At breakfast this morning, Raul and Lauren socialized with a couple from California. Since they too were fans of Rick Steves’ travel guides, they shared the same itinerary for the next few days.

Raul and Lauren used the remaining time on their 24-hour transit pass to take the subway to the train station. Raul wasn’t sure if the pass was worth it, since nobody ever checked tickets.

The journey from Vienna to Hallstatt was on two trains and a bus. The first train segment was a lovely experience. Arriving early to the station, they were able to secure facing seats with a table in between–plenty of leg room! As marvelous as they found the comfort of travel by train to be, they found the natural beauty of the passing countryside even more wondrous.

In Hallstatt, Raul and Lauren looked for a hotel room for their second night, as Gasthof Simony had only one night available. They procured lodging within a private home overlooking the Market Square.

They spent the rest of the day exploring the quaint, lake-side hamlet on foot. Along the way, they paid a visit to the Catholic Church and its unique Bone Chapel. Since burial space was limited, it was customary to re-use plots after a dozen years. The remains of the previous inhabitants were dug up, and the skulls were laid to rest in the Bone Chapel. As a sign of love, various symbols were beautifully painted onto the skulls.

After a dinner of the typical Austrian Wiener Schnitzel and Apfelstrudel, they went for a hike above the town. It was particularly enjoyable with all the day-trippers having departed Hallstatt by that time. The hike afforded rich views of the town, the lake, and the surrounding mountains, many of which are still dotted with snow.

Prior to retiring for the night, they relaxed on the lake-front garden terrace of their hotel. While the sun went down, they indulged in a second dessert of Eis (ice-cream) accompanied by Holunder gespritzt (elderflower soda) for Raul and an Almdudler (Austrian herbed lemonade) for Lauren. Lecker!

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