Austria
(Innsbruck and Igles)
The Austrian Alps are fabulous. We could see the Alps as we were coming into Marco Polo airport in Venice. A magnificent mountain
range still snowcapped from last winter. The train ride from Venice was uneventful. I did meet some interesting people. I even dared to talk
U.S politics with a photo journalist from Thailand, going back to see his parents in Germany. I found the people to be friendly everywhere. Most
spoke some english, which was a relief, since my German consist mainly of greetings, and "where is the bathroom?" I am not sure what Europeans
really think of Americans, even after two weeks overseas. On the train the porter checking passports saw we were a compartment of 4 Americans.
He asked, "you are all Americans?" When we replied yes, he threw his hands in the air and went on. Now what was that about?? He never
did see our passports. We did get to show them at other times however. I was proud of my brand new passport, and wanted some stamps on it.
It was difficult to get anyone to stamp them. I did eventually end up with a few stamps proving I had used it! The World Mountain Marathon race added some additional excitement to this vacation. It was almost like watching the Olympics. There were 40 countries
represented with well over 300 participants. I could feel the excitement in the air, as we watched them practice. I felt very proud of my country too when
the parade of flags went by. I also admired them for running up mountains, that I had some trouble walking. These are some of the best of this world,
and all their respective countries are very proud I'm sure. The open amateur race had people of all ages. There were men and women in their 60's and 70's running
and doing it very well. I hope you enjoy the following pictures. Place your cursor over the picture for a brief description, and clicking on the picture will give you
a larger view. Your comments are always appreciated, both negative and positve. , or by signing my guestbook
from my communication page, here.
I have a new feature, next to my guestbook is a map, both courtesy of bravenet services. I would love to see
where my visitors come from. Shirley
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The 2003 World Mountain Running Trophy was held September 18-21, 2003 in Anchorage, Alaska. You can see more about Alaskahere,and more about Alaska mountain runners,here
The excitement in Alaska was not as great for me as in Austria, as mentioned, I had hoped to go and went I did!! I think, perhaps being overseas, in totally unique surroundings was the big difference. I did however enjoy the events and enjoyed the wondeful scenery in Alaska. I have some of that adventure hereor from the alaska link at the bottom of this page. You can also check Anchorage weather atAnchorage weathercam.
We were interested in seeing Austrian Crystal, and took a tour of Swarovski Crystal Gallery, a few minutes east of Innsbruck. The grounds were spectacular with play equipment for children, a maze and a waterfall. Inside we were treated to a fantastic light show that my film did not do justice. I did capture some of the crystal on film though and those pictures follow. There was a cantina or snack bar too with some fantastic pastry. This is a sight worth seeing should you be planning a tour into Austria.
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One final note on Austria; it is famous for it's thousands of kilometers of hiking and backpacking trails, that are kept in pristine condition, as well as for many other outdoor sports such as skiing, camping, horseback riding, backpacking, and fishing.
I am including some interesting links. If you know of any good links that should go here, please email me. Thanks Shirley
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