After Switzerland, our next destination was Innsbruck, where we were scheduled to stay for one night. The route to Innsbruck passes through Liechtenstein, a tiny country with a population of just 37000, and a crime rate so low that the last murder was reported in 1997! On the way, we also stopped at the world-famous Swarovski Crystal Worlds museum in Wattens, Austria, where you can buy a variety of crystal ornaments etc.
We reached Innsbruck in the evening and we took a short tour of Innsbruck. We roamed around the Herzog Friedrich Street in the Old Town area with also has The Golden Roof as the popular attraction. It is surrounded by colourful facades, bay windows, and charming arcade. Moreover, the awe-inspiring Nordkette mountain range towers over the city with stunning peaks that reach over 2,000 metres above sea level.
In many ways, I found Innsbruck to be the perfect European city. You have mountain ranges in the background, you have charming historic buildings, open air restaurants, with people from all over the world doing every possible leisure activity imaginable. You'll find people taking an evening stroll, beggars playing guitar, drinking, smoking, old men discussing politics, trams adding to the uniqueness of Europe etc etc.I think Austria is really underrated in that sense. Indians are obsessed over Switzerland and fail to see Austria, which is as worthwhile if not more. The whole atmosphere is so full of life, it's difficult to get over the magnificent surroundings here. Also, you can get cheap alcohol and chocolates over here, from a shop near The Golden Roof.
Thereafter, we headed to our hotel where we had a proper European dinner comprising of French Fries, Chicken sausages etc. (a welcome departure from the regular Indian dinner we had been having until then.)