Rain last night, and cold; good sleeping weather. Rainy and cold this morning, good laundry weather too.
I was at the Bubble Points Waschsalons at 7:30, a kind of laundry, Internet point and hookup joint, all in one. I plunked in one euro for the soap, three for the wash, and the drying cost two more.
It is a surprisingly warm and cozy place to be on a wet morning.
Back to the room by nine, and we went down to breakfast.
I wanted to take the tram, cog rail and lift up the mountain to take in the view, perhaps have a small hike and then take a coffee at the café. There is no point, however, as the entire mountain is buried in the clouds.
So we are spending a slow, rainy, lazy day here in Innsbruck.
We started out at the big, six floor, indoor shopping mall. The same as anywhere, but they had a big food area, including a good grocery store, so we stocked up on some things for lunch.
Then we walked out under the covered walkways, looking in the windows of the tourist shops.
But the most interesting thing is that everywhere in Austria, from the littlest tobacco shop to the most tacky tourist store, to the corner SPAR grocery, everywhere you look they are selling Mozart's Balls.
They are called Mozartkugeln, and a direct translation is "Mozart Ball." So, Mozart's Balls are for sale everywhere, individually or packaged in gift sets.
So, my thought is this: If this is the end result of being famous, count me out. I don't think I want my balls in all the stores.
Besides, I really don't think people will pay for Kornowski Balls.
If You Haven't Seen This, Now Is The Time.
After a while we took our food up to the room, threw the windows open and had a nice lunch watching it rain, and the people down below. Several Japanese tourists photographed us, and I obliged by waving for them.
It was fun watching the tour groups come and go, people snapping quick photos in all directions and then moving on.
I am fascinated watching the "beggars" work the crowd; the patterns they walk as they weave around, the people they prey upon and those they ignore, and the number of people who seem helpless to just ignore them.
There is this one old guy with a beard and a cane. I have seen him in the café, drinking coffee. There is nothing wrong with the guy. He works the spot just below us, and he had the cajones to chase after a guy who only gave him a little coin and demand more!
We listened to music and napped a while.
When the rains quit we went out and walked along the River Inn. The Inn River starts in Switzerland, flows through Austria and into Germany where it empties into the Danube.
Innsbruck means simply, "Bridge [over the] Inn."
Anyway, we walked over one bridge, along the park and trails, and back over another bridge maybe a kilometer or two on down the river.
It rained on and off, and we dropped into shops when it got too heavy.
Finally the sun came out for a bit, so we grabbed a gelato, and sat in the sun for thirty glorious minutes. But then it was weather back to normal, the drizzle steady and the clouds heavy on the mountains.