It is March and the snow situation is very relevant. When checking some web cameras from ski resorts (yes, it’s a good idea), suppposedly 15 out of 16 ski resorts are open. That is good news and there is still some winter left for skiers and snowboarders alike.
Since January the skiing season has been in full swing. Then in January, the landscape was seemingly flying past my OBB train window from Munich to Innsbruck (get travel ideas in the article head for Munich and onward to Austria for a winter adventure). As we passed Rosenheim and there was still no snow, I bought my espresso from a gentleman passing by with a tray and asked tentatively ‘There is no snow visible in the landscape outside?’. ‘Klima’ he instantly adds. So here is a train conductor in his 20s and this is part of his contextual reality. ‘Klima’, or climate in German. This one-word answer has become a staple reply in the past years when someone says something about the weather.
Then in January, outside the train window, a small homestead with a couple of horses in a shed flew past and green grass was everywhere to be see. Barren trees with branches reaching for the sky in desperation for the winter shroud that they once so proudly wore. Hills passed by outside the window but barren trees were seen everywhere. Yet the grass was unexpectedly green and lush, even. But then as we rushed past the Bavarian landscape with several hills bundled together, there was one peak that showed a large spot of white. It was January in Bavaria and I’m approaching the Austrian Alps (don’t forget cross-country skiing as a fun sport: Two places to go cross-country skiing in Bavaria and a nearby must-see medieval town). Snow-capped hilltops far away in the distance. But the landscape next to me was green or gray, depending on if I looked at the fields of grass or the desperately reaching tree branches.
Just before Kufstein hills began to cover the landscape as the train came to a halt with a squeaking sound. The castle Kufstein was barely visible from behind the roofs of the train station and beneath the turquoise river showed . More hills and grey clouds with a the sunlight were barely able to reach out from behind the clouds. A yellow and red rescue helicopter hovered a few meteres above the ground as we continued flying past the landscape. Get more inspiration for your trip to Innsbruck in the article check out Innsbruck on a day trip from Munich.
You have to climb high, really high
Then one early morning when dawn was yet to break in Innsbruck, during a conversation with the night receptionist, a simple question led to another hint of the predicament for snow sports enthusiasts “Where can I go cross-country skiing?”
“There is only snow high up in the mountains”, came the answer followed by an apologetic smile. Well, I laughed “Up the mountain, I will go, but cross-country skiing will be out of the question on the slopes.”
Spring in Hamburg
From the Austrian Alps to northern Germany and Hamburg. With spring beckoning in Hamburg, the sun came for a surprise visit one day and warmed up the city with the promise of spring soon to come. Check out this destination article about Hamburg.
Festivals in March and the coming summer
Spring is the beginning of the festival season and several fun festivals were held in March. Check out three festivals and fairs in March for a different travel adventure and find out more about St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, Fallas of Valencia, and a wine fair in Bordeaux.
