Our thoroughly diverse and amazing day....
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| Our walk above Hall in Tirol... breathtaking... |
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| Again, based on Rick Steves' sage advice we hiked to Walderalm: "A cluster of three dairy farms with 70 cows that share their meadow with the clouds. The cows ramble along ridge-top lanes surrounded by cut-glass peaks. The ladies of the farms serve soup, sandwiches, and drinks (very fresh milk in the afternoon) on rough plank tables. Below you spreads the Inn River Valley and, in the distance, tourist-filled Innsbruck." |
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| We both agreed that this was the most amazing place we've had coffee. And we've had coffee in some pretty spectacular locales. |
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| Following tradition, we found ourselves in one of the biggest tourist meccas in the Tirol...Swarovski's Crystal World. "A water-spouting Giant that magically lures visitors into its interior, where the Chambers of Wonder ignite beacons of imagination and has managed to become a globally-recognized work of art attracting more than 9 million visitors to date." I couldn't get Steve to invest in the 19€ for us to tour, so we meandered around its interesting grounds. |
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| Wattens is the home of the Swarovski crystal cutting factory (1895) and proudly donated these amazing chandeliers to the local church. The elaborate lighting seems too much for this place of worship. | |
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| No visit to Wattens, Austria is complete without a stop at the Schreibmaschinenmuseum This machine takes us back to the age of the first mass production of typewriters. Peter Mitterhofer (1822-1893), from the South Tyrolean town of Partschins, was one of the more inventive men of his time. In addition to practicing his livelihood, carpentry, he produced a series of diverse objects, both useful and artistic, such as loudspeakers, picture frames, washing machines, a device to break up hemp in making rope, and last but not least, five typewriters. This one, from 1864 had us very intrigued. |
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| Look closely at the symbol over the #5. For most typewriters, it's the %. However, on this Italian made Olivetti, during the era of Germany's WWII power, the shift key types the SS runes symbol (The Schutzstaffel). History is found in unique places. |
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| This Picht machine is a Braille typewriter which has 6 typing keys, used in combination to produce Braille characters on paper. It was made in the early 1900s and we were allowed to try it out. What an amazing opportunity. It was a full day of exploration and diversity. All while enjoying the hospitality of the Austrians and the glorious sunshine filled day. |
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1 comments:
The mountains are beautiful! Simply amazing...
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