Innsbruck is spectacular

We enjoyed our mini-vacation in Innsbruck. We took the local train from Meran to Bozen, then the DB Eurocity to Innsbruck. We stayed in the Old City, in a hotel that dates from the 1400s and claims that Mozart stayed there when he was 13. My skeptical psychologist father says that all those studies which suggest that listening to classical music will make smarter kids lack sufficient evidence, but I'm hoping that staying in a hotel where Mozart stayed will somehow expand J's already considerable musical talents (at least in the genre of "This Old Man," Old McDonald," and other such songs).

While I'd been to Innsbruck only on the way elsewhere, I understood that it was spectacularly situated in the middle of various ranges of the Alps, which explains why it has been the site of two winter Olympics (so far). We wouldn't have known this judging by our first day and a half, when we had a vague sense that there were mountains up there somewhere in the clouds and fog. On our second evening, however, the sky cleared and we were astounded by the mountains rising right from the edge of the city.

The old part of the city has a pedestrian area and, with the large University of Innsbruck and the surrounding mountains, it seemed to us to have the same kind of vibe as Burlington, VT (only several hundred years old, and with mountains several thousand feet higher, though no beautiful lakeshore). There were cafes all over the place, and with sunny afternoons in the 30s and 40s, everyone was sitting outside. Like in Vermont (in usual years, not this recent wimpy winter), people seem to consider sunny days in the 40s precursors to summer, after long cold and dark winters. In Innsbruck the cafes all had furry blankets on the outdoor chairs, which I think would go over well in Burlington! We also found a pretty good sushi place.

The only downside of our trip to Innsbruck is that we had to say goodbye to my folks who continued on to Munich and then home to California. J is keeping his chin up, but is certainly noting the tragic absence of his K-grandparents and is already looking forward to summer when he'll next see them. One of my friends says that anticipation is a parent's worst enemy, and I'm beginning to understand this. But, we're working hard to live in the present with all the fun to be had at a Medieval castle in the Italian Alps, which really isn't that hard to do.