I am in Austria this week. No, I am not waltzing in Vienna, or doing Sound of Music tours in Salzburg, or visiting the Olympic facilities in Innsbruck. I am actually in the little town of Kufstein. And Kufstein has its own place in legend, older than Mozart, much older than the Olympic movement and much much older than the Sound of Music. Kufstein is supposed to be the place where Richard the Lionheart, king of England, was imprisoned on his way back from the crusades. His detention and absence from the English throne is essential to the legends of Robin Hood. So it was interesting to visit a town that would imprison a king.
And if you are going to imprison a king, you need a suitable fortress to do it. Kufstein has such a fortress. The town is built around a rocky outcrop, on top of which stands a castle. The castle dominates the town. At any time, day or night, the castle imposes itself on your vision. You cannot avoid seeing it. Whether fortunately or unfortunately, I am here for work, and my working hours do not allow me the time to visit the castle. But whatever my working hours, I will always find time to go for a walk, whether early in the morning or during the evening. And the castle is always there in my walks.
My hotel is on the edge of town, so my early morning walk takes me into town, past the castle, past the town hall (Rathaus in German), down to the river, through the old part of town, past the castle again, and back to the hotel. The old town is interesting. Kufstein is on the edge of the Austrian Tyrol. The people of the Tyrol are proud of their heritage, and it was nice to see shops selling traditional costumes, even in children’s sizes. In an age when everyone is trying to be modern, we should not lose sight of our traditions. The walk takes about an hour, and gives me a good start towards my step quota for the day.
In the evening, I walk into town for a different reason. There are some good restaurants here, with both local and international cuisine. After a day in the office, the evening exercise completes the walking quota for each day. Ending the day with a walk and good food is great.
Unfortunately, I only get to see the castle during the hours of darkness. Perhaps I will have a chance to see it during daylight, and maybe visit the inside, before I go home. But even if I don’t, I will have enjoyed some nice walks in Kufstein.
And the step count? Around 14,000 each day in spite of long hours in the office
Walkingman 