This trip continues from our trip in Vienna.
Day 4:
Last morning in Vienna, we went back to Cafe Central.. Already felt like a local, the waiters recognized us and was extra nice. Told us that there were people in the cafe who had been sitting in the same place for many years. We were soaking in the Viennese cafe scene. I felt sad saying good bye to Vienna. Went back to the room and packed, and sharp at 10AM, Jan, our driver and guide, was there.
He was super nice. Young man , in his mid-20's , a part time EMT. He had water for us, and some juice for Andrew. Helped me with all my luggage. And we were off to Hallstatt!!
An interesting contrast between Vienna ( and, perhaps most old town centers in Europe) and California, was how long it took us to get to the freeway. It was 15-20 minutes of driving before we were zooming on the A1. The Weinerwald, woods outside of Vienna, were lush and green in stark contrast to the urban jungle of the city. The area around Vienna starts off flat and gradually becomes hillier.
For the first half, we remained on the freeway and then took an exit that had us drive through the Trauensee area. I believe the road was the 144. This was a single lane highway in most places, and the driving was a bit slower. The Austrian countryside is very well manicured. All the houses are well maintained, and the tradition is to have bed of flowers hanging from each window.
We weaved through small towns and villages, with the jagged edges of Trauenstein looming in the horizon. I had not done much research on what to expect, and let Jan do the guiding. He offered to stop by Trauensee, and we were thrilled. There was a largish parking lot and just beyond that there was a large recreational area. Other visitors, and perhaps locals, were lounging in the grass, or wading in the water.
The scenery was surreal, A calm lake and a jagged mountain in the backdrop. I had never seen anything like it.
Andrew was super excited to be out somewhere he could run and stretch
and the lake was captivating. Ever since he was a baby, he was drawn to water. And he did not want to go back. We walked on to a floating pier (behind Tina), took some pictures and were set to go.
Poor Andrew had to be cajoled and coaxed back to the car. As we went further down the road, we were gifted with another gorgeous view.
This was postcard material. We had run across the two lane highway and took this picture of Trauenkirchen.
The church is on a little protrusion jutting into the lake , but from that angle , it almost felt, as though it was on an island in the middle of the lake.
The boat being there was just perfect. This was, for me, the single most iconic image of our trip. It captured the essence of why I am forever drawn to Europe.
From this spot, it took us another 30-40 minutes before we were in Halstatt. Our plan was to head up with funicular and have lunch at Rudolf-stromm. I had read that they serve a delicious trout, that is caught in the lake below, that only a very few fishermen are licensed to fish. The ride up the funicular gave us views of the lake, and of course, was always exciting for Andrew.
The views from the platform down onto the lake were gorgeous. We quickly found a table, ( a reminder as to why I prefer traveling that time of the year. ) And ordered the famous Trout. It did not disappoint.
After lunch, we then, headed down into the town, to meet up with Jan, who had offered to show us around town. I had looked up boating on the lake while we were at Lunch, and we headed first to a boat rental. We rented a four seater motor boat for 13 euros / 30 mins. The view of the town from the lake is jaw dropping. A picturesque town and its church steeples framed in by rising verdant clifss just beyond.
Andrew was so happy to be on the water. Jan also came with us, I was surprised that in all his years driving, he had yet to go out onto the lake on a boat.
We spent the 30 minutes circling around looking for picture spots. But the sun was still a bit above the cliffs, and the glare was a bit too much. The scenery though will be etched in my mind forever.
Once we finished up the boat trip, we headed back to do a somewhat hasty tour of the rest of Halstatt.
Its safe to say that Halstatt is over-run by tourists. And the streets are lined with souvenir shops. Tina did some shopping here. I did not want to get into Salzburg very late and kept hurrying along. The town is built into the mountainside in rows. Starting at the lake and the progressively going higher in tiers.
So there was a fair bit of climbing involved, I was not in the best shape, and I struggled. We walked though the town to reach the Ossuary. A crypt where the skulls of the deceased were painted and kept in neat rows. I believe they did this, because they ran out of place to bury their dead, This was a way to keep their remains and honor them.
As we walked back to the car, both Tina and I felt that we should have stayed overnight in the town. It would have been lovely, but perhaps a little boring and lonely. Most of the visitors leave town by evening, but still, I felt that we may not have balanced our trip well between small towns and big towns.
Andrew was tired now, so I picked him and walked the half mile or so back to the car. I was done . Phew!!
I was glad that we had a driver taking us everywhere. We then sat back and relaxed for the ride to Salzburg.
Day 4:
Last morning in Vienna, we went back to Cafe Central.. Already felt like a local, the waiters recognized us and was extra nice. Told us that there were people in the cafe who had been sitting in the same place for many years. We were soaking in the Viennese cafe scene. I felt sad saying good bye to Vienna. Went back to the room and packed, and sharp at 10AM, Jan, our driver and guide, was there.He was super nice. Young man , in his mid-20's , a part time EMT. He had water for us, and some juice for Andrew. Helped me with all my luggage. And we were off to Hallstatt!!
An interesting contrast between Vienna ( and, perhaps most old town centers in Europe) and California, was how long it took us to get to the freeway. It was 15-20 minutes of driving before we were zooming on the A1. The Weinerwald, woods outside of Vienna, were lush and green in stark contrast to the urban jungle of the city. The area around Vienna starts off flat and gradually becomes hillier.
For the first half, we remained on the freeway and then took an exit that had us drive through the Trauensee area. I believe the road was the 144. This was a single lane highway in most places, and the driving was a bit slower. The Austrian countryside is very well manicured. All the houses are well maintained, and the tradition is to have bed of flowers hanging from each window.
We weaved through small towns and villages, with the jagged edges of Trauenstein looming in the horizon. I had not done much research on what to expect, and let Jan do the guiding. He offered to stop by Trauensee, and we were thrilled. There was a largish parking lot and just beyond that there was a large recreational area. Other visitors, and perhaps locals, were lounging in the grass, or wading in the water.
The scenery was surreal, A calm lake and a jagged mountain in the backdrop. I had never seen anything like it.
Andrew was super excited to be out somewhere he could run and stretch
and the lake was captivating. Ever since he was a baby, he was drawn to water. And he did not want to go back. We walked on to a floating pier (behind Tina), took some pictures and were set to go.
Poor Andrew had to be cajoled and coaxed back to the car. As we went further down the road, we were gifted with another gorgeous view.
This was postcard material. We had run across the two lane highway and took this picture of Trauenkirchen.
The church is on a little protrusion jutting into the lake , but from that angle , it almost felt, as though it was on an island in the middle of the lake.
 |
| Trauenkirchen on the Trauensee |
The boat being there was just perfect. This was, for me, the single most iconic image of our trip. It captured the essence of why I am forever drawn to Europe.
From this spot, it took us another 30-40 minutes before we were in Halstatt. Our plan was to head up with funicular and have lunch at Rudolf-stromm. I had read that they serve a delicious trout, that is caught in the lake below, that only a very few fishermen are licensed to fish. The ride up the funicular gave us views of the lake, and of course, was always exciting for Andrew.
The views from the platform down onto the lake were gorgeous. We quickly found a table, ( a reminder as to why I prefer traveling that time of the year. ) And ordered the famous Trout. It did not disappoint.
 |
| View from the platform, with Rudolfstromm on the left. |
We spent the 30 minutes circling around looking for picture spots. But the sun was still a bit above the cliffs, and the glare was a bit too much. The scenery though will be etched in my mind forever.
Once we finished up the boat trip, we headed back to do a somewhat hasty tour of the rest of Halstatt.
Its safe to say that Halstatt is over-run by tourists. And the streets are lined with souvenir shops. Tina did some shopping here. I did not want to get into Salzburg very late and kept hurrying along. The town is built into the mountainside in rows. Starting at the lake and the progressively going higher in tiers.
So there was a fair bit of climbing involved, I was not in the best shape, and I struggled. We walked though the town to reach the Ossuary. A crypt where the skulls of the deceased were painted and kept in neat rows. I believe they did this, because they ran out of place to bury their dead, This was a way to keep their remains and honor them.
 |
| Hallstatt's Charming town square. |
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| The Ossuary. |
I was glad that we had a driver taking us everywhere. We then sat back and relaxed for the ride to Salzburg.
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