HIGH TIMES INNSBRUCK-STYLE

Kim, Marcus and the children enjoy spectacular alpine adventures in the beautiful capital of the Austrian Tyrol

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A thin sliver of light streamed through the small crack in the blinds of our motorhome, the dazzling brightness cutting across our drop-down bed. I gently pushed the blinds down and was startled by the sight that greeted me.

The entire campsite and every single motorhome that had been parked up was now covered in a thick coating of snow, looking like the layer of meringue on a lemon curd cake.

It had fallen so heavily overnight that the ploughs were out already, pushing the powder off the roads so that the snow-laden vehicles could make their escape.

Sophisticated city

We were in Innsbruck, the fifth largest city in Austria and arguably one of the most underrated in the country. This sophisticated place has almost everything, from the marvellous mountains that draw keen skiers and snowboarders with easy access to the slopes, to the wonderful Old Town full of history and charm, not to mention the many kerbside cafés and restaurants, enough to satisfy even the most ravenous diners.

Harrison and Dorothy were rendered delirious by the sight of the overnight snowfall and dressed so fast, they could have competed for a world record for children getting themselves ready for the great outdoors!

This might be in part due to the fact that we had spent Christmas in Greece, enjoying glorious sun-soaked days at the beach, when they were hoping for snow, if only to make it easier for Father Christmas to land his sleigh.

Hurriedly flinging open the door, they rolled into the plush snow and proceeded to make haphazard snow angels, three-tier snowmen and even the start of an igloo – all to a chorus of exclamations of delight and shouts of “This is the best day ever!”