When I first decided that I would be visiting Austria, I initially focused on the Vienna area which is in the eastern part of the country. There would be several UNESCO World Heritage sites near the area and I thought it would have been a good choice. While I was planning how to go about with the visit. I came across the village of Hallstatt, which also happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is a train ride from Vienna and actually would be a bit out of the way because of time constraints. However, I saw photos of Hallstatt and immediately changed my plans. I decided to fly in through Salzburg and include Hallstatt in my visit.
Still I didn’t plan my visit properly since I spent most of the first day traveling. By the time I arrived at Hallstatt from Salzburg, it was already three in the afternoon and there wasn’t much light anymore. Then again, it was winter and the mountains around Hallstatt don’t really allow that much light into the village, especially in the winter. For the most part of the my journey to Hallstatt from Salzburg, the sky was overcast and it looked very gloomy. When the bus finally pulled over at the Hallstatt bus terminal, the sky started to clear and it revealed what made Hallstatt so famous in the first place. The village is built along the shores of the Hallstatter See which is an alpine lake among the mountains which by now are already snow capped. The sky still wasn’t totally clear but it was good enough for a throng of visitors to take photos. I couldn’t help myself but start taking photos as well since it was really that pretty. I know I need to check in my accommodation soon, but I don’t know how long the weather conditions will last here.
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