Hallstatt

One of the last places we visited Saturday was Hallstatt. It was awesome seeing this town cause I had watched a show Rick Steve’s had done on it and wanted to visit it ever since. It was just as beautiful in person! I guess the town was such an attraction for Chinese tourists that they actually built an exact replica of the town in China! They had a church there that I had also seen on Rick Steve’s. It’s on a hill overlooking, the city and the lake, with a cemetery in its courtyard. Inside one of the buildings is a room for the bones of people who were once buried in the cemetery. There used to be so many people wanting to buried there, that you were only allowed to be buried for 10 years then your remains were dug up and your bones stored. Family members and loved ones would clean the skull and then paint it before it was put on display in the room. A lot of my peers were really grossed out by this and didn’t understand why anyone would want their skulls there. But honestly, I think it’s a neat tradition—all the love the family put into the decoration. And to have Hallstatt as your eternal view of the world—it would always be breathtaking.  I wanted to stay longer in Hallstatt! I think I’m going to go back for a day or weekend trip. It’s only like 45 mins away and you can rent a paddle boat to go on the lake for only 11 euros an hr. I’ll just have to find another sunny day to do it!

The city of Hallstatt.

The view from the church.

The bones.

You can see the decorations painted on the skulls.