Sometimes, however shameful it may be, I have to admit that I only know of a place’s existence because of Instagram. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe Instagram takes us on a journey of discovery that we might not otherwise embark on. There’s always a bit of my brain that thinks ‘how goddamn millennial’, though.
Whatever. Hallstatt was cool and I’m glad I know it exists, and I’m glad that Aaron and I went to visit. I think a place only becomes an Instagram cliche for good reason. Our visit confirmed this.
Our eight year anniversary (of dating) was our reason/excuse for visiting (it’s going to get confusing if we get married and have to reset the anniversary clock). We decided to celebrate by taking a day trip to Admont, Hallstatt from Vienna. Our anniversary is in January, so we got to catch all three locations under a thick blanket of Winter snow. After the novelty had worn off, this actually meant that my Raynaud’s was on another level and I could hardly move my fingers or toes. Not the best circumstances for photography. Both my sister and Aaron’s family had thought to buy me hand warmers for Christmas, shoutout to them for that. Reynaud’s aside, experiencing Austria in the snow was magical.
Hallstatt is one of those places that has so much beauty to take in, it’s overwhelming. We must have roamed around the village three times to make sure we’d gotten enough photos. Even so, it’s hard to do the place justice. Apparently you can get around the town in less than ten minutes. As photography-obsessed tourists we needed a good three hours there.
Because we took a day trip, visiting Admont and Hallstatt (and another castle I’ve forgotten the name of) in one day was pretty tiring. We were also racing the sunset due to the limited Winter light. Despite having to rush and feeling rather cold, visiting in Winter for the snow is well worth it. I hope my photos can convince you.
It was very busy, but what else can you expect when you book a coach trip?
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