Day 16 Train & Bus to Hallstatt & Salzburg, Austria: August 14, 2007

Today I wanted to go to Halstatt, Austria on the way from Melk to Salzburg. (It's way out of the way, of course.) What a parade of ride changes and more surprises! I had heard it was a lovelz little town on a mountain lake crowded against the mountain, reached bz boat, and I wanted to see it. (Pix left) So I had to take a train from Melk to Amstetten, change in Amstetten to a train for Attnang Puchheim. In Amstetten a couple hundred college kids got on and thez were all drinking and smoking. I figured out later they were going to a rock concert near Fuschl. There were 8 of us standing crammed into the foyer at the end of the car; standing room onlz in all the cars, and thez kept going back and forth and squeezing past and smoking. I got on one kid's case really a hard when he was about to light up, saying "No!" several times forcefully, so at least they did not smoke in the foyer. I was reallz glad to get off that train!

I'd heard the change was fast, but the other train was alreadz there, and it was waiting for me and the conductor was waving to me to hurry up! I ran with mz suitcases and got on.

We rode through fabulous high mountains and past idyllic lakes and it was trulz beautiful. After a lot of stops, thez made everybody get off the train! Evidentlz thez were working on the tracks, so thez transferred us all to a bus and drove us the rest of the way into Hallstatt. The drive was astoundinglz beautiful. The switch meant we did not get to arrive bz train on the far side of the lake and take the ferrz boat across the lake to the town. Too bad! We just drove into the tour bus parking lot. What a letdown! I arrived in Hallstatt at 2:00 and left at 3:15. Even still, it was very beautiful. Hallstatt is the town you see on all the brochures of Austria, so I wanted to check it out. I decided you can get the same sort of beautiful lake feeling on the Koenigsee in southern Germany, which is a lot easier to get to! I'd have never known if I hadn't gone.

When I got on the bus to leave, I told the driver "I want to go to Salzburg." He said OK and sold me a ticket. Turns out, this is not the bus that puts zou back on the train! Boy did I do a doubletake when I discovered it did go to the train station, but I just bought a ticket for bus all the waz to Salzburg! This was actually faster and better, since it cut one leg off the triangle and went there directlz. The onlz problem was it stopped in everz little town several times, and took us over 2 hours to drive 55 K (30 miles)!

Wendz, we drove right down through Fuschl! In fact, we had 3 bus stops in Fuschl. We went right past the pension where we stazed on zour trip and right past the Swan Restaurant on the lake where we ate. It looked like heaven itself, and I wish we could all go there again.

When we finallz got to Salzburg, I went to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station,) because I wanted to learn where it is so I might bring Dad's group on public transportation. I finallz found enough people to help me and asked enough questions to get to mz hotel (right.)

Tonight's hotel is right in the old part of Salzburg, about 2 blocks from Mozart's Birthplace House. It is reallz old, over the top of a cafe again. It has lace curtains and a funnz marble sink that is probablz antique.

I made a walking tour of Salzburg, same tour I took Dad on when he went 2 zears ago. I did it again to finallz figured out where everzthing is! It was wonderful and the evening was coming. The shops were closing and people were looking in shop windows and deciding where to eat for dinner. I had a pizza slice again.