Day Ten: Wednesday, May 23

Today we traveled to Hallstatt, a small village built in close proximity to a salt mine in the side of a mountain which overlooks a beautiful lake. Impressive aspects of Hallstatt were the aforementioned lake, which was framed by tall mountains and surrounded by houses built in a style that was unmistakably Austrian. The lake was cold and clear, and full of giant white swans which complemented its beauty. As you come closer to the mountains to the rear of the village, there is a large lift which takes you high above the village to the side of the mountain. Here you can take many beautiful pictures, either from the lift or from the mountainside. There is an observation deck overlooking the lake which also gives a great view of the village below. It is here where I was able to get my favorite pictures from Hallstatt. A little higher up on the mountain was the entrance to the salt mine. This was, without a doubt, the main attraction of Hallstatt. There was an exterior building connected to the salt mine where we were given a sort of jumpsuit to wear into the mines to aid with cold temperatures and friction from sliding. Once we donned our jumpsuits, we proceeded into the mine. It was very cool inside, and in the initial area we walked through a tunnel with salt collecting on the walls. We soon came to a short slide that had been built to allow quick travel between the different levels of the mine. The idea was simple. You sat down on the slide, pulled yourself forward, and leaned back as you started to move. This was definitely a fun aspect of the mine. Once we reached the end of the slide, we were in a large chamber where salt could be found within the walls, floor, and ceiling. It was in this chamber where we learned some of the history of the mine. It was impressive to me how long the mine had been in use – through 7,000 years, to be exact. In the next chamber, we learned of “the man in salt,” a discovery made long ago of a man who was killed in a collapse of the mine and preserved in salt long after death. There was a light show upon the walls of the chamber to serve as a visual aid for the information presented. We were able to use another slide at some point during this period of the tour. The second slide was roughly three times as long, in addition to being steeper. A camera recorded the speeds at which we hurtled down the slide and took photos. We then progressed to other chambers of the mine to see methods by which the salt was removed and transported to other facilities in order to be modified and purified for consumption. At the final stop on our tour of the mine, we were able to see the oldest wooden staircase in Europe. After the tour was finished, we walked back down the mountain a ways to take more pictures and then boarded the lift again. We then had time to get souvenirs, lunch, and a few final pictures of the lake before going back to Salzburg for the night.