Day 7 - Hallstatt, Austria (23 June 2019)
We had an easy morning before we headed out of town, catching a few final sites as we left.
It was a five hour drive from Budapest to Hallstatt, Austria. Even with the clouds and rain, it was a gorgeous drive!
We pulled in to the cute town a few miles outside of Hallstatt to drop off our luggage at the hotel. We are in an apartment right next to a church and a cemetery! If we had more time, I would go exploring!
The town of Hallstatt, Austria is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s really easy to understand why. It’s pretty special!
When we first arrived, there were a few tourist busses, so it was fairly full of tourists. However, the longer we were there, the more the crowds thinned out. I guess I can’t argue with everyone needing to experience it all for themselves.
Evidently the whole town is only a kilometer, and walking slowly, takes about 15 minutes to walk through.
The town square is darling! I could meander these streets for hours! We also peeked inside the Protestant Church before hiking up to the Catholic Church.
It was fun to peek in the shops on our way up to the top. (On my way back down, I bought a tiny crèche).
On the way out, we soaked in the beautiful view, and spent a few minutes in the Catholic Church.
Walking back down was as beautiful as the views on the way up. Laura and her family took a boat out on the lake, so I walked around to explore some more.
I watched some young ladies making pastries, so I asked which one was the best. One of them responded by pointing and telling me that I’d be dreaming about the pastry after I ate it, so that’s the one I bought. She wasn’t far off!
I walked in to another shop, to ask about some of the Schmuk (jewelry from this area with almost Celtic designs on it). A worker told me to walk downstairs to see if I liked some of the jewelry in the display case. It was nice, but what I found were ruins of a Roman bath in the basement!
Back outside the shop, I sat on a bench and listened to the waterfall as I waited for Laura’s family to return. It was so peaceful.
We all slowly walked back to the van, picking up an ice cream cone on the way. What a quaint little village!
It’s places like this that help remind me of the beauty of the world. After the tour busses left, it was quiet and peaceful. I’m grateful for the beautiful Earth!
It was a five hour drive from Budapest to Hallstatt, Austria. Even with the clouds and rain, it was a gorgeous drive!
We pulled in to the cute town a few miles outside of Hallstatt to drop off our luggage at the hotel. We are in an apartment right next to a church and a cemetery! If we had more time, I would go exploring!
The town of Hallstatt, Austria is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s really easy to understand why. It’s pretty special!
When we first arrived, there were a few tourist busses, so it was fairly full of tourists. However, the longer we were there, the more the crowds thinned out. I guess I can’t argue with everyone needing to experience it all for themselves.
Evidently the whole town is only a kilometer, and walking slowly, takes about 15 minutes to walk through.
The town square is darling! I could meander these streets for hours! We also peeked inside the Protestant Church before hiking up to the Catholic Church.
It was fun to peek in the shops on our way up to the top. (On my way back down, I bought a tiny crèche).
The Catholic Church has a bone display! Evidently town members were only allowed to be buried in the cemetery here for up to a dozen years, to allow room for others to be buried (before the Catholic Church allowed cremation). Then, the bones were gathered and added to the bone collection. The skulls were also painted. It was so interesting!
On the way out, we soaked in the beautiful view, and spent a few minutes in the Catholic Church.
Walking back down was as beautiful as the views on the way up. Laura and her family took a boat out on the lake, so I walked around to explore some more.
I watched some young ladies making pastries, so I asked which one was the best. One of them responded by pointing and telling me that I’d be dreaming about the pastry after I ate it, so that’s the one I bought. She wasn’t far off!
I walked in to another shop, to ask about some of the Schmuk (jewelry from this area with almost Celtic designs on it). A worker told me to walk downstairs to see if I liked some of the jewelry in the display case. It was nice, but what I found were ruins of a Roman bath in the basement!
Back outside the shop, I sat on a bench and listened to the waterfall as I waited for Laura’s family to return. It was so peaceful.
We all slowly walked back to the van, picking up an ice cream cone on the way. What a quaint little village!
It’s places like this that help remind me of the beauty of the world. After the tour busses left, it was quiet and peaceful. I’m grateful for the beautiful Earth!
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