Innsbruck — Our Next Big Thing

09 July to 14 July 2025

Austria and Germany Boarder at Karwendel

Thursday, July 10, Julie and Anthony drove to Karwendel to hike the boarder between Austria and Germany.

We had to ask our friends where the heck they went to take those shots of the Austrian/German boarder. Luckily, it was a fun drive from Innsbruck.

From the gondola up to Karwendel, looking back into town.

Julie did not have her sticks, so she was a bit trepidatious. Luckily, Anthony makes a WONDERFUL stick.

Julie was SO HAPPY!!!

We were hearing bells, looked over and there were sheep!!

We think we did the A B H route.

Headed back down

We cam upon a heard of cows in the road. They were not impressed.

Julie’s favorite picture

More examples of road protection

On Friday, Julie got her sinuses excavated at the clinic in Innsbruck. Anthony walked around town taking photos of the river and tourist stuff.

The famous Golden Awning

The River Inn

Saturday found Julie and Anthony at the Swarovski Kristallwelten museum outside of Innsbruck.

Creepiest carousel Julie has ever seen

Anthony looks happy on the weird bird.

After Swarovski (where, surprisingly Julie did not buy anything!), Anthony and Julie took the tram/cable car to the mountain above Innsbruck.

The Karwendel Alps. We were there a few days earlier, hiking.

Anthony: I need a new black belt, mine is too big.

Julie: Okay so we need to go to a men’s wear store.

Anthony: No, I want to go to a tracht store.

Julie: You think that’s the best place to look for a black belt?

Anthony: Yes

Anthony LIED! He did not need a new black belt. What he wanted was a new pair of brown lederhosen pant. Sagan’s got new, brown lederhosen pants, with a belt! not suspenders. Why he thought he couldn’t just tell Julie he wanted new pants, we will never know. When asked, he says “I don’t know”.

Anthony is very proud of his new lederhosen pants.

Innsbruck arena. We did not go to the roller derby.

Julie and Anthony visited the Armory and Chamber of Arts and Wonders at Schloss Ambras. Founded in the mid 1500’s by Archduke Ferdinand II, Schloss Ambras claims to be the oldest museum in the world (at least on their website).

Real armor. The smaller pieces were for adults and maybe children. The larger piece was for a giant.

Mural of a guy hunting geese with a pick axe, being chased by a furry shark. This was a weird museum.

Statue of Death as a archer, carved by Hans Leinberger out of a single piece of pearwood, before 1519.

Glass Bell Piano, the only one in the world.

Wunderkammer, Cabinet with a secret safe.

Fangstuhl, or Trick Chair. Party Guests had to sit here until you drank a predetermined amount of wine.

Lady of Good Taste, by Giuseppe Arcimboldo in 1573

This is a portrait of Petrus Gonsalvus, a 16th-century nobleman who is known for being one of the earliest documented cases of hypertrichosis, a condition that causes excessive hair growth all over the body. His life story is believed to be one of the inspirations for the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast"

Who knew the gene for hypertrichosis is dominant. The portraits on the right are his children.

Honest to god! This is a portrait of Gregor Baci, who took a lance through his right eye, and out through his neck. To make his life easier, the lance was sawed off on either side to make it more manageable. It is claimed he lived 1 year after the accident.