I must say that during my Erasmus in Linz I haven't discovered too much of Austria. Most of the time I've stayed in Linz or have been travelling outside Austria, enjoying the company of my friends. Although I've loved this time, I regret a bit not seeing too much of Austria. Fortunately, as I've moved back to Austria, I got another chance to explore a bit more the country in which I'd already lived for a while.
Last weekend I've visited a friend who is living in Innsbruck. It was already my second time in this city, but I could go there more often because I think it's one of the prettiest cities in Austria. Innsbruck is amazingly located. As the capitol of Tirol, the city is surrounded by the Alps. The mountains are enormous and very impressive. The city itself is quite small, but very cute. Its unique architecture combined with the stunning views makes it unforgettable.
Visiting the Weinachtsmarkt was an absolute must during my stay in Innsbruck. Christmas markets are for me a nice compensation for ugly, cold weather and short, dark days of which we have so many in the winter. I like the markets because they bring something special in the time of waiting for Christmas.
We have visited few Christmas markets in Innsbruck. There are quite many of them and each was full of people. Especially during winter, Innsbruck is visited by thousands of tourists, who want to enjoy charming Christmas atmosphere of the city. On the streets you hear so many foreign languages that you start wondering whether you are still in Austria!
Innsbruck is also a perfect place for the ones who want to go skiing or snowboarding. Although this year there isn't still too much snow in the mountains, the glaciers (e.g. the one close to Innsbruck, called Stubai) are most of the time available for winter sports fans.
Obviously, the thing that interests me the most on the Christmas markets is food. I enjoy walking around and checking the products they sell there. Innsbruck offers a lot of local, home-made products from Tirol of good quality and unique taste. I think is a good idea to get Christmas gifts there- especially if you know any foodie :)
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| Cheese stand - Käsealm and local honey in various types and flavours |
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| Jelly Christmas tree (for most of you, probably horrible, for me, jellies fan- amazing :)) and Schnapps |
When visiting Christmas markets you can not only buy gifts, but also eat and drink something. In Austria it's typical to go there to meet your friends and have Punsch- fruity, hot drink, served in many flavours like apple, cherry or orange, most of the times with an addition of spices and some alcohol e.g. rum. While the choice of drinks is quite wide, usually there is not that many things to eat, except of typical Christmas markets' food like langos or Currywurst. As I am not a big fan of any of those (they remind me a bit too much of a fast food), I am always trying to look for something special to eat. We found a great stand with salmon prepared on the open fire, I really liked it.
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| Flammlachs- salmon cooked on the open fire |
I liked a lot the little Christmas market on the North Chain- Nordkette, which can be easily reached by the train- Nordkettenbahn or by bus. You can enjoy beautiful panorama of Innsbruck and the Alps while having some Punsch there.
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| Nordkette Christmas market and panorama of Innsbruck |
Although I'm sure you're going to like Innsbruck also in any other time of a year, I recommend you to visit this city now to enjoy its magical Christmas atmosphere!
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