Into the Alps (Part 2)
4 AM. Excited and foggy at the same time, I crawled out of bed. The instant coffee from the hotel would do. Dressed in clothes warmer than I usually would, in anticipation of beautiful snowy mountains, I marched towards the S-Bahn station in the empty streets of Vienna.
A slight hesitation saw to it that the suburban train left me behind. But what was to come, was better than I could have hoped for. A shiny Siemens Desiro came to a stop. As I stepped inside, I was greeted by that new train smell, still lingering in the air.
The clock had just ticked past the quarter hour mark past five, but Wien Hauptbahnhof was already a bustling place. Following the signage, I ascended onto the mainline platforms, where my Zürich bound Railjet stood. This was my first time onboard one. The interior was simple but functional, indeed, a very clean and modern design. At 5:30 sharp, the train effortlessly pulled out of the station.
Unlike most people, who traveled one station far, I was on this train for a relatively long haul. It would be over four hours before I stepped off of it in Innsbruck. Speaking of this city, I first came to know it in high school, when the Innsbruck to St. Anton Railway was featured on Microsoft Train Simulator. And here I was, almost 15 years older, finally on my way to see this beautiful gem in the mountains in real life.
A slight hesitation saw to it that the suburban train left me behind. But what was to come, was better than I could have hoped for. A shiny Siemens Desiro came to a stop. As I stepped inside, I was greeted by that new train smell, still lingering in the air.
The clock had just ticked past the quarter hour mark past five, but Wien Hauptbahnhof was already a bustling place. Following the signage, I ascended onto the mainline platforms, where my Zürich bound Railjet stood. This was my first time onboard one. The interior was simple but functional, indeed, a very clean and modern design. At 5:30 sharp, the train effortlessly pulled out of the station.
Unlike most people, who traveled one station far, I was on this train for a relatively long haul. It would be over four hours before I stepped off of it in Innsbruck. Speaking of this city, I first came to know it in high school, when the Innsbruck to St. Anton Railway was featured on Microsoft Train Simulator. And here I was, almost 15 years older, finally on my way to see this beautiful gem in the mountains in real life.
The train was fast, all the way from Vienna to Linz, but from there on was where the real Austrian landscapes began. Hill had become mountains, and as we winded towards Salzburg and beyond, they transitioned from being sparse to scattering, and eventually, as far as the eye could see.
On the final stretch to my destination, the Railjet glided on the shiny rails, at 230 km/h, deep inside the heart of the Austrian Alps. Minutes later, I found myself on the platform, at Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof, standing in awe.
On the final stretch to my destination, the Railjet glided on the shiny rails, at 230 km/h, deep inside the heart of the Austrian Alps. Minutes later, I found myself on the platform, at Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof, standing in awe.
 |
| Now here's a city with a view |
 |
| The Inn Valley. Breathtaking, isn't it? |
Comments