Rita had checked with our hotel in Innsbruck to see if we could arrive a day earlier than planned due to our schedule still being out of whack from our cancelation of Munich. They were full and so we looked at the map to see what was on the way to Innsbruck. We settled on Kitzbuhel as it would be nice to go and explore an alpine resort since the weather was so nice. Rita programmed TomTom for Kitzbuhel town center and we started out on the 90 minutes drive.
Kitzbuhel was colonized by the Bavarians in the late 6th century and was granted the status of a town in 1271. It belonged to the duchy of Bavaria until the early 1600's when Emperor Maximilian conquered the area for Tirol. It went back and forth for several centuries until the Congress of Vienna in 1809 formerly granted the region to Tirol. Mining was an inportant factor in the regional economy for centuries and the way Kitzbuhel's old town looks today dates back to the mining boom of the 16th century. In 1875 the railway arrived and summer tourism took off. But Kitzbuhel's tourism claim to fame is to be the home of Franz Reisch, the founder of skiing, who took his first run down Kitzbuhel Horn mountain in 1893. For those of us who love to ski, thank you Franz
Arrived in Kitzbuhel without any problems and parked the car just outside the old town walls. We walked around and Rita checked out a couple of hotels before finding one that suited our tastes and budget. We checked-in and immediately headed out to explore the town. After a nice lunch in one of the many outdoor cafes, we headed for the Hahnenkamm Gondola and took it to the top and hiked around the many trails for a couple of hours. It was truly spectacular to be at 1700 meters on such a hot, sunny day and hike around in the alpine meadows enjoying all the panoramic views of the mountains and valleys. After coming back to town, we showered and went for dinner at a very nice outdoor restaurant for a traditional tirolian dinner with a very nice Austrian white wine. We were both definitely ready for a good nights sleep.
Old Town Kitzbuhel's main street
Top of Hahnenkamm looking down at Kitzbuhel and across at Kitzbuheler Horn Mountain
St. Maria Church on top of Hahnenkamm Mountain
Rita and Geoff in the Alpine meadows on top of Hahnenkamm Mountain
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