‘Scaling new heights: The spectacular sights from Innsbruck’s Hafelekar to its Old Town’

I awoke in Innsbruck, Austria. How exciting! I’d only slept for about four hours, but my excitement was such that I could sleep no longer. It was my first time travelling overseas!

My sister had rented an apartment for a few days, a home base for us while we explored the area. The apartment was lovely; warm and inviting and Nola, my sister, had laid out a beautiful table for the Christmas dinner she would be cooking for us. In all my adult years I cannot remember the last time someone cooked me a Christmas dinner.

But before we could settle for the festive cuisine, we had to explore Hafelekar peak. From our apartment it was a three-minute walk to the base. With my COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) it took me 12 minutes. I’d not factored into the trip how the thinner air would affect my breathing. Nola and Greg were patient and strolled beside me.

Hafelekar is the highest point of Innsbruck (2,300 metres high). At the top is a unique panorama of the city and mountains.

To reach the peak, we had to take the Innsbruck cable car (the Nordkettenbahnen), which leaves from the city centre. This was a little frightening for both me and my sister as we were afraid of heights.

The trip takes us from the city centre to the Hafelekar on top of the Nordkette and it’s broken up into three stages: the first from Innsbruck to Hungerburg, the second from Hungerburg to Seegrube and the final stage from Seegrube to Hafelekar.

The sites along the way were amazing. I saw thousands of ‘Christmas’ trees, all sprinkled with snow and was amazed that the snow had not yet found it’s way down the mountain.

You can disembark at various points along the way. At 750m there is the Alpenzoo, Europe’s highest-lying zoo.

However, our final destination was Hafelekarspitze. I cannot believe I made it all 2,256m above sea level by cable car to Hafelekar but I also let my legs take me the further 78m to the Hafelekarspitze! It was a most beautiful sight, snow white and regal! With a 360-degree view of Innsbruck, I could also see all the way to Italy in the south and Germany in the north. I was in awe.

Dotted along the landscape were skiers, looking to smoothly make their way down from the top. Our feet sank in the soft, thick, powdery snow. Around us were adults, children and even dogs, all enjoying the splendour.

Thick heavy snow then started to fall. There were many flakes covering us. I’d only seen scenes like this in the movies. It was heaven!

Coincidentally I bumped into a young couple I’d met on the plane coming into Innsbruck and was able to chat with them, still overwhelmed by the snow falling around us. I cannot adequately describe how magical it was.

I spent most of the day on Hafelekar. I enjoyed the atmosphere and was happily chatting with locals and tourists (some of whom had come from Australia, like me). With my sister and her husband, we drank wine and hot chocolate in the chalet before getting back in the cable car for our descent. I was so grateful to have been invited on this journey.

That night, at our apartment, the snow fell and continued to fall on and off for the rest of our stay in Austria. Christmas day was a happy, fun occasion. We had a Christmas tree, courtesy of the apartment owner, and under it were many presents — nearly all for me. Nola and Greg had bought me something at each of the places they had visited over the year.

I had rosary beads from Vatican City, a watch from Spain and many more gifts. Nola cooked dinner with Greg as Santa’s helper. We drank, ate and danced — well they danced. It was the best Christmas I’ve had in eight years.

On our last day in Innsbruck we headed to the Old Town. What a beautiful, picture postcard. Not only were we surrounded by the peaks of the Austrian Alps, but the heritage of the Habsburg Empire is on show here and there are several famous landmarks worth checking out.

With its regal, old, well looked after buildings; it’s clean wide streets and the snowy mountains in the background, I couldn’t have asked for more. The people were friendly and very courteous, and the shops quaint. Santa’s Christmas shop was my favourite, buying a few ornaments as souvenirs.

We ate, and drank … We did those things a lot. We laughed and once again I was the slow one, being waited for.

I had to purchase a new suitcase, as mine was trashed on the trip over, which was a minor problem with having to take four different flights. But not even that misfortune could stop me from enjoying wandering through the town, taking photos and admiring the view.

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