Loving Innsbruck after a rough date

 

Our bikes arrived a day after us, having spent the night on a date that involved some rough play with the American customs officers in Seattle. Gord was able to have a local mechanic repair his brakes and I will buy a new bike computer because the wire to mine was cut. Some poor American beagle is probably still coughing up talcum powder after sniffing through Gordon's other box for what might have looked like cocaine. Damage was luckily minor and the bikes are together and riding well.

We are recovering from our flight in beautiful Innsbruck with our Camino friends Kurt and Ilse. Ilse has given us her attic flat for our stay and it is fantastic, with mountain views in three directions. We may not stay in anything quite so nice as this for the remainder of our trip. If skiing events were on we could watch them from our window. Kurt and Ilse are amazing hosts and we are experiencing the best of the Tyrol by day and sampling the cuisine by night. 

On our first full day we cycled down the Inn river to the restored Medieval village of Hall, where Ilse teaches. For our friend Blair and other lovers of etiology, Innsbruck means bridge over the river Inn, and Hall is middle German for salt which made the town rich in the Middle Ages. The cycle paths along the river are fantastic and we are looking forward to our trip in the other direction.

Since we arrived here Gordon has a special sparkle in his eyes. I have seen it before and it reveals his passion for my only real competitor for his affections... Mountains! Yesterday we went up one side and today we will go up the other side in the gondola.