Not only me but also the pandemic took a little break during summer, making it possible to travel again. Yet, still being careful, I decided to go somewhere nearby, preferably by train as well. Because, during summer, ÖBB offers the so-called “summer ticket” for people under 26, which allows you to travel around Austria by train for only 69 € for 30 days.
Friday after work, I took the train to Innsbruck to visit Emily and spent the weekend with her in Tyrol before taking the direct train from Innsbruck to Bolzano Monday morning, where I arrived about 3 hours later. There, I spent most of the time strolling through the city’s narrow streets but also sat down in cafés (I highly recommend eating at Fischbänke) to read a book and sip on an espresso or Aperol spritz. So, I embraced the Italian way of life to the fullest while enjoying being on my own and doing whatever I wanted. Thus, one afternoon, I spontaneously decided to do a wine tasting at a winery. Yet, the three days in Bolzano passed quickly, and I was on another train to the next destination, Bregenz.
Once there, I only went for dinner and called it an early night before exploring the city the next day. After a good sleep and breakfast at my hotel, I went to the city center, walked along the promenade at Lake Constance, and took the Pfänderbahn to the top of Pfänder, where you have a unique panoramic view over the entire Lake Constance and 240 Alpine peaks of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. As it was pretty hot these days, I also spent the day at the outdoor pool next to Lake Constance, sunbathing, reading a book, and taking some dips in the lake in between. And before continuing my trip the following morning, on my last evening in Bregenz, I even went to see a performance at the Bregenzer Festspiele.
Friday afternoon, I arrived at Zell am See, where Anna picked me up at the train station to drive to Saalbach together, where I only spent one night but had enough time to catch up with Anna. And before I went home, I stopped one last time in Upper Austria to see Anna and Antonella. Once there, we went for a swim at Attersee but unfortunately got caught in the rain only an hour later. So, we spent the rest of the day at Anna’s hut overlooking Attersee – playing games, doing our nails, and having dinner and drinks on the patio. After breakfast the next morning, Anna then took Antonella and me to the train station to get home again. And although I wished the pandemic never started, it also had something good: I realized that sometimes beautiful places are “just around the corner” as well.
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