Notes on the Tirol
• Across the road from the Hotel Jagdhof in Neustift, the Czech beer, Budvar, is available at the Hubertus Bar.
• A salami and cheese sandwich on a Kaiser roll at Neustift's village Metzgerei is a bargain at 15 AS ($1.18).
• For those who don't hike or ski, there is little to do in the Stubaital, though the drive up to the glacier is quite scenic and Innsbruck is less than an hour away.
• In Seefeld, for local color, try the Milchhof on Münchnerstrasse. The beer is Puntigamer and the clientèle earthy; many grizzled characters in Tirolean dress, but very smoky.
• A pleasant half-day excursion from Innsbruck is first to Schloss Ambras, in the forest just above the Autobahn southeast of the city, the favorite residence of the Archduke Ferdinand.
From there, take the yellow road south, then east and slightly north through Rinn and Tulfes, then back under the Autobahn and across the Inn river to Hall in Tirol, a very old town full of picturesque streets and buildings. Stop for refreshment at Anisbrau, Schlossergasse 15, a brewery from 1700 to 1900 and now a well-worn restaurant-bar with vaulted ceilings and wood wainscoting. This un-touristy "local" has the requisite smoky atmosphere and collection of weathered old men nursing a beer or glass of wine. We had a lunch here of soup and Zipfer beer for 109 AS ($8.50 for two.
Continue on to Schwaz on the pretty yellow road that runs east northeast through farms and pastures above the Inn. You must again cross the river since the town is on the south bank. We found Schwaz not nearly so interesting as Hall. A quick return to Innsbruck is via the Autobahn.
Use map Die Generalkarte for Austria #7.
Briefly...
• United Airlines discontinues service to Switzerland from the U.S. on March 1. Look for other airlines, possibly Swissair, to add new flights.
• Our favorite small Salzburg hotel, the Trumer Stube, now has an email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
• Wanderweg Holidays, long a reliable seller of walking vacations, has announced its 1998 program. Three-night, four-day tours in Austria start at $290 and $330 in Switzerland. Tel. 800-270-ALPS for free brochure.
• The Hotel Seegasthof Oberndorfer (fax +43/7666/786491), right on Austria's Attersee, has released 1998 summer rates that range from 720 AS to 1220 AS ($61-$96) per person.
• The delightful Schloss Haunsperg (fax +43/6245/85680), in Oberalm bei Hallein near Salzburg, announces 1998 per person rates from 850 to 1250 AS ($67-$98).
January 1998
