The tranquil city of Hallstatt in the heart of Austria's Salzkammergut region.
Every region & country has its quintessential small village. In Sicily it was Taormina. Bavaria is Rothenburg. Belgium has Bruges and Tuscany has Sienna. Here in Austria, I am proud to say that I can finally give the nod to the charming little lakeside community of Hallstatt.
We visited Hallstatt last Thursday, and came away with lower blood pressure and a sore picture-taking finger. It's the type of place that simply begs to be put on a postcard, and might possibly be the most relaxing, peaceful place I have ever been. The town itself is situated on a ledge between a deep blue lake and towering green mountains. Its history dates back to pre-historic times -- put it this way: there was a Hallstatt before there was a Rome (due to the importance of salt mining in the area, the years 800-400 bc can be referred to as the Hallstatt Era!) Tourists come now not for the history, but for its charming little village and lakeside setting.
While waiting for lunch to cook, why not feed the swans?
Back in the 1800s Emperor Franz Joseph and his "Diana of the Day" bride Empress Sisi made this region their summer vacation spot. The locals knew she loved swans, and so they filled the lake with them - and they've been there ever since. The whole town can be explored in less than 15 minutes, so we wandered down to the waterfront for lunch. The swans literally come up to the edge looking for bread, and the local specialty of trout (caught that morning) was one of the freshest dishes I have ever had.
Lakeside lunch with the Johnson's.
You can rent a canoe - but we just opted to relax in the shade.
On the fastest tours I would recommend at least a night in Hallstatt, as it is just 45 minutes south of Salzburg and an easy connection to both Innsbruck to the West and Vienna to the East. And don't miss the Marketplatz!
Marketplatz is a kaleidoscope of buildings!
One last look at the fabulous waterfront of Hallstatt.
~ J. Twice
1 comment:
Hi JJ.
I saw you on the Giro-start on Friday, looking for a good position for taking the photos. I guess you had the same position as I. Bad position. Bad luck. Anyway, the guy you’re targeting on your photo is not Lance, it’s Levi Leipheimer from Astana Team. Yes, they are looks-like, it’s easy to made mistake about those two guys, especially under the helm and with sunglasses…
I like your blog very much, deep respect!
One more thing: nice game on Saturday, congratulations.
K.
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