City in the Clouds

  Hallstatt, Austria.

 

Only 950 people live there, and it only takes 10 minutes to walk from one side of town to the other.

 

 I love it! 

The Best Moment
Ale was busy in the lobby for a long time so I had our room to myself. I walked out onto the deck and found myself standing in a cloud. I saw nothing but misty haze and its reflection in the water. It was breathtaking. I stayed long enough to watch the clouds drift away to reveal a peacufully-floating swan and the outline of a tall mountain. I started to get cold after a while but I could not leave! Seriously, I went inside and had to come back out because it was so mesmerizing. This is another experience that cannot be captured in any way other than being there. My pictures turned out to be nothing but black, and these words could never do it justice. It was the best!

Austrian Food

Ale introduced me to goulash, an Austrian stew. Dies ist gut. 

We also tried apple strudel. In Europe it is usually not crumbly. I like American kind better, but this was interesting. It had grapes in it.

Strolling Around Town
We walked around for a bit. It doesn't take long to tour the whole city because it's so tiny. The walk was very enjoyable.

 

This tree was flat against the house! How is that possible?

Back in the day, the lower part of many houses was used as a farm, and families lived above.

It was a little rainy, but still warm, thank goodness!

Graveyard
The graveyard in Hallstatt is located on the hill, right next to a church.

Most of the graves looked out over the water.

 

Every grave had lots of plants and flowers. Several of the candle lanterns were lit. It was inspiring to see that each person was still respected and remembered. I think the latest date I saw on a tombstone was 2003.

Bone House
Hallstatt started running out of room in the graveyard, so graves were dug up every ten years and the bones were put in here. Nowadays, people need to request for their bones to be stored here. This bone house holds the remains roughly 1,200 people. After we had been there for about 1 minute, the electricity went out. It was a little creepy!

The skulls were decorated to show respect. 

The Quaintest Breakfast
I ate breakfast this on the alps of Austria while listening to soft yodeling music. How did I get here?!

This man owns the bed & breakfast, and he was the best waiter I've ever had. Everything from the eggs to the juice was arranged perfectly. He was so nice, he probably would have killed a pig to make bacon if I asked him to. I snapped this while he was helping someone with directions, but doesn't he just look like an Austrian mountain man?

 The World's First Salt Mine

Yeah. The world's first. Whoever had the idea to blow up a mountain and grind the minerals to put it on food was a genius. 

We hiked about an hour to get to it, and it was a beautiful hike! After a tour of the mine, we ran down the mountain in about 25 minutes so we could shower before catching our train to Salzburg. Neither of us really had the shoes for it, but who could pass up an opportunity to hike in a place like Hallstatt?

On our way up the mountain, Ale sang and acted the entire movie of The Sound of Music. The hills are alive!

In the mine, Ale and I were the only people who needed the tour guide to translate everything into English. I WISH we got a picture with him because he was funny, and I think he got a kick out of our energy compared with the rest of the group (they were quieter...and older). During a movie in the tour, our guide tapped me and Ale on our shoulders and gave us salt rocks to take home. He told us to not show anyone, so I felt like I was breaking the rules. But the rock is awesome.

I learned about the geology of salt mines, and it was pretty cool. Brenna would have liked it!

Goodbye Hallstatt,

Hello Salzburg!

After the salt mine tour, we rushed to catch a train to Salzburg, Austria. We visited lots of places and walked around in the evening, then we caught a night train from Salzburg to Venice, Italy! Here is a summation of Salzburg:

The Sound of Music Sites

The "Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do" song was filmed on these steps.

This is where the Von Trapp family hid from the Nazis (although we heard rumors that the filming took place in a replica of this graveyard. Who knows?)

Gold Miner

This man was picking up coins from the fountain. Ale said he was also talking to himself. Sad, but kinda funny at the same time.

Locks of Love

There's a bridge where couples go to put locks, signifying the unity of their hearts. Then they throw the key into the river. Cute, huh?

This Reminds Me of Petra

Buildings literally carved into the mountainside.

The Oldest Church in Salzburg

Right in the middle of a cemetery. Enough said.

Another Church

Gorgeous inside. Lots of paintings.

Chess in the Town Square
This one is for you, Ev. Someday...after I train for several years, we should play a game there.

Most Expensive M
Apparently, this is the most expensive McDonald's"M" in the world. It's small, but it's gold.

Oldest Restaurant in the World
Dates back to the year 803. I really wanted to eat something there, but it was way expensive! So I settled for a picture.

Gardens

I keep asking myself over and over, "Why isn't it normal to have crafted gardens in America?" I really want to have a labyrinth or something in my backyard when I grow up. Does anyone want to volunteer to groom it for me?

Awkward picture, but I absolutely love the walls of bushes.

We found a stage. Ale walked me through The Sound of Music AGAIN! Luckily it was abbreviated this time.

Cool Store
We went to a n ornament shop that had TONS of eggs that were emptied and then hand-painted. It reminded me of Old World Christmas, but with eggs. They were really cool!

 

After walking around Salzburg, we spent the night on a train, and now we are in Venice! More on that later.

Loch Sloy!