Bad Aussee and the Salzkammergut

Yesterday was Der Erste Mai (May Day) as well as Austrian Labor Day... a national holiday! Classes were cancelled, and parades and festivities went on throughout the day. In the evening, we went to the Prater to half-priced rides and fireworks. (Unfortunately, the fireworks were lame because they only lasted 5 minutes ^_^). Today the fun continued, as this weekend is Stadt Fest Wien (the Vienna City Festival). There was music and tents (and balloons!) in Heldenplatz as well as performances and special events throughout the city.

But as promised, jumping back a few days to recount this past weekend:


Last weekend I visited Monika, my German teacher from the intensive period, who lives in the Salzkammergut region of Austria. This region is very scenic, full of snow-capped mountains, reflecting lakes, and small authentic towns. Monika was in Vienna for a conference, so she picked me up in the afternoon and we drove out to Bad Aussee (approx 4 hrs on the Autobahn). She simply requested an important stop along the way: the Lindt chocolate factory! :D The factory (in the middle-of-nowhere!) had a small shop selling very discounted delicious Lindt chocolate, and also had a tray of some free chocolates to sample. Mmmmm. I only bought a small box worth (about 8 bags of Easter candies for only 5€), but Monika bought two large boxes and a mixed bags... perfect for having on hand for classes and students. This was a delicious side-trip.

We arrived in Bad Aussee around 6pm, and as I walked through her front door, I was immediately greeted by her friendly Dalmatian Kiara and her two cats, Molly and Lily. I missed having close contact with animals, and I really enjoyed having pets for the weekend. Additionally, I wish I had taken a picture of the house. It was yellow and green, complete with typical Austrian woodwork and balcony. I had my own "holiday apartment" downstairs, with views down the street into the town and with the mountains beyond.

The next morning, Monika took me into town. I was impressed by how she seemed to know everyone--from the neighbors that drove by or were walking their dogs to the people that worked in the shops! First we stopped in a Dirndl shop where I was able to see some examples of the traditional Austrian garb. A dirndl consists of a bodice, white blouse, skirt, and apron, and most towns have developed traditional colors for their dirndl. For example, the Ausseer dirndl has a green bodice, a pink skirt, and a purple apron. These colors would be worn for young and old alike for traditional festivals.

A few blocks down, Monika was able to shop me the dirndl factory where they hand-print the fabric. It was very interesting to watch the woman work! She taped down a large square of the fabric on a flat worktable and used a long wooden block for a mold (dipped in paint) to press the pattern. I observed her making a plaid pattern (so just a plain block), but there were also carved blocks on the side that would create patterns such as small flowers or stags.

Next, we stopped in a gingerbread shop! Gingerbread is another traditional food of Bad Aussee. I bought a little bit to sample, and I can't wait to try it! :) From there, we walked through the town and she told me some more about its history. Bad Aussee is a spa town located on the point where two rivers from the Alps merge into one. It is famous because of the real-life Cinderella story of Archduke Johann and Anna Plochl. Anna was the daughter of the postmaster of Aussee. Johann, the brother of the emperor, met Anna and fell in love with her, ignoring social customs to marry the girl from the lower class. Ausseers are very fond of this story, and have a statue devoted to Archduke Johann because of everything he did for the region.


After exploring Bad Aussee, Monika drove me to Hallstatt. Hallstatt is the oldest town in Austria and one of the oldest in Europe-- it is 7000 years old!!!!!!! Its name has even been applied to a period of the Iron Age. Its Salt Mines also have some interesting more recent history as a treasure trove of the Nazis. Its beauty (argued to be the most beautiful town in Austria as well as the oldest) earned it a spot as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located very scenically on the edge of a lake and framed by the Alps. Here is a view across the lake from Hallstatt:


There are extensive salt mines in the mountains nearby; for centuries, the men worked in the mines, while the women loaded heavy piles of salt upon their backs and trekked for miles to transport the salt. Numerous monuments throughout Hallstatt honor these women, who had to continue their work even when they were 9-months pregnant. Many children were lost because of this hard life style. Today, however, Hallstatt flourishes instead from tourism rather than salt and the Salt Women are a thing of the past.

Another interesting part of the town was the ossuary at the Catholic Church. I have never seen anything like this before! Because the town is so old and there is so little space (the houses are almost one on top of another!), the church had little space for a cemetery. They would use their limited plots for temporary graves after a person died; however, after a while, their bones would be dug up from the grave and the space would be re-used. The bones were marked with the name and dates, decorated, and put on display in the ossuary. This is a picture from inside:


After Hallstatt, Monika drove me through a variety of other towns, including the more spaced-out Gosau (so many green fields), and scenic views of Dachstein and other major Alpine peaks. The views were stunning.

Sunday I left in the morning to return to Wien. (See the previous entry for notes about the wonders of the Austrian breakfast I was served each morning!). Overall, it was a wonderfully relaxing weekend, and just the right medicine I needed for the end of the semester. I really hope to come back to the Salzkammergut one day though, hopefully to spend more time and hike between the various town, and who knows? Maybe if my German is good enough, I will follow in Monika's footsteps and retire in a wonderful town like Bad Aussee.