The Sawyer Stories

We chose Innsbruck as one of our destinations for this trip because we wanted some place  quiet, peaceful, and in the mountains. We didn’t know what we wanted to do there exactly, but we knew we wanted nature. When we found out our friends from Knoxville, Amy and John, also went to Innsbruck for their 20th anniversary, we went to them straight away for suggestions.  Amy (a super traveler) gave us a list of all their favorite things and that became the foundation for our plan. 

Today’s expedition was the one we had anticipated the most: paragliding off the top of the Kreuzjoch peak (2,558 m). While this was supposed to happen tomorrow, it got shifted due to it being the last day of the season for the cable car. Perfect timing! 

Paragliding by definition is one of the most adventurous things Michael and I have done in our 20 years of marriage (or 40 years of life for that matter). Take that and put it in the Alps and you’d think we’d be nervous. Nope. We were both just so thrilled and filled with anticipation. We woke up and prepared a bag for chillier weather at the top. We hopped on the bus and headed straight for the airport to rent our car for the day. Michael was excited to drive internationally for the first time, but quickly realized we should have informed ourselves a bit more on street signs here. Low traffic meant we could learn as we went along.

We took in the sites as we travelled out of Innsbruck south to the town of Fulpmes. We parked and hopped out at the bottom of the Schlick 2000 cable car and rode it to the very, very top. The cable car alone was a beautiful experience. We could see people paragliding from the window and couldn’t believe that was going to be us soon. It’s right about this time I remember to take Dramamine. I’ve got pretty extreme motion sickness without meds. Car rides, roller coasters, boats…they all make me sick, so I knew I needed to be prepared for the experiences of the day. 

At the top, we had about 45 minutes to spare. So, we went into the Panorama Bar, got a soft pretzel for breakfast (cuz Austria) and sat to watch other paragliders prepare and take off. It was a gorgeous day with only a few clouds and little to no wind at the top. We truly could have spent all day up there with a good book and a cup of tea. 

When we went out to meet our pilot, we noticed just one was approaching. This was odd since Michael and I were supposed to fly simultaneously. It turns out the second pilot was home sick. One at a time was fine by Michael, because he got another hour of mountain peak views from an adirondack chair on the edge of the cliff.

I followed the pilot down a very precarious snowy/icy/muddy mess to the launch area. I mustered all my strength not to slide right off the mountain untethered. He quickly placed a harness with a seat of sorts on me and readied the canopy whilst chatting away in German to the other pilots. 

Anything with an element of risk involved in the States includes a lot of instructions, training, and signed waivers. For this experience, all I got was, “When I count to 3, start to run off the mountain.” My response, “So I don’t hold onto anything…I just run…toward the edge?” Yep, that’s it. And ya know, that’s all the steps I needed. He strapped himself behind me, and on 3, we ran until our feet were off the ground completely and we were floating up and out. 

Nothing could have prepared me for how truly incredible this experience would be. The views of floating in and around mountain peaks on every side and a small village down below, the perfect silence except for the air rushing by, I couldn’t stop smiling and gaping at the extreme beauty at every turn. Shoutout to Amy for telling us to bring a phone strap so we could take our own pictures and videos! The pilot said the thermals were ideal for flying so I soon found myself higher that we began with Michael down below. 

The ride was oh so gentle and graceful as we slowly made our way closer to the valley below. I started to get a bit dizzy because of the side-to-side motion. At about this time, the pilot says he can do spins in the air for fun. I mention it may not be best for me to which he replies, “Small like a roller coaster”. Well, small like a roller coaster sent me right over the edge from fine to not fine. Cold sweats, closing in black, and the whole world moving. I closed my eyes and ducked my head to try and regain equilibrium. No luck. I felt the pilot reach into my harness and pass me a barf bag. I tried as hard as I could to keep my insides inside praying for the ground to get to me faster. As we approach the field, he tells me to once again prepare to put my feet down and run. “Run and don’t vomit, run, don’t vomit” echoed in my head. We finally touch down, slow to a stop, and I proceeded to throw up several times into my procured receptacle. At least it wasn’t on someone’s roof! 

The poor pilot was so patient while he gathered his supplies and gave white-faced me directions through the town to the alternative landing spot where I would meet Michael. I grounded myself and set off for a stroll through the quaint town of Fulpmes along hilly, cobblestone streets out past the town to a new open field. 

Up on top of the mountain Michael was preparing to make the same decent. He was not quite as prepared with his footwear as I was. His tennis shoes didn’t stand a chance on the snowy, icy, muddy path to the launch pad and he found himself on his butt…in the mud…twice. Luckily he didn’t slide off the mountain and was soon slowly making his way down to me. His ride was also filled with the fun spins and turns, but his stomach handled it like a champ. 

He gracefully landed down below and we both exclaimed that we had just had the experience of a lifetime. This one tops the charts for us both and our gratitude was brimming to the top. 

While we originally planned to hike in the afternoon, the week’s forecast set it so today was our only chance to go up the cable car Nordkette to the top of Innsbruck. So, we headed back to drop the car at the airport and return to town by bus for some lunch. 

Riding high on the morning, we sat ourselves in a booth for falafel burgers directly under our Airbnb apartment. Right as we started eating and planning our next steps, Michael’s eyes got big. We left his passport and international driver’s license in the glove box of the rental. After no one picked up the phone at the rental shop, we crammed down our food, headed back on the bus, back to the airport, and back to the car. Since very little time had passed, the documents were waiting for us safely right where we left them. 

Now that we were a bit behind schedule, we took a taxi to the bottom station for the Innsbruck cable car. We bought tickets and started our trek up. This journey starts with a tram and then shifts to a huge cable car the higher up you get. The Top Of Innsbruck closed the earliest so we headed straight to the top and then paused at the stations on the way down. As we approached the top, we could hear the wind whistling wildly and could see the snowy patches turn to solid white. We stepped out at Hafelekar to be smacked in the face with winter cold. Hatless, gloveless, fall coats only, and Michael’s previously mentioned footwear, we were happy to snap a few pics and then jump right back on the cable car. 

We rode down all the way to Hungerberg, a small town on the side of the mountain. We arrived at 5, just as most shops and restaurants were closing. Luckily we found a place open and enjoyed a few minutes drinking tea and eating pastries. 

Content with our incredible day, we headed back down to Old Town and found a nice bistro right by the Golden Roof. We moseyed our way through the streets and back toward home.

We once again got a hankering for sweets and did a quick search for vegan dessert. Michael found a place with very little detail, but promise for something vegan. We wandered into a clearly local bar where we found a menu. We pointed to the two desserts marked vegan on the German menu without a clue what they were and took a seat. After waiting 20 plus minutes (and almost walking out), we finally see the bartender grab some wrapped desserts and put them in the microwave (a solid sign of something yummy). He brings over a piece of carrot cake and a chocolate coconut cake that, well, left a lot to be desired. Ready to get out of the smoke stench, we rose to pay…or so we thought. Surprise surprise…this is a cash only bar. Well, I’ll let Michael fill you in on how we maneuvered that adventure tomorrow.