Hallstatt, Lake and Mountains

Hallstatt is a village in Austria's mountainous Salzkammergut region. It is famous for its stunning alpine views, historic salt mines, and well-preserved architecture, and it is often considered one of the most beautiful villages in Europe. A good thing, it is well connected by train and you can come here from the city Linz, for example (the trip would take around 2 hours).

To reach the village of Hallstatt from the train station, you typically need to cross the lake. You can take a short boat ride across the lake to the village. This boat ride is part of the experience, offering scenic views of the surrounding mountains and the village itself.

Hallstatt is a small but vibrant village with a population of around 800 to 1000 people. It is characterized by narrow streets, traditional wooden houses, featuring colorful facades and flower-filled balconies.

So, this peaceful atmosphere and stunning mountain views attracts each year so many travelers! During peak tourist season in the summer, it is estimated that around 10000 to 15000 visitors can come to the village in a single day!

The Hallstatt lake is about 8 kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide, making it a relatively small but stunning body of water. The surrounding Dachstein Alps rise to impressive heights, with the highest peak, Dachstein Mountain, reaching 2995 meters above sea level.

I really would love to see, how the lake reflects the mountains at sunrise and sunset, because it must be making the scenery especially lovely.

I have stayed in Hallstatt for 7 hours, but I was a little bit bored. I think, with some organised tour this place would bring more fun, so I would come here again and would try some guided excursions. Not sure, if I would love to stay here for a night though.

Cyprus, Troodos Mountains

Today I have an excursion to Troodos Mountains with visiting one of the wealthiest and well-known monasteries in Cyprus - Kykkos Monastery.
The highest peak of Troodos is Olympus, at 1952 metres. However, we climbed at 1700 metres above the sea. The serpentine road into mountains was incredibly picturesque, so we had several stops to take some unforgettable photos.

Here and there I could see vineyards. I also noticed that pine trees are spreading here everywhere. In mountains, they have a lot of reservoirs, which are filled by rainwater to be used later. By the way, the question of fresh water is really severe on the island, and sometimes, when there is not enough snow in mountains, they have to use the desalters, which are very expensive.

Today I have learnt another word in Greek. It is 'Yasas', which means 'hello' and 'bye-bye' at the same time. Moreover, you can say 'Yasas!' (as 'Cheers!') when you drink with other people.

Now we are at Kykkos Monastery, that was found at the end of the 11th century. First, you can find here the miracle icon of Virgin Mary. This icon remains hidden behind a protective covering, and nobody is allowed to look at it. The monastery is also famous for the fact that the first president of Cyprus Archbishop Makarios III started his career here as a monk in 1926.

As a tradition, every excursion in Cyprus involves visiting a winery, where you can try and buy some wine. This time I had no intention to buy anything, however, many tourists did.

The excursion ended with visiting the charming village Omodos, the traditional settlement with amazing traditional buildings. Local people could preserve its old beaty with the tiled roofs, the picturesque upper storeys, the flowery yards, the wooden doors and the variously decorated gateways. People say that this village has absolutely Cypriot character.

Tonight we have had the fire show at the hotel. There was only one man, who performed the tricks with fire, sharp nails and broken glass. Not bad, but nothing extraordinary.

London, In Somerset

The Cheddar village is located in the English county of Somerset. The village gave its name to Cheddar cheese, which is the most popular type of cheese in the United Kingdom. The Cheddar Gorge, situated on the northern edge of the village, is the largest gorge in the United Kingdom. And this is another sight, which attracts many tourists.

Another famous place of Somerset county is the city of Wells with the imposing Cathedral in Gothic style, built between 1176 and 1450.