Because I wasn’t on a train bound for the Holy Land I….

Bought the Innsbruck pass and went to psychedelic land. Innsbruck has a pass that the sell in 24 hour, 48 hour, etc. blocks of time that gives you access to the public transportation, all the museums, the gondola(s), yes plural gondolas, to the top of the Alps and I mean to the top and various other attractions in Innsbruck. Yes Wick, I not only am a HUGE American tourist by taking the Sound of Music Tour…which was awesome, but I also acted like a tourist today in the city I’m calling home for 5 weeks this summer.

But…my ‘Zelda-ness’ kicked in. Y'all know me, I can't pass up a good deal! Really, we got the pass because a gondola ride alone 24 euro and with the Innsbruck pass is 25 euro and gets you up the gondolas on both sides of the Alps, all the museums, the Swarkovski museum and public transportation for just the 25 euro. So…since I wasn’t bound for the Holy Land, Lauren and I bought the card and took full advantage…

First, we went up the gondolas on one side of the mountain. Because they Alps are so high, it actually takes 3 to get to the tippy top! I took pictures starting at the bottom, before the rain, and more as we went up. Notice how Innsbruck gets smaller, the rain gets more intense and the temperature drops. That’s right…today is July 17 and it was 44 degrees at the top!

I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and would do it again if it wouldn’t break the bank. But…on to bigger and better things…or so we thought…

We went to the Imperial Palace which used to be home to the Hofburgs who ruled the Austrian Empire once upon a time. Maria Theresie who was Marie Antionette’s mother, was a Hofburg. The palace is currently being renovated, so we could only see a few of the rooms and unfortunately were not allowed to take pictures. Boo!

Next we went to psychedelic world a/k/a the Swarkovski museum. Lauren really wanted to go there because she saw a show about it on the Travel channel that made it look awesome, but it apparently lied! Or…the cast and crew was tripping on either mushrooms or LSD. It was not so much about crystals as it was about strange psychedelic art. I’ve attached some pictures. Needless to say if you ever get an opportunity to go…don’t! Sit in a field and count daisies or watch paint dry, but whatever you do, don’t go to the museum. Just like me when I watched the movies Magnolia, Thin Red Line and walked through the Swarkovsi museum today…I wanted those wasted hours of my life back and that will never happen!

Tomorrow…we’re headed to Newschwanstein castle, which is the castle Walt Disney modeled Cinderella’s Castle after. So…get excited about those upcoming pics. However, you’ll probably have to wait until after I return from the Holy Land.

I hope everyone is well…I miss y’all and ice and A/C and Doc and the babies!