24 June - 2 July 2025
Just when we should have been sleeping, refreshing ourselves for our walk to Gries am Brenner the next day, things took a very different turn and we were returning to Innsbruck by ambulance.
All went well though. We were so fortunate in the very speedy and excellent treatment Jeff received, both before and after surgery.
Jeff's home for two nights was in the Universitätskliniken, the University Hospital.
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| Jeff was ward was 9 Nord, on the 9th level. |
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| The view from his room - just before a storm hit. |
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| Jeff's nurse Natalie. She was a real character & full of life and fun. |
After saying goodbye to Jeff, a few hours after his surgery, I had to return to where we were staying in Matrei am Brenner to pack up all our gear and take it to a hotel Innsbruck which I had hurriedly booked in the very early hours of 25 June.
Back in Matrei am Brenner:
Our pension hosts at Matrei am Brenner were fantastic the night before when we knocked on the door to their private rooms sometime after 11 pm and asked them for help, immediately calling for an ambulance. Jeff's surgeon later said that if they hadn't organised the ambulance so quickly the outcome for Jeff would have been very different.
When I arrived back at their pension the next morning I asked if they could organise a taxi for me, back to Innsbruck. They looked a bit surprised and then told me that a taxi from there would be very difficult - that left me wondering what I was going to do, especially as it was a 25 km trip and I had two packs to manage!
It was while I was packing our gear in our room that the wife knocked on the door and told me that they would drive me back. They were so generous and kind to me, even carrying the packs into the hotel. We've been so fortunate in the many wonderful people we have met along the way.
Our hotel. I chose it mainly because it was within walking distance from the hospital, making it easy for me to visit, but it also looked good for Jeff to rest and recover.
We've had very quiet days since Jeff's discharge.
One thing we needed to do was to make an appointment with a GP for Jeff to have the metal staples removed on Monday. Not knowing where to start we asked at a pharmacy if they could recommend a doctor. The pharmacist was wonderful, not only in recommending a doctor but she also phoned on our behalf to make the appointment.
Our next mission was to buy wheeled suitcases to put our backpacks in as I can't carry both of our packs. This was easily done by taking a taxi to a shopping centre that Jeff's nurse Natalie said to go for them. We've also bought two small carry on packs for our flights home.
Here are a few photos taken when out on these missions:
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| We always try to walk on the most shaded side of the Inn River. |
On one of our excursions we came across a small church, Mariahilf (Mary's help?) which has an amazing ceiling dome:
The view from one of the hotel windows:
