Part I: Journey to Alpenzoo
As our booked train from Munich Hbf to Innsbruck Hbf was scheduled to depart at 0738, we had set our alarms the previous night to wake us at 0615; this would permit us plenty of time to get dressed and ready, check the weather on Helly's tablet, catch the U-bahn from Marienplatz to the train station and buy something for our breakfast without being in risk of running late. Much as we had done the previous day prior to our trip to Stuttgart, we chose to purchase an assortment of sweet and savoury pastries from some of the bakery stands within the station; these would not only provide us with a decent breakfast but also food to snack on as we explored Alpenzoo. The train we were catching was the EC1289 from Munich to Venice; as we had booked well in advance through the London office of Deutsche Bahn, we had been able to get cheaper Europa-Spezial tickets - however, the flipside was that we were tied to the specific trains we had booked for our journey to and from Innsbruck. This meant that despite the fact that - when checking the weather report online - there had been predictions of heavy thunderstorms throughout the day, we would have to nonetheless take the chance of getting soaked in order to visit Alpenzoo whatsoever.
As the train travelled through the south of Bavaria, we could see the foothills of the Alps approaching, growing closer with every minute; although I had caught a glimpse of the Alps on the final approach into Munich of our plane some days prior, this was the first prolonged view I had been able to get. As such, I found the journey a pleasant and enjoyable one, as the train passed through peaceful countryside, small towns and villages, with the terrain steadily becoming more and more irregular. Then, almost abruptly, a few minutes after passing through the town of Rosenheim and starting to follow the Inn River upstream, the train took us between a pair of lofty peaks rearing up on either side of the valley; we were entering the Alps themselves.
Initially, the peaks and hillsides visible through the windows of the train were thickly vegetated, and not much larger than many of the mountains I had seen within the United Kingdom; however, within minutes the scenery was presenting me with snow-capped peaks and sheer hillsides which surpassed anything I had ever experienced in person before. Around the same time, my mobile phone automatically received a text message notifying me that I had now entered Austria, telling me the charges for text messages and phonecalls that would apply within the country; these were, as it happened, identical to those which applied within Germany and as such the primary use of the message was as an indicator that I had now entered my second foreign country. However, due to the route the international border took within this area of the Alps, within a minute or two I received another text telling me I had entered Germany, before being once again told I had entered Austria; this happened about two or three times more within the next five minutes before the train passed deep enough into Austria to remain there!
By the time the train approached Innsbruck, the scenery visible through the window was stunningly-beautiful; although our visit had come late enough in the year that the weather was balmy and warm, very little of the snow and ice covering the surrounding mountains had started to shrink away - of course, we were now deep enough within the Alps that the peaks would never entirely thaw. Despite the fact we had not even disembarked from the train, never mind arrived at Alpenzoo itself, it was already clear to me that the collection would be - without a shadow of a doubt - the best I had ever experienced in terms of the surrounding scenery. The clear and sunny weather which the area seemed to be enjoying was also a great relief, considering the aforementioned weather report.
Arriving at Innsbruck Hbf, we found ourselves in a very large and well laid-out station, with many restaurants and cafes present within the structure, along with a massive supermarket; we made a note of this fact for the evening, as we had booked a return train quite late in the evening and as such knew we would be getting something to eat for tea within the station prior to catching our train. In order to help us find the optimum route on foot from the Hauptbahnhof to Alpenzoo itself, prior to departing the United Kingdom we had printed a
map from Google detailing a number of potential routes. The one we elected to take, although projected to take a shade under 40 minutes, was one which we felt reasonably confident we would be able to manage somewhat quicker than anticipated, given our level of fitness and how often we walk long distances. One of the first things we saw on leaving Innsbruck Hbf were the surrounding mountains rising thousands of metres above the city, snow-capped and sheer; it may have been my imagination, but the air felt cooler and fresher than it had been in Munich.
As we walked along Kaiserjägerstraße, heading towards the Inn River, the path took us past the Innsbrucker Hofgarten; designed in the English landscape style, this ornamental garden on the site of a natural river meadow was thickly planted with mature trees; had we more time, I would have rather enjoyed visiting this area of the city for its own merits. However, as we walked past the margins of the Hofgarten we could see hirundines - of a species we could not quite identify at this distance - swooping back and forth over the trees and the river flowing alongside the park, doubtless among the first to return from their wintering grounds. After around 20 minutes or so, the path took us over the Weiherburgsteg, a covered foot-bridge crossing the Inn; we stopped halfway along the bridge and stood watching the hirundines as they hawked over the river, swooping low to pluck insects from above the water surface. Patience paid off, as a few minutes after we started watching, one individual flew close enough as it fed on insects hovering over the river for us to realise just what it was; a
Eurasian Crag Martin (
Ptyonoprogne rupestris)! This was an extremely pleasing development, being a lifetick species and moreover one which I had not expected would have arrived in the Alps by early April.
Beyond here, the footpath took us up Heinrich-Süß-Weg, a winding track which steadily picked its way up the hillside overlooking Innsbruck; this portion of the walk to Alpenzoo had been one we had been told by other Zoochatters was steep and taxing, but to our substantial relief it was significantly easier than we had feared. Not only was the path somewhat less steep than we had been led to believe, but a gentle breeze and the shade of the woodland we were entering meant we felt pleasantly cool despite the heat of the sun; there was barely a cloud in the sky, another indication that the weather report had been somewhat inaccurate. However, as we knew that weather even in the mountainous areas of the United Kingdom could be incredibly changeable, we were aware that the forecast thunderstorms could still hit the area; as such we were determined to make the most of the day either way. After around another ten minutes or so, the footpath led out of the woodland and onto a road; just opposite, we could see the car park and entry complex for Innsbruck Alpenzoo.
Before making our way to the entrance, we took the opportunity to view the scenery; the city centre of Innsbruck was surprisingly far below us, whilst the peaks of Serles and Patscherkofel were visible in the distance. Above us, the Hafelekarspitze - on whose foothills Alpenzoo is positioned - rose thousands of feet, providing an impressive and somewhat-daunting sight; this peak, the smallest of the three mountains I have mentioned thus far, was nonetheless twice the height of the highest mountain I had thus far encountered, Ben Nevis in Scotland.
As the footpath we had taken from the city centre had passed near to one of the stations for the furnicular railway which takes visitors part-way up the Hafelekarspitze, with cable cars leading to the summit, I knew that with a little more time, and more certainty about the weather, it would have been possible for us to visit the summit. I also knew that, at this time of year, the visitor's centre at the summit was frequented by a number of unusual Alpine species such as mountain hare, snowfinch, alpine accentor and alpine chough. As such, I found myself wishing it were possible to do so!
Casting this thought aside, we made our way towards the entrance of Alpenzoo; we had arrived at our destination!
I have been for quite a while.
