Hallstatt

We drove on a “little” road as a shortcut to our destination, Hallstatt, Austria. At one place the road had a 24 degree slope, but thank goodness it was downhill in the direction we were going. When we first arrived in Hallstatt, we knew we had found one of the more beautiful places in the world. We’ve been here several times, but each time we have mostly seen it under clouds, and usually in the rain.

Pictures of Hallstatt, a picturesque, beautiful lake-side village, are often used for a calendar, a jig-saw puzzle, a greeting card, or something like that. Prominent in the picture, is a lake-side church with a tall pointy steeple, with the town bunched on the ledge between the mountains and the lake.

It’s said people have lived here for 3,000 years, and it's easy to see why. The houses are mostly white stucco with brown tile roofs, and wood balconies with flower pots. We see many people in this area wearing Alpine hats and knickers, and “lader hosen,” the short leather pants, some men like to wear. The scenery is sure more beautiful than the people. But you can say that about most anywhere in the world.

In downtown Hallstatt there is a one lane tunnel, in and out of town. The traffic light lets traffic go one way at a time, the light changes every six or eight minutes. There’s a large digital clock next to the light, so it’s possible to stop in the street and shop until the clock is almost zero, jump in the car and go.

The lake is surrounded by mountains, and just behind the town, a funicular railway goes to the entrance of a salt mine, half way up the mountain. Maybe next time we’ll take the ride. It would be a shame to go up the mountain, and not be able to see the beautiful lake and mountain scenery.

As we walked the mile from the campground to downtown, there must have been 6 or 8 waterfalls and streams coming down the mountain, through the town. As we walked along the lake shore, we could see they had built garages on stilts, out over the water, to keep the boats protected from the weather.

Next to one church, a couple flights of stairs lead up the side of the mountain, to the town cemetery. Each grave is a separate, detailed, trimmed, precision flower garden. The “gravestones” are crosses covered by a little roof, and many display a photograph of the person buried there.