I’d like to kick this blog off with my absolute favorite place to go walkabout. It’s not the easiest place to get to, unless you happen to be in Salzburg (just head south a tad). If you do find yourself near or in Austria then do yourself a favor and take a couple days to visit Hallstatt. It’s a UNESCO Heritage site for good reason. One of the oldest continuously settled places in all of Europe with records if Salt being traded there going all the way back to 2500 years ago!

This isn’t a history article it’s about going for a walk. There are two places that are forever burnished in my mind. If you’re a photographer then as soon as the sun begins to rise head over to the church up on the top of the hill on the eastern side of town. Most tourist guide books will tell you about the small room that houses all of the painted skulls. This room sits in the back of this magnificent cemetery. The cemetery is a photographer’s paradise, especially if you are North American and not used to these types of grave markers. One of my favorite photos is of a really cool chair that I saw here. Please by respectful of visitors, some have family in the ground.

The other place I loved is the walk alongside the stream. I forget the name of the stream but it runs beside Malerweg road (check that on your map). It heads away from the lake, up into the mountains. The stream itself is crystal clear, just beautiful. Partway up the path, once you are in the forest you will come across a little bridge. In the stream below the bridge visitors have begun stacking up little cairns. There were dozens and dozens of them when I was there, looks cool. Keep following the path further into the forest and you will eventually get to a terrific waterfall. The walk is not too long – a great way to spend a half day. Once you get back to town walk over to the XX restaurant. We had a very nice meal there.

One other enjoyable part of our visit to Hallstatt was a diner in Mr. Zauner’s restaurant. You can’t miss it. The door sits right at the top left corner of the town square. The food is a wondrous feast. Make sure you order Mr. Zauner’s famous soup (bring some tissues). We happened to spend a couple night at Zauner’s and can easily recommend it.

There something about walking around such a beautiful little European village. It’s cliché but it does feel like stepping back in time , back to a simpler life – if only for a few days. But then again, that’s exactly what a good walkabout should feel like, an escape with time to ponder life.

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