I truly loved this place and wished we could have stayed longer than one night. After a hearty breakfast at our hotel we set out on foot to explore the town.
The streets in Hallstatt are so narrow you can barely maneuver a tiny car through them. In fact, buses let their passengers out at the edge of town because they are too large to pass through the narrow streets lined with close-knit buildings.
The village sits on a very narrow ledge between the soaring mountains and the beautiful lake. The steep-roofed houses literally cling to the mountainside. Most of the multi-storied houses are painted white and have teeny wooden balconies.
Walking along main street I passed a beautiful church with a tall narrow steeple adorned with a small white cross. Shortly the music of an ancient pipe organ boomed out, startling me. As I continued further along I could still hear the deep, rich tones of the music.
On one house I noticed a tiny, narrow wooden walkway from the window of a house built into the side of the mountain. Presently a little cat climbed out of the window, walked casually down the walkway and jumped into the street. How absolutely endearing I thought as I kept wandering!
Soon I encountered an old woman riding an ancient bicycle. She dismounted near a dock, removed a brown bag from the bicycle's basket and began feeding bread crumbs to a whole flock of swans.
Breathing deeply of the crisp winter air I retrieved my husband who was busily shooting pictures.
Reluctantly we climbed into our little skate of a car leaving behind this glorious little village.
My experience of Hallstatt never really leaves for long. Even now my eyes travel to the huge poster above my desk, treasuring the detail and my memories of this special village.