Munich’s new Town Hall. Photo: Jonathan VellaMunich’s new Town Hall. Photo: Jonathan Vella

Hanging at the Prado Museum in Madrid is a self-portrait that Albrecht Dürer painted in 1498, when he was 26.

In this second of his three self-portraits, the German painter/engraver is seen in front of an open window and, in the background, is a valley.

The village of Mösern, a 30-minute drive from Innsbruck, capital of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria, insists that is the Inn Valley as seen from the locality.

This little village is located at the edge of the Seefeld plateau and offers splendid views of the upper Inn Valley right to the Stubai Alps.

I am not really qualified to say, but having had a close look at the landscape appearing behind Dürer, I would agree that the view I enjoyed for three days from the balcony of my room at the Inntalerhof Hotel in Mösern was the same one. The view is just as exhilarating during the day as at night.

But, then, the whole region is simply spectacular, as I immediately noticed during our approach to Innsbruck airport in a small Dash 8-400 twin turboprop as it zigzagged its way around the majestic mountains.

This was a so-called ‘educational’ trip organised by Lufthansa for a group of travel agents. I was invited to tag along and promised that I would enjoy it – and I certainly did.

I must confess, the region’s attractions were supplemented by a night at the opera, where our own Joseph Calleja was the main star, and a most enjoyable Saturday afternoon watching Bayern beat Freiburg 4-0 at the Allianz Arena

The agents were quite a happy bunch, which did not necessarily mean they will make perfect guides, but they certainly knew their business and I could sense a genuine sense of loyalty towards clients and a high degree of camaraderie – even if competition is cutthroat.

One thing that struck though during my informal conversations was the lack of unity within the industry. Pity, really, for I am sure that both the travel industry itself and the travelling public would benefit from better collaboration and coordination.

I found their experience enlightening as I observed them when visiting sites, facilities, hotels, casinos... you name it. It was evident that, in their expert judgement, the region is a sure winner.

And I could hardly disagree, though, I must confess, its attractions were supplemented by a night at the opera, where our own Joseph Calleja was the main star, and a most enjoyable Saturday afternoon watching Bayern beat Freiburg 4-0 at the Allianz Arena.

It started in Germany and ended in Germany. From Frankfurt we took a 50-minute flight to Innsbruck, where the airport itself is a sight to behold.

We stood on the tarmac in awe, staring at the mountains that surround the runway on all sides as ground staff shouted at us to move into the terminal.

Located almost midway between Munich and Verona, Innsbruck hosted the Winter Olympics in 1984 and again in 1988.

Winters are cold and snowy, though, this year, the sun shone quite often. Summers are not like ours, in that they tend to be somewhat unpredictable.

What this means is that the region is a perfect location for skiing in the cold months and ideal for mountaineering and picnics when it gets warmer.

Our hotel was about 10 minutes from the picturesque resort of Seefeld in Tirol, where we tried out some of its 255 kilometres of cross-country ski trails.

We left our mark there. Well, to be precise, what we left was an imprint in the snow of a part of our anatomy but, as I was told by a member of the group who must have left the biggest impression, what happens in Vegas remains in Vegas and what happens in Seefeld remains in Seefeld.

We don’t want to hurt anybody’s pride, now, do we?

It was fun and harmless – even if we may have had some discomfort sitting down for lunch after the session!

Apart from being picture-perfect, the area is also peaceful. Mösern was once described by German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as the “swallow’s nest” in Tyrol.

The Inntalerhof Hotel is bang in the centre, on a mountain, offering a bird’s eye view of the Inn Valley below.

An added attraction for any Maltese staying there is the fact that the owners, the family Heidkamp-Neuner, know Malta very well and one receptionist even worked in Gozo and is quick to recount her night-outs at Il-Grotta.

Accommodation options are wide and varied. Give me one of those cosy and warm log houses any time, but the more demanding and sophisticated can go for the exquisite, five-star Astoria Relax & Spa Hotel, a partner of the Sacher Hotels in Salzburg and Vienna, or the five-star superior Interalpen Hotel, 1,300 metres up in the mountains.

A drive of just over two hours and you are in the Munich, north of the Bavarian Alps.

This third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg, has always ranked high in liveability indexes and there is so much to see and do.

The Munich Olympic Stadium, the BMW building and the Hofbrauhaus (which, as the German name suggests, is a brewery that produces world famous beer) are visitor favourites.

Of course, there is the Allianz Arena, which changes colour when it gets dark but the outside is always ‘painted’ red when the home team Bayern Munich plays there.

Apart from being picture-perfect, the area around the Austrian village of Mösern is also peaceful

Another place worth visiting is Munich Airport, which last year handled just under 40 million passengers. Its modern design and features are an attraction in themselves. One outstanding characteristic is how quiet most parts of it are, despite the hectic activity within.

To me, the icing on the cake was watching Joseph Calleja perform the title role in Jacques Offenbach’s opera The Tales of Hoffmann at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.

He shone throughout, though there were one or two other superb voices. But his presence on stage – and he was there for practically the whole three hours of the opera – was overpowering and you could sense that all eyes of the packed house were on him.

One word of advice to those who decide to book – and when in Munich you should go to the opera, especially when Calleja is there, which is fairly frequent – make sure you are there on time because they have a very strict policy that nobody, but nobody, is allowed in once the show starts.

Also, if you buy the tickets online, pick them up no later than 30 minutes before the performance starts because if you are late, the box office may decide to sell them.

Alas, it was time to pack and fly back home. As the Lufthansa plane flew over the mountains not long after taking off from Munich Airport, I looked down and wondered how soon will it be before I could again be in the heart of the beautiful Alps.

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