HALLstat

We stopped for one night in Hallstat, Austria. It is considered one of the most beautiful lake villages in the world. While it was really beautiful, I think that I am becoming jaded about superlatives. Our only morning there we took the funicular up the mountain to the salt mine but we didn't tour the mine (it sounded awfully Disney-esque). Instead we hiked down the mountain and learned a lot about the salt trade from signs along the way. There was a cemetery at the Catholic church in town with graves are beautifully maintained. Because space is at a premium, people were traditionally only buried for ten years. Their bones were then dug up, cleaned, skulls painted, and stored in the charnel house, below. It was actually quite beautiful.