Since it was evening by the time we arrived in Hallstatt we weren't quite aware of the spectacular little village we were staying in 'til daybreak. Once we arrived in town we called up the Gasthof Simony to see if any rooms were available, we were in luck. The lady working that night (owner Susanne Scheutz) said she'd be waiting for us. After winding down several levels of stairs from the parking lot, built precariously off the side of a mountain, we stumbled upon the Gasthof. Checking into hotels in Europe means one is often handed the room key without the owner bothering to ask for Name, Credit card, or any other information - a nice surprise.
We dropped our bags upstairs in cozy little rooms and
set out to find the action in this tiny, quaint village. It happened
to be right around the corner in the town square, through a set
of arched doorways in a small, white-walled room adorned with
funky art. 15 people were forced to rub elbows and make friends,
half locals and half of us travelers following the Rick Steves' guide book. I think everyone
staying at our Hotel had read about it in his book.
The next morning we decided to take the tour at the Hallstatt
Salzbergwerk,
the world's oldest salt mine.We rode up the gondola which gives
you a great view of the village on the lake. To take part in
the tour you must put on the garb of a salt mine worker and take the little train into the top level of the mine. From there you slide down bannisters in order
to get to the lowest levels.
