salzburg - Travel With A Butterfly

The hills are alive with the sound of music.

Do, a deer, a female deer, Re, a drop of golden sun

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Do these phrases seem familiar to you? If they do, that’s because they all are song lyrics from an incredibly well known movie called The Sound of Music. And lucky for us, we actually managed to visit the place where they shot a couple scenes from.

This was our second day in Salzburg, and also our last day in Austria before we headed into Czech Republic. For those of you who just want to know what attractions there are to see in Salzburg, the ones we visited include: Hellbrunn Palace (Schloss Hellbrunn), Mirabell Palace and the Gardens, the main shopping street called Getreidegasse, Salzburg Cathedral, St. Peter’s Abbey, and Fortress Hohensalzburg. Continue reading The Hills Are Alive – what to do in Salzburg

Austria

Hallstatt is Where the Swans Say Hello

ByRyan Lee

Hallstatt is a fairy tale like, picturesque small town that is both charming and idyllic, located in the Salzkammergut region of Austria. It is situated on the banks of the Hallstätter See (Lake Hallstatt) and is surrounded by majestic mountains, making it a stunningly picturesque destination. It’s walkable distance from Salzwelten Hallstatt (oldest salt mine, click here to read post) and offers a visual of skies and water that looks so clear it seems untouched, ever, by human industrial actions. What’s the most impressive was that the swans seem unfazed and unafraid of human beings; in fact, they kind of embrace it and seem to notice when you want to take photos of them. And if you feed them, they will definitely come nearby as well.

The town is renowned for its natural beauty and is a popular tourist spot. Hallstatt has a rich history that dates back thousands of years. It is known for its salt mining industry, which began as early as the Bronze Age and has continued till the present day. The town’s name has even been given to the Hallstatt culture, a prehistoric culture that existed in Central Europe during the early Iron Age. The charm of Hallstatt lies in its well-preserved historic buildings and traditional Alpine architecture. The narrow cobblestone streets are lined with charming wooden houses, some dating back to the 16th century. Continue reading Hallstatt is Where the Swans Say Hello

Austria

An Ice Cave and the OLDEST Salt Mine, in Obertraun, Austria

ByRyan Lee

We booked a private driver from goEUgo (https://www.goeugo.com) called Mr. Lau who was super friendly and knowledgeable and punctual. In our itinerary, we went to three places in one day! – an ice cave called Dachstein Giant Ice Cave, the oldest salt mine in the world called Salzwelten Hallstatt, and a small beautiful town called Hallstatt right around the corner. For this blog post, I’ll be posting photos basically from the first two activities.

We went to Obertraun, nearby Hallstatt, a village and also a popular holiday destination for people to engage in activities such as skiing, mountain biking, snowboarding, swimming, and kayaking. Continue reading An Ice Cave and the OLDEST Salt Mine, in Obertraun, Austria