Innsbruck Winter Parade

We woke early and ate the last of our liver pate. The people here are mostly here to ski and the hostel has a ski package, so that in the morning people stomp through in thick ski boots and plastic clothes. They have an obsessed glaze over their eyes. It is definitely an addictive sport. We hooked up with an Argentinian girl travelling alone, she was very beautiful and spoke good English. She was an English teacher. She had a strange intensity in her husky voice. She joined us on a trip to the bank, across the icy bridge and into town.

Today there is to be a parade, it celebrates the end of winter. It is part of a month long carnival lasting from Christmas until the day before Lent. People dress up in costumes on the last day to scare away the spirits of winter. It starts on the other side of the river Inn and crosses over, reaching the courtyard in the old city where the golden roof is.

This country has been different for us than Greece and Yugoslavia as we have met other travellers. In Greece there were hardly any tourists as it was winter, and Yugoslavia doesn't get much tourism. But her we have been bombarded with new information and travel ideas from other travellers. They are a strange and varied breed, each different from the next. 27 year olds who have had professional jobs, given them up and started backpacking, people on a one month break before collage, and others in their 20s who are travelling for 6 months - 3 years. The guy at the tourist info told us that American tourism has dropped 80% because of the Gulf War. Bush has told them "we can only guarantee you security at home."

We got to the parade, people were milling about - I'm glad we missed the tourist crush. Loud Austrian music was playing. Many of the costumes were the traditional Lederhosen - short leather pants with braces - people played accordions, and home-made instruments. There were whole families fully decked out as clowns. Youngsters dressed as punks and tramps, even people working in the shops were dressed up. We saw three small brothers all dressed up as leopards, and two elderly ladies dressed in sacks covered with gold sprayed pine cones. I put on my fur hat and a red nose. There were floats but there was no ridged organization, people walked in the streets and occasionally a float came by. A float of a sausage making machine, caught people from the audience and put the in head first, turned an imaginary handle and "sausages" came out the other side! We went "home" relaxed after a very pleasant day.

Photo by Warsaw Worrior