Fairy Tale Hallstatt

Here are some glimpses into the beautiful little town of Hallstatt, Austria– the number one Pinterest shared Austrian attraction.

Honestly, I didn’t care for the town that much. It was absolutely CRAWLING with tourists even in October, and I found myself wondering if Hallstatt was secretly an Asian colony. I literally only saw Asian tourists there.

Come to find out, China has even created a mock-Hallstatt in their own country! So, colonization is a distinct possibility.

Even though the town hardly impressed me, the views were so incredibly stunning that I could hardly believe my eyes.

This is why Hallstatt is so popular worldwide!

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I have made a personal discovery:

I utterly ADORE swans!!! Being here in Austria where swans exist everywhere on the most beautiful waters in the world has everything to do with it.

Swans are so elegant, so graceful, so beautiful, and their color is so brilliantly white you almost have to avert your eyes. I love the mythology surrounding them (Swan Lake, “swansong,” Swan Princess), and I love that the royal family here in Austria (including Sissi) took swans to be their primary symbol.

I may have found my new favorite animal!

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One of my very favorite moments in Hallstatt was renting  a little electric boat for an hour and driving all around Hallstatt See. I brought along some local bread and fed a cloud of swans and ducklings, which was hilariously fun.

I also spent a good part of my hour singing songs from Pocahontas as I traveled “just around the [river]bend.”

This, plus my hike up to the top of the Hallstatt hill for stellar views of the waterfalls and the lake, made Hallstatt an unforgettable day trip.

 “It doesn’t matter if you’re born in a duck yard, so long as you are hatched from a swan’s egg!”
Hans Christian Andersen, The Ugly Duckling

 

Mandi