Road Trip pt. 1: Austria

Our first border crossing of the day.

We kicked off our week long road trip with a short drive to Austria. On the way we visited Eagle’s Nest, but I will defer writing about that part of the trip for now; look for it later. I will tell you that to arrive at Eagle’s Nest we had to cross the Germany/Austria border a few times, and a few more times to leave. By the time we arrived at our definitive Austrian destination, the Hallein salt mines, we crossed the border 6 times.

Getting ready to be miners.
Hallein Salt Mines, Austria

Before the tour started we donned white, canvas, protective clothing. These were to keep our nice clothes clean; the salt mines are dirty. Our next thrill came from riding the train deep into the mine. While we were dressing, we had to watch a brief instructional video where a dim-witted, mulleted man demonstrated what not to do on the tour. Among the “do-not” list were riding the train drunk and standing up in the train tunnel; a stunt that would lead to a concussion.

Walking back to Germany!
Hallein Salt Mines, Austria/Germany

When the train ride ended we still had more to walk. In fact, we walked back to Germany! We were grateful for our canvas suits as it was very cold inside the mountain. Our clothes also came in handy when we rode the slides. The slides were comprised of two wooden rails running parallel to each other. I think they are well oiled or smoothed by years of butts. Either way, my own butt remained mercifully splinter free; I had been harboring fears about that since I’d seen the wooden slides. There were two slides in the mine and they were so much fun! When we reached the bottom I had to fight the urge to race back up the steps and slide down again; I felt like a kid again. The tour even came with a souvenir; on our way out of the mine we were each given a small shaker of Austrian salt.

The top of the slide!
Hallein Salt Mines, Austria/Germany

Pension St. Nikolaus
Golling, Austria

We spent the night in a small town called Golling. Our hotel was Pension St. Nikolaus and it was nestled in the meadows of an Alpine valley. The owner of the hotel lived on the 1st floor and she was gracious and helpful, directing us to a delicious restaurant and the town’s main attraction, a waterfall. We’d booked 1 room for 4 adults, but she said most of the rooms were empty so we could have two rooms. I loved the décor and the balcony with a view of the towering peaks.

Waterfall
Golling, Austria

We hiked to the waterfall before dinner and after breakfast, and both times we ended up damp. During our evening hike it was raining, and during our morning hike the waterfall kicked up enough spray to simulate rain. This was a fun little precursor to Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes.

Useful Links!
Pictures from Our Trip!
Hallein Salt Mines in Austria
Pension St. Nikolaus
Golling Austria Town Website