I was fortunate to take a 2-week trip in September to Germany and Austria. I stayed healthy the entire trip. Yeah! Traveling with my husband, Rich, we toured Bavaria and the Tyrol Alps region of Austria. The Tyrol region has 70 Three Thousanders (mountains with peaks over 3,000 meters) and is a popular ski area with Innsbruck as its capitol city. It will literally take your breath away. Much of the land in the Tyrol is in nature preserves with accessible hiking and bike trails.
Our travel for this trip was by a car that we picked up at the BMW Welt in Munich. This made for fun travel and site seeing on our own schedule. We rented an apartment at Haus Jaegerheim in Leutasch, Austria for a week. This provided a home base so we didn’t need to deal with packing every few days. It was also great for keeping up the daily nebulized treatments. I did not take a Vest just the Acapella and relied on exercise in the Alpine air to stay healthy. It worked!
The Leutasch Valley is a rural area at an elevation of approximately 3,000 feet. At home in California, I live at sea level. Fortunately I did not have trouble adapting to this elevation and staying active with a lung capacity of 50%. But it was difficult for me when we were above 5,000 feet climbing uphill, visiting Alpine villages to reach the huts or waterfalls. I did what I could but could not keep up with Rich. But I never could! I did get out of breath and have to stop to catch my breath yet still tried to climb every mountain. I also cheated; took advantage of the funiculars and trams set up for skiers on the Alpine slopes. This was the easy way to get to 6,000 feet or above and the reward was lunch at the restaurant and trails leading around the plateau or hillside to great views.
It was all worth the effort, the views of jagged snowcapped mountains, lakes, streams and waterfalls offered an outdoor paradise. Not only did we get great exercise; the outdoors rejuvenated body and spirit, inspired the senses and makes space for new perspectives. The people were friendly and the culture is colorful as we visited castles, museums, onion domed churches and villages.
If the Alps are on your bucket list follow that dream; climb that mountain or swim in a lake it is all there for the taking. It may take your breath away at times but you won’t be disappointed.
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