The day after Christmas, we boarded a train for Innsbruck. Rumor had it that it was a quaint little town and being so near, we decided we would like a closer glimpse of the Alps.
Quaint indeed! Although the only human-made attraction was the Golden Roof, the Alps jetting skyward from the little river-hemmed valley more than made it a majestic place to visit.
On the evening we arrived, we left our hotel for a short stroll to see what we could in the dimming light. One block later, we stumbled upon a crowd in the Platz and the most beautiful music. At first, we didn’t see the musicians. But, upon noticing the famed Golden Roof, we saw that there were a few wind instruments being played from the balcony there. A minute later, the song was continued by an orchestra from inside the upper level of a nearby building, windows cast open to shower us below with the sound. Another few minutes passed and the song was being played by a small ensemble, this time with voice accompaniment, from a balcony across the square. In the middle of the three sections, a large, lit Christmas tree illuminated the square. The three different sections continued in this manner, finishing with Silent Night. Stumbling upon this magical event made the town seem enchanted.
Our only full day in town, we decided to take in the views from the top of the Alps. Amazingly, from the middle of town, one can take a light-rail-like car across the river and up the mountain. From there, one can board a tram to get most of the way up the mountain to the main ski slopes. For the daring skiers and snowboarders, or those tourists who “forgot” their skis (Chiara was very disappointed that we were included in this latter category), one can take a third tram to the very top of the Alps. Bright blue skies made it a picture-perfect day to look out into Germany in the North and Italy to the South. We felt as if we were at the top of the world. While the view from the top was a sheer vertical that made Tom and me dizzy, Chiara was sad to not join the kids (and crazy adults) who pointed their skis downward in a rapid descent.
We departed Innsbruck for the final stop of our journey: Munich. The train deposited us directly to our hotel, which was fortunate since carting two children and five pieces of luggage was not an easy task. Despite two weeks of travel, if anything, it seemed to get more challenging.
Munich felt very comfortable, but mostly like a large town. Since we had not thought ahead and ordered our BMW to pick up, we missed one of the main tourist attractions. Instead, we walked through the pedestrian area, caught the famous Glockenspeil (clock tower) in action, and toured the Deutsches Museum, a vast collection that celebrates science and technology. The lower level is a children’s area (no one over the age of 5 is allowed without a child accompanying them), which is where we spent most of our visit. Chiara loved the hands-on exploration. Although much like a children’s museum might be here, it was a fun afternoon to create shadow performances, play a 15-foot guitar from inside, and “drive” an old fire engine.
While none of us can say we were fans of Austrian food (we sought out Italian restaurants for our best meals), Chiara found that Heisse Schokolade was readily available and partook in the treat several times each day (as evidenced by the seemingly constant chocolate mustache). We also discovered a “heart apple;” a novelty that Chiara was requested a few times since we’ve returned home. Perhaps we’ll need to send a photo to an orchard in Hood River or Wenatchee…
On Silvester (New Year’s Eve), we traveled the short distance to Dachau. Although I was there before, it was still a haunting experience. Baffling and heart-wrenching that humanity can be so ignorant and inhumane. Perhaps even more than the first time I visited, it made me wonder what atrocities are being committed in the world today that we turn a blind eye to. Fifty or seventy years from now, what will our grandchildren be saying about what we allowed to occur?
With heavier hearts, we spent our last night in Munich. An early dinner out found us back at the hotel well before the parties had begun. Around midnight, I awoke to the sound of revelry all around us. A peak from the window showed firework displays in every direction. Yet inside our two rooms, the girls and Tom slept so peacefully.
The journey back to Portland was long indeed. We finally arrived at Tom’s parent’s house exhausted beyond belief. We collapsed into the warm beds, happy to be safely home (or most of the way home).
We remained in Portland for Tom’s appointment at OHSU. The trip culminated with his most recent PCR results: numbers have continued to decline so far that he is back into a Major Molecular Response (MMR) category! We could not have asked for a happier ending to a most spectacular holiday.
