Day 2 started off with a full 4 hour bus ride from Vienna to Hallstatt. I’m usually not a big fan of tour buses but a window seat for the journey changed my perspective on how “looking-outside-a-window” is defined, forever. During the road trip, I was mesmerized by the beauty and surrounding nature. There were leafy fields, forests, hills, and an assortment of greens. The journey brought back memories of our Europe trip half a decade ago. It was truly a reminder of how Europe still has superior beauty in scenery.
We stopped by a rest-stop along the way. There is a market inside that sold an assortment of Austrian specialties. What hit me particularly strong was the abundance of Evian bottled water. In Taiwan, these are sold in various 7-11's and higher end supermarkets. Yet put into perspective, they are merely just typical bottled water in Austria (more so in France). In Taiwan, I would sometimes “treat” myself to a bottle of Evian, but between a $8NT bottle and a $45NT Evian, there is absolutely no difference. H20 is… H20. However, it’s interesting when you see all these locals/foreigners just grabbing Evians off the shelf and piles of those bottles lying in racks; it really put things into perspective. Globalization at its best.
The Hallstatt lake (Hallstätter See) is breathtakingly beautiful. Upon arrival, it became clear that the lake was half the attraction. The small town itself was even more impressive. Old European homes spread evenly between a small path (The Hallstatt Stroll) along the lake. Each one more colorful than the other, the town use to house workers of the salt mine. It’s said that the origins of Celts could be traced back to this little town. As I look around, the sunny weather added nothing but extra satisfaction to the gorgeous scenery. Let’s just say this lake was quite a few notch above Taiwan’s “Sun Moon Lake”.
For the night, we stayed at a city called Salzburg. The neighborhood surrounding our hotel was much more different than what we’ve known Austria to be like. The streets are not maintained as well as Vienna, the buildings are older. There were a significant number of middle easterners, internet cafes, and even strip clubs. A quit stroll around town shows that even the most pretty things have an ugly side.
I would like to take a quick moment here to address the genius invention of GoPro. This little screenless camera had helped me taken some of the best photos in my life. It makes photography seems almost too easy with some mild post editing. The wide lense’s functionality is simply ridiculous. I’ve become as impressed, if not more, with the photo ability of the GoPro than the video function of the camera. Simply put, I fucked up by not jumping on to the GoPro IPO.
Honorable Mentions:
