Oldies but Goodies

Ever since we returned home from our visit to the little lakeside town of Hallstatt in 2011, Doug has been dreaming of going back and part of the reason for choosing to stay in Berchtesgaden is because of it's close proximity to Hallstatt and Austria's Lake District.  So, in the interest of avoiding the crowds of locals who would be heading to Berchtesgaden on a sunny Sunday, we made the Salzkammergut (Austria's Lake District) we decided to make this the day we went back for a visit.

Noah and Catherine make a beeline for the playground outside our apartment in Berchtesgaden.

The Salzkammergut is a series of pretty little lakes surrounded by pretty mountains with plenty of outdoor activities to keep holiday makers happy.  We started with a visit to St. Wolfgang, a town we enjoyed visiting a few years ago and where we knew we could have a good and relatively inexpensive lunch.  The town lies along the shores of the lake with the same name (Wolfgangsee) and is one of the most popular lakes in the area for swimming because of its warmer water.

St. Wolfgang

Lunch in St. Wolfgang

The town is compact and pretty.  It's touristy in the way Mahone Bay is touristy, so it still manages to retain a lot of its charm without being overrun by kitsch.

St. Wolfgang

St. Wolfgang 

You won't be surprised to know that Noah LOVED the lake.  He kept wanting to run to the edge and throw things in.  A few times he tried to sneak out on private wharves and row boats.  Fortunately, the water along the boardwalk is really quite shallow, so we weren't too worried about him falling in.

St. Wolfgang

Noah looking for boats on the Wolfgangsee

Private swimming spot for a B&B in St. Wolfgang

After lunch and a walk through St. Wolfgang, we headed to Hallstatt.  This little town is famous and has become a very, very popular destination for day-trippers and particularly American and Asian tourists.  We had visited earlier in the year our first time and weren't expecting quite the crowds that we encountered.  Unfortunately, the town has succumbed to the kitschy side of tourism more than we would have liked.  Still, it is very pretty the way it clings to the side of the mountain and looks like it could fall into the lake any second.

River running through Hallstatt

Hallstatt perched at the bottom of the mountain side

The reason for Hallstatt's pretty, if precarious, position is because of a Salt Mine nestled in the mountain directly above the town.  Salt has been a valuable commodity throughout history and the proximity of the mine made the town quite rich over the centuries or so.

House in Hallstatt

 We stopped for coffee and ice cream before heading home.  The view from our table was stunning and dramatic and Noah had a lot of fun playing with a couple of lounge chairs overlooking the lake while we ate.

Noah reclines with a great view in Hallstatt

Hallstatt's main square