Day 4 - Travel day to Innsbruck, Austria

By Katrina Hammons, Sr, M, Delphos, Ohio

Hello everyone! Today is our 4th day in the Europe!

We woke up early this morning to another chilly and rainy day in Salzburg. After we checked out of our hotel, we loaded the bus to head to Innsbruck, Austria the capitol of Tyrol, and the host to two Winter Olympics!

Before we left we were greeted with a surprise from our tour guides. We were getting to stop at the amazing and world famous Swarovski crystal outlet and museum.

This is the only place in the world that houses the entire Swarovski collections! We were allowed 1 hour to tour the store and museum, with most of us spending the majority of our time in the store. During this time I think almost everyone was able to purchase a piece or two of this amazing crystal. It was amazing!! They don't call it the Crystal War for nothing! I never thought that I would ever get a chance to see so many beautiful and precious figurines, jewelry, and amazing chandeliers!

After our hour that I thought went way too fast, we loaded the bus and continued our trip toward Innsbruck. The trip was great as we traveled deeper into the Alps catching glimpses of some of the most beautiful mountains in the world in the world.

Once we arrived in Innsbruck, we got to see the center piece of the city, the Golden Roof. This small roof over a balcony in the heart of the city is covered in an estimated 2000 glistening tiles that shine bright like gold in the sunlight. Then we were given a few hours of free time to explore the many Austrian eateries, shops, and breathtaking views of the Alps around the city.

Some of the places that were visited included the St. Jakob's Cathedral, a gigantic Catholic Cathedral with some of the most beautiful and ornate decorations that I have ever seen! Also some of the group climbed 148 stairs to the top of a tower that is located in the middle of the city to capture the breathtaking, once in a lifetime views of the city!

After our few hours in Innsbruck we got back on the bus to travel to the border town of Feldkirch to check into our next hotel, the Hotel Baren. On the way there our windows were the eyes into an even more amazing views of the gorgeous Alps! I have never enjoyed a long bus trip as much as I enjoyed this one!

After we arrived at the hotel we got into our rooms and headed to our training session at the location of tomorrow's game. After practice we came back to another amazing meal of Mince meat that tasted almost like hamburgers and french fries.

All in all we had a very eventful day full of fun, excitement, and surprises!