stop was the Museum of Archeology which is dedicated to the findings of the Ötzi man. It was an impressive museum, information very well displayed and of course a fantastic story of how this 7000 year old man was found. Quite fascinating. All the information that scientists managed to draw from their research is amazing. I think it is safe to say that this must be the oldest murder mystery in history. Yes, it is rather established today that Ötzi was murdered, up there on the top of the mountain.
Afterwards we went to restaurant Vögele for a late lunch. When you are in this area it is unavoidable to visit the same places as Goethe. He was also here and there is painting on the wall honouring the occasion. Furthermore, the paper they put under the plates is full of Goethe quotes, which are also engraved at the back of the chairs.
After good food and wine we walked around the old city of Bozen, looking at the fantastic market stands with everything you want to buy; cheese, ham, vegetables and fruits, and other Italian delicatessen. We could not carry around anything, so no purchases this time. The old city is beautiful with their old houses and alleys. We visited a church that once belonged to the Teutonic order, and nice connection to my visit at Marienburg in Poland. Finally, we went to Enovit Winoteque for some wine tasting. Sitting outside on the pavement in a small, cobbled street, admiring the houses on the other side of the street and watching people passing by. Just wonderfully relaxing.
My blog this week
Just one post this last week is another
A few new posts will come up in the coming days.
That was all for this week. Next week I will tell you all about our visit to Venice, Burano and Torcello.
There is nothing more delightful than reading in a gorgeous setting! I love every single photo -- it looks like a wonderful trip. How I would love to do a long train journey!