19 Aug When Visiting Austria, Don’t Overlook Hallstatt
After spending 10 weeks in Scandinavia, exploring Oslo, looking after puppies in Alta, road tripping through southern Norway, renting bikes in Copenhagen, spotting moose in Kallsedet, and getting lost in Stockholm, our travels brought us back to Austria, to tick off number 6 from our Wanderlist: Go down the wooden slide in Hallstatt. We visited Austria earlier this year, and we could have slipped a Hallstatt visit into the itinerary then, but after seeing this charming sunny village nestled in the Austrian Alps, and swimming in the crystal blue water of Lake Hallstatt, we are sooooo glad we chose to wait for Summer.
Arriving at 6am proved to be the best decision, as we were able to see the views with gentle sunrise lighting, and enjoy the calmness of this tranquil town. We walked along the promenade, getting lost in the tiny alleyways, finally ending up at the foot of the Hoher Dachstein, where we enjoyed a 60-minute hike with our new adopted friend, Lin Chi Ling, who was as eager as us to get to the crowd-free World Heritage Skywalk. And what a view it was, 350m above the town. Absolutely breathtaking (and Stevo was finally able to have a Titanic moment).
We continued our hike to end up at the Hallstatt Salt Mine, home to the 65m slide, and the oldest-known wooden staircase, preserved 300m into the mine, exactly how our prehistoric ancestors left it. It was quite an experience looking at something that in today’s world is taken for granted; something we don’t really look at twice, but back then was created to solve a problem, and create a new methodology. Seeing that staircase reminded us that finding creative solutions should be seen as more than simply “nice to haves” but rather as essentials for future development. Here’s to using creativity for everything!
CC
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If you enjoyed this blog post, you may want to follow our journey on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, browse our online photography shop, or get yourself a copy of our TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD eBook.
Carli
Posted at 23:10h, 19 AugustAbsolutely breathtaking! Packing up for a journey of my own after a year working abroad, do you have any laggage tips?
howfarfromhome
Posted at 13:38h, 20 AugustAh that’s great! We wrote a post ear;tier this year about the stuff we packed and some tips on packing for a year – check out the blog post here: https://howfarfromhome.com/2015/03/13/127-things-to-pack-when-taking-a-sabbatical/
Rod
Posted at 17:01h, 01 SeptemberWhat is that last pic?
howfarfromhome
Posted at 18:08h, 01 SeptemberHi Rod. That’s a pic taken inside the Salt Mine of Hallstatt of the oldest known staircase in the world.