Ben and Becca's Adventures: Training through the Alps

I've had a pipe dream for quite some time.

In this particular pipe dream, I'm riding a fancy sleeper train through the Austrian Alps. The snow-capped peaks dominate the view as we skirt about the timberline. Swank hot chocolate abounds, served to me by an actual Swiss miss. The destination? Who cares! We travel for the journey, not the end point.

As close as possible in this phase of life, we brought this little pipe dream to life in our travels from Italy up to our next stop: Nuremberg, Germany. Hopping on to a commuter train leaving Florence and bound for the Fatherland, we took splendid delight in the gentle Tuscan countryside as it gave way to the Italian Alps, and enjoyed even more (if possible!) the subsequent leg that took us from Bressanone, Italy to Innsbruck, Austria. Several kilometers outside Bressanone is where the glory of the Alps reveals in earnest its hidden splendor, seemingly reserved just for rail folk. Befitting our journey and mountainous vista, we each bought a glass-bottled 'apfelschorle' (a kind of Deutschland carbonated apple juice) from the older lady manning the cafe car. Not exactly a Swiss "miss," but kind, smiley, and spoke herself a good solid German.

Like most good things in life, our day in the Alps (8-hour train trip) seemed as but a dream and passed by too quickly, and we were soon welcomed by Becca's friend at the Nuremberg train station. I decided for this entry to let the pictures tell the story, with an occasional caption for clarity, emphasis, or just because.

Enjoy!

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ITALY

Apparently, endless fields of grapes, thin vertical trees, and Tuscan goodness is only so engrossing.

There were very few cities along our train route, though plenty of small towns.
Just as you'd hope.

I don't know if it's preferable to live with a view of the town on the mountainside, or to live in the town and have a view of the valley. Guess we'll have to try both and report back.

The back-right of this photo shows the famous Dolomite range of the Italian Alps. In fact, it was a calendar picture of that very range that led to the pipe dream.
Magnificent.

AUSTRIA

Becca and I have taken to calling apple juice "apfel juice" because of
this trip. Nerds unite!

Approaching Innsbruck. Probably the most dramatic mountain scenes came from our approach to this year-round resort town. Even if it's just passing through,
we highly recommend the experience.