My trip to Innsbruck was a spontaneous Sunday trip with the summer program students in July 2006. We wanted to climb the Untersberg in Salzburg, but my host mother thought that would be a terrible idea for a blistering summer day. I’m sure she was right.

So we took the train two hours south and west to Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol nestled into the Alps. Much like Salzburg, Innsbruck was full of cookie-cutter buildings painted liked Easter eggs, but was more modern and more industrial. The Alps are about five miles away from Salzburg, but in Innsbruck, they are right there, just like this picture shows. It’s city, river and bam! Mountains! This view is from the Stadtturm, or city tower. There’s a great view from only 147 steps that also includes the Olympic ski jump from the two winter Olympics Innsbruck has hosted.