Innsbruck

Okay need to edit and run spell check on this. It won´t save without me publishing this draft. It´s like every word is red!

Yesterday, we did a quick stop by Liechtenstein. It was okay. I did go to a church, which was nice.

Then to Innsbruck. We stopped by a church as we entered the city, I think it was called Basilica Maria. It had a really good view of the ski jump. We heard some funny and sad stories about people sneaking onto the jump and going down. Some ended with death, others a sprained thumb or broken collar. Alcohol and youth seems to be a common factors.

Innsbruck was made the regional capital by Maximilian I. He married Mary of Burgundy and if my memory is serving me correctly, they are the parents of Philip the Handsome who married Juana the Mad who is the sister of Katherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII and both are daughters of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic kings.

I did a walk of the Old City. I started with the Triumphal Arch, which the Empress Maria Theresa (mother of Marie Antoinette) built to celebrate the marriage of her son, unfortunately, her husband died the same day so it also commemorates that.

Then to the St. Anne´s Column. Saw the Golden Roof, St. James Cathedral, Hofburg, City Tower, Hotel Weisses Kreuz, which was built on Roman foundations and has been hosting guests for 500 years. Its guest have included Mozart and Maximilian and a mix of other people like that.

My hotel had a really great location. I went out, turned right, and Hofburg was two minutes away as was the entrance to the Old City.

Like Vienna, the city itself is a work of art with fantastic buildings. I didn´t bother going to Hopsburg because I have been to the palaces in Vienna. The hotel I stayed at used to be the stables for the palaces. Thankfully no trace of its past use.

I was going back and forth on whether to walk up the City Tower, but then it ended up closing on me. I just felt too lazy to do it.

I went to a church called Church of the Former City something dedicated to the Holy Spirit, which was finished in 1705. There is  a cross there from 1500. It was quieter than St. James Cathedral. St. James did have an awesome crypt at the bottom and was pretty.

I walked along the river bank and through the royal park. While walking, another church caught my eye so I cut over. It was St. Nicholas. It was open but you were only allowed in the front section. It was dark and smelled of incense and an organ was playing - I assume a recording. I was the only one there so it was nice and peaceful. They had a nice cemetery in the back. Most were maintained by family members.

I saw a Jesuit church was across from my hotel, but I figured I had done enough churches for the day.

Had dinner with the group. It ended up being fun as a few members sang for us. One sung a few songs from the Sound of Music. Another sang an Italian song and "I Did It My Way," and another sang "I Could have Danced All Night." Good voices. And more songs to remind me of vacation.

And finally, in the words of Andrejs, "If it is worse, make it better."