Day 4 – Valentines Day In Kitzbühel
Today’s Blog Entry
On Tuesday the 14th we took the OBB (the Osterreichische Bundesbahnen or Austrian Federal Railways) to Kitzbuhel. This was one of two side trips that we decided to make more or less on the spur of the moment – the other, tentatively planned for the mountain resort of St. Anton on Thursday, was scrubbed due to the blizzard and avalanche warnings that hit us on Wednesday. Valentine’s Day started out overcast and snowy but the heavy weather in the forecast held off and we were able to enjoy the trip.
We left Seefeld fairly early (about 7:00 AM) and were at the Kitzbuhel Bahnhof by 9:30 AM after changing trains in Innsbruck. Innsbruck was the site of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics so it’s someplace that we’ve heard about quite a bit over the years from skiing friends and from seeing the Olympics both on TV and in person.
Overall we were surprised by Innsbruck as it truly is a small (and relatively modern) city whereas we expected more of a quaint town like Interlaken, Switzerland. We were also surprised (sadly) to hear from Tom, the owner of our apartment, that Innsbruck is where most Americans stay when they visit the region. We’d classify this as a “failure of the imagination” …
Kitzbuhel, a popular alpine (downhill) ski resort is located in a Tirolean mountain valley about 60 miles east of Innsbruck. There are some cross-country ski trails in the area, but this town is mostly about downhill. Whereas Seefeld is 80/20 cross-country to downhill, Kitzbuhel is the other way around. So rather than lug our skis just for the day we decided to wear our heavy boots and do some snow hiking to get a feel for the town. As with the trip planned for St. Anton, one of our objectives here was to check out Kitzbuhel as a possible hub for future trips to Austria so exploring on foot was a great way to go.
After getting off the train at the bahnhof we wandered into the village center looking for the Tourist Bureau. Following the small blue ‘i’ signs and finding the Tourist Bureau can sometimes be a bit of a scavenger hunt, especially when the older parts of the village aren’t exactly laid out in neat blocks. Once we found our objective we picked up a map for winter hiking (and our traditional souvenir, a ski pin) we spent a few minutes studying the map in relative warmth before heading back outside.
Many Austrian villages and towns maintain their trail systems even during the winter months so that everyone can get outside for a little fresh air and exercise. These trails are generally either walking or mountain biking trails in the summer months, so the signage remains the same. The only difference is that during the winter months the trails are kept clear with snowblowers and small plows mounted on tractors. The trails are usually snow-packed and sometimes cindered for traction if necessary.
Our chosen destination for the day was a loop trail that would take us around the Schwarzsee or ‘Black Lake’ and then back into town. The lake was totally iced over and covered with deep snow, but you could still tell that it was a popular destination on warm sunny days. There were lots of picnic tables, campgrounds, and lake front restaurants with outdoor terraces just waiting for summer to return. The hike was a good mix of level terrain (mostly across the golf course) and some hilly sections (through the evergreen forest and around the lake) combined with some sidewalks to get you in and out of town.
We completed the 7 mile circuit back in Kitzbuhel and found a nice locals kind of restaurant for a late lunch. Despite the hour the place was quite full and had a mix of local business people, some families, and a few flagrant tourists such as ourselves. When we stepped out of the restaurant there was a rather craggy looking busker with an acoustic guitar that was playing, oddly enough, some Jimmy Buffett tunes! After tossing a couple of Euros into his hat we made our way back to the Bahnhof to catch the return train to Seefeld.
We found the old town portion of Kitzbuhel to be filled with trendy boutiques and stores – it was much more upscale than Seefeld (and much larger as well). Overall when you factor in the surrounding real estate development the area felt quite a bit like Aspen, Colorado, but with a Tirolean twist! We talked on the train ride home and we both agreed that Kitzbuhel was worth the trip but would definitely benefit from establishing permanent ‘pedestrian only’ zones and banning cars from the historic village center.
Today’s Map
Today’s Photos
