Guided Mountain Hike-July 16

By the end of the week, we were quite worn out, so we had asked about this free, guided tour that came with our rental. The woman said, "Oh, you ride in a bus up to a mill and walk around a bit." NEVER BELIEVE AUSTRIANS WHEN THEY SAY, "A little walk..."

I thought I would still wear my 'hiking' skirt in case the walk was dirty, but I thought I would be fine in flip-flops. When I walked out to the waiting van, the guide pointed to my shoes and shook his head. My mom came out and he did the same. We both had to change into our 'hiking' shoes which still didn't meet his approval, but it was then at our own risk.

We ended up having the most strenuous hike of the trip! I think it was worth it, because I got to work on my tan and had a good workout. Oh and NEVER BELIEVE AUSTRIANS WHEN THEY SAY, "Just half an hour..." It took us an hour to get to our destination. At least when we got there we got to try some fresh juice made by the farmer by mountain flowers. There were goats, sheep and cows wandering around freely.

We were told we did not have to bring a lunch, because it was included. We asked what it was and he said (translated) a king's meal. We were unsure what that meant, but it was delicious! I am still going to try to make it again. It resembled something like the Dutch babies my sister has made. It was eggy with powdered sugar and jam made from local berries.

After the hike we got to finally head to the mill (which also included a 15-min walk in each direction). The mill is operated by the wheel shown below. They produce several types of flour. We got our complimentary bag and then were shown in the shed where the local ladies make food and bring it on Fridays to sell. The hubby tried this meat platter that grosses me out to look at it, but I thought the sheep sausage was very tasty, as well as that slice of ham. This was served with bread. The cheese under the butter was nasty. It tasted like the smell of the barn, but supposedly it was quite healthy, because all the fat is out? Mom and I each opted for a slice of cake.

We were exhausted when we got back to our place, so we slept and in the evening went to an open-air concert in Innsbruck. They have one every night in July, but we only made it to one. It was definatly warmer coming down the mountain. It was 90 degrees at 8:00.