TRAVELLIVE 11-2017

The change of weather from the warm and sun of
Venice to the cold in Salzburg was such a shock
that all I wanted was to curl up inside the blanket
I arrived in Salzburg on a night bus trip from Venice, Italy
at three o'clock in the morning amid the freezing cold. I
opted to share a taxi with four others to the Salzburg Hbf
station and took a train to the AO Hostel, which I booked
in advance to get some rest before taking the early bus to
Hallstatt, the famous tourist spot of the Salzkammergut.
Getting started
to Bad Ischl.
fter my sleep, I woke up, still
unaccustomed to the cold
winter of Austria. The change of
weather from the warm and sun
of Venice to the cold in Salzburg
was such a shock that all I
wanted was to curl up inside the
blanket. But I needed to get to
Hallstatt, so I walked 2 blocks to
the bus stop. A long queue was
already in line for the bus no.150
The bus was crowded and full of Korean tourists on holiday
to Austria. For a moment I forgot about my tired legs as I
looked out the window and was in awe of the magnificent
beauty of the Alps and its heaven-sent clouds. The green
patches of the pasture and some old houses reflect
themselves clearly in the Hallstatter See lake, creating a
rather spectacular landscape.
A short distance away were small villages situating on the
other side of the lake against the back drop of the mountain.
Each village had its own Catholic church. The blue waters of
the lakes in this area of Eastern Austria reflects the sky and
the beautiful Alps mountains perfectly. If I wanted to hide
from the world, this is where I would be, a place to immerse
myself in nature.
Unsure of what I would find Hallstatt, the bus trip itself
was such a beautiful experience that it in fact surpassed all
my expectation of Austria's countryside.
At Bad Ischl bus station, I bought myself a grilled
mozzarella cheese sandwich with bacon and ordered a
hot chocolate for breakfast. After waiting 20 minutes, the
bus to Hallstatt finally arrived. Bus no. 542 was a lot less
crowded as large groups of tourists got off to get to Hallstatt
by train. I chose a front seat to take in all of the amazing
road scenery along the way to my final destination.
The route was slightly winding but not even one pothole
was to be found on the road as we passed through the Alps.
The terrain changed so quickly from the plain up to the
mountain, then into the tunnel and back in the woods. The
sight of the sun reflecting through the upper edges of the
forest took all my troubles away and I could not help but
smile. Nature somehow has a magical way to soothe a tired
traveler after 10 days through France, Switzerland, Italy and
now Austria.
Suddenly someone from behind asked me where I was
heading. I turned around and said to Hallstatt. They told
me they were going to the snow mountain Dachstein and
an Ice Cave.
Snow mountain and ice cave are things that would make
anyone who comes from a tropical country like me curious.
I quickly went and asked the driver to drop me at the Ice
Cave. He nodded and told me not to worry. It was a wellknown
attraction that I, prior to my instance of serendipity,
did not even know about.
After half an hour on the bus, we moved to the Post Bus
Transit and finally arrived in Hallstatt. Half of the people
on the bus got off in Hallstatt and the scenery was just as
beautiful as I had pictured it to be: an old village located
right on the edge of a large lake, leaning against the
snowy mountains. But I stayed on the Post Bus, leaving
Hallstatt Lahn to Dachstein. I was excited at this sudden
change from my original plan, even though I did not know
anything about the Dachstein Mountain.
Arriving at the mountain, I and my two new friends went
to buy tickets for the cable car. Celine and Anna bought the
22 Euros tickets to Station 1 only as they could not find time
to visit Station 2. Heavy snow made Station 3 temporarily
closed as it can only be accessed during summer when
there is less snow. Snow falls all year round and covers
all 3 stations. I bought the 40 Euros ticket to access both
stations. I said goodbye to Celine and Anna before heading
to Station 2 as instructed by my tour guide to first reach the
highest point and later so as to stop at the other station as I
came back down.
TRAVELLIVE
85