Hallstatt

Another really cloudy day for our first full day in the mountains. Undaunted we set forth on a day trip to Hallstatt, another tiny town on another lake, Hallstatter See. We first caught a bus to Bad Ischl - sort of mid way between the two lakes and then a train to the Hallstatt Bahnhoff (train station) which was very conveniently on the wrong side of the lake. So then we had a short boat ride to finish the journey.

The journey itself was quite fun and Hallstatt was worth the time and effort as well, so it was a win. This place has been around for a long time and its claim to fame is a salt mine. It is hard to get a grip on just how important salt was back in the day. The salt mine is still there and is the major tourist draw card. We didn't go the the mine, but they had a small museum which was really interesting. Lately the place has grown to have great archaeological interest. The place has been going for so long and there is so much salt spread around the place that they are finding artifacts in a very well preserved condition. A couple of hours was plenty to see what there was to see. You can tell my fascination with the layer of cloud that had formed around the lake at just a certain altitude.Read more