St Wolfang - Hallstat - St Wolfgang

Seeing the legs were shattered from yesterdays walk a nice easy day was in order so we drove to Hallstat to go on the salt mine tour that they have there.

Ice, not snow, on a soccer field

Unfortunately when we got there we had somehow misread the brochure and the mine was closed for winter.  You'd think after our Slovenian misadventures we'd be a little more careful reading brochures and instructions but alas, no.

We thought we'd make the best of the situation though and walked around the little town that is perched on the water's edge.  As it's November now and just prior to the Advent season and a Sunday everything is closed and the place was a virtual ghost town.  

Still it was  a pretty little town and we had a short walk taking a few photos.

We tried to get lunch somewhere at the only 2 restaurants that were open but it was a bit on the pricey side so we thought we'd try a supermarket instead but on Sundays in Austria everything is closed.  

Unlike Australia where supermarkets are open 7 days a week and there is a some takeaway junk available on every second corner the Austrians are far more sensible than that.
  
Unfortunately it means that it was a bit hard to find something to eat.  Eventually we found a well stocked servo with sandwiches for sale. 
  
As it was only lunchtime and we had a few hours to kill with nothing planned we went on a bit of a driving tour around the area we were staying, stopping at St Gilgen which is at the end of Wolfgansee.  The boys had a bit of a muck about on the play equipment there while Nicki and I tried to get a coffee with no luck at all.

Eventually we found a machine that dispenses coffee from a wall.  Sacrilege!! But what are you going to do when you're suffering a severe case of CWS.  (Caffeine Withdrawal Syndrome.)

St Gilgen am Wolfgangsee

One of the best bits of Europe for me is the cheap and brilliant coffee we've been getting for the last few weeks from just about any store selling just about anything.  

For all the talk of Viennese coffee culture I thought the country would be full of coffee bars but more often than not if a shop sells coffee it's usually one of those fully automatic machines rather than from an espresso machine with the attendant barista.  

Wolfgangsee from St Gilgen

For a coffee tragic like me this is rather disappointing as in Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia coffee machines are in every service station, bakery, bar, kebab shop, pizza place, supermarket and just about everywhere else.  (And the coffee is superb.)

Coffee from a wall - really?!

Home after our drive after stopping at another servo and buying some canned stews and some pasta for a rudimentary dinner.  

Stray observations:  Just about every single item in the supermarkets here are cheaper than in Australia.  And not by a little bit but by a long shot.  (Even given their relative living standards). 

Probably has something to do with the fact there are about 10 major supermarket chains here rather than the joke of a duopoly we have at home.