The Amazingness that is Hallstatt

So we got up early on Saturday morning and had a delightful breakfast with Walter and his wife, who own and run Haus Am Moos. I swear they have the best breakfast ever -- lots of rolls, jams, cakes, juice, tea, etc. And the company really makes the meal. Walter told us how to get to Hallstatt and then he entertained us with different stories and such. I think the conversation came around to me, and the man looked shocked when I told him that I was twenty. He looked even more shocked when I said my boyfriend was at home. Then he asked me about Andre, whom Barbara, Mandy, and I went to Salzburg with the first time around. We had to clarify that he was just a friend and that my boyfriend boyfriend was at home. It was slightly awkward and very funny.

Then we went into the center of Salzburg to catch the bus to Bad Ischl, where we would hop on a train to go to Hallstatt. Getting to Hallstatt is a bit of an adventure, but it's completely amazing. And worth it. The busride was very pretty, and just as we were getting on, I got a call from Matt, who was up very late for some reason (hmm...I wonder what it could have been) and wanted to call and tell me that he loved me. How cute :-) For the most part, though, I just took a lot of pictures on the bus, even changing sides when the views got better in one place or another.

Once we got to Bad Ischl, we changed transportation to a train. Originally, I think we were supposed to take another bus down, but the train was there sooner than the bus was, so that's what we did. The train ride was gorgeous, again. I'm really a fan of trains, and I think I'm gonna miss them a lot when I get home. I think I'm gonna miss a lot of public transportation when I get home -- this driving thing is very overrated.

When we got off the train, we followed the crowd down a small hill to a dock. Once you get off the train, you have to take a boat to the other side of the lake, where Hallstatt is. Our boat driver person (I can't think of the word in English) was awesome. He had the hat and the bushy moustache and the pot belly. It was the perfect slightly grumpy sailor look. And his first mate was exactly the same.

Picture-taking continued on the boat, and we wanted to get a group shot of the three of us, so I asked an older man to take our picture. Now Daddy, at this point, was pretty much convinced that I really didn't know any German, so he was kind of impressed that I knew how to ask this guy to take our picture. Then we had to explain to him how the camera worked. Finally, after we got the picture, the guy started up a conversation with us that lasted all the way across the lake. Actually, he was having a conversation with Daddy, who is an absolutely amazing conversationalist when he's talking to someone who speaks a different language (Just ask us to tell you about the Mick Jagger story...). He gets like a typical American tourist -- speaks very loudly and slowly and uses ridiculous hand gestures. It's the greatest thing to watch. Oh, Daddy. Anyway, Daddy and this man were having a "conversation" and then they got the bright idea of having me translate. So I got to have a conversation with the older man, who was very proud of being able to name all the states and their capitals in the US. He told us that he was from Linz and that he and his wife grew up near Salzburg, and he also said that Daddy didn't look like he was Austrian. And then, prepare for this, he said that I spoke very good German. :-) How awesome is that???

On the other side of the lake, we stepped off the boat and started on a trek to look for food. As we were looking, we were window shopping. And the old man found us, so we got to have another in-depth conversation with him about the United States and his son and such. I think I used more German that day than I do in a normal week.

I think Hallstatt only has one real street, and we walked the length of if foraging. Just as we were coming to the end, I heard someone call my name. When I looked over, it was Mary! She's in my German and Drama classes and she's also Mandy's roommate. How weird is it to bump into another IES person in the middle of nowhere Austria? But it turns out that they had a good tip for us for lunch, which was absolutely amazing. I think it might have been because I was so hungry. But there's this little local place all the way at the end of the road in Hallstatt that all the local people go to, and that's where Mom and Dad and I went for lunch. I think I had schnitzel again (it's been a very vegetarian semester, so I'm not going to pass up meat when I get the opportunity to eat it). Afterwards, we ordered a few desserts to share, which were all very good. We sat outside so we could look at the lake, and there were all these punky little boats that were going back and forth. On the other side there was a castle-like house that we took pictures of because Mom and Dad decided that that's going to be their retirement house. I'm all for that.

After a slow walk back along the main drag and a jaunt through the museum, we had to hurry over to the boat or else we wouldn't have made the train that was coming at 4:30. We got there just in time, after I got to be the silly tourist that ran through the village... So we took the train back to Bad Ischl, but once we got there, we realized that we lost the ticket for the bus, so we had some gelato (it was a major ripoff compared to Vienna) and walked back to the train station because we could take a train to Salzburg. We got there just in time again, hopped the train, and bought our ticket en route. We were headed up toward Linz and switched trains to go to Salzburg.

Once we were back in the 'burg, we headed back to Haus Am Moos. I'm not really sure what happened for dinner that night, but it was probably really good.

The next morning (Sunday, April 15) was a lazy day, and we didn't get down to breakfast until about 8:30. Then I think we spent about an hour and a half or so chit-chatting with Walter and his wife about recipes and places to eat in Salzburg. They suggested a few places to try, so we planned our day around where to eat.

We grabbed the bus into town and walked along the cool sign street. I still don't know the name of it, but they have really cool signs. Since everything is closed in Austria, and probably most of Europe on Sundays, we got to do a lot of window shopping. Daddy really likes the tradition costumes with the Dindrl (the skirt like thing for women) and the nifty jackets and hats for men. After a few hours of looking in windows and lusting after awesome shoes, we decided to break for lunch.

Today we went to the Sternbräu, which is a restaurant in the older part of Salzburg. The food was good, but the service was horrible. Our waiter was the biggest grouch I've ever seen. And honestly, I don't plan on going back.

During lunch, we had a really nice discussion about economics and what was going on with the business, and I put in my two cents, but I'm not sure if it'll play into any decisions or not. Either way, I got to feel smart around my Daddy, which is really important to me. I love conversations like that.

After lunch, we headed up to the Fortress. We had all been there before, but it was nice just to take lots of pictures up there. This time, instead of walking like I had done the time before, we took the Funicular (?) up to the top. It took like 3.25 seconds to get there -- keep in mind, it took about half a hour to walk up there the last time I was at the fortress. So we wandered around the fortress for about an hour or so, and then because it was so warm, we decided to take a break at the restaurant that they have up there. They have the most gorgeous views.

While we were there, there was a little bird who was very noisy and very nosy. He would hop around the tables looking for scraps, and at one point, a lady a few tables down ordered a huge souffle. When she was reading her book, the little bitty bird hopped over and sat on the edge of her plate, like "wow, I really hit the motherload this time!" But then he got scared off by something and by the time he came back two minutes later, the remains of the souffle had been taken away by the waiter.

It was starting to get a bit late, and we had to find the other restaurant that Walter recommended before it got too dark and we couldn't see, so we hopped back on the funicular and started the trek back out to Haus Am Moos. The restaurant was only a couple of stops away from the B&B, so we asked the driver, and she let us off right in front.

Walking into the gasthaus was a bit awkward because all of the locals sitting outside gave you "The Look." It wasn't so bad inside, and the schnitzel was absolutely amazing. Mom and I split a lot of things so we could each try two things at one meal. It's one of the best plans ever. I think we had strudel that night too.

After dinner, it was definitely dark out, but we decided to walk back to Haus Am Moos since it was only a few stops -- how far could it be? About a mile and a half later, we made it back to the B&B, and told Walter that we really enjoyed his recommendations.

Monday morning was our last breakfast at Haus Am Moos, and we spent a lot of time chit-chatting again. It really is an amazing place, and Walter and his wife are incredibly charming. They laughed at me for coming back, and even more when I told them I'd be back in a month or so with my sister and Paul, but how could I stay anywhere else after staying there?

Following another leisurely breakfast, we went out to town and grabbed a train back to Vienna. We had to leave a bit early so I could get back and work on some things for the next week. So we got back and I dropped them off at their apartment/hostel and ran home to crank out some major work.

The rest of Mom and Dad's visit will be in the next post and then...AMSTERDAM!!!