Saturday May 25th: Bad Ischel and Obertraun

Todd and James took the ferry across Lake Hallstatt and caught the train to Bad Ischel while Lori had a chill day. The transit system in this region is efficient and scenic. They enjoyed a three hour tour of the town starting with coffee and pastries at a local café. Todd's request for a vanilla latte was met with, “No vanilla. We do original.” Classic.

They explored the sites, including a centuries old wooden watch tower with that overlooked the town and river. Before returning, they had bruschetta and beers at a charming spot in the town center.

Lori jumped on the bus to meet up with the boys in Obertraun, a serene and quiet town compared to busy tourist packed Hallstatt. After a quick stroll, we took the ferry back and met with heavy rain. After a lakeside dinner, we called it an early night, preparing for the next day's drive to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic.

Despite some rain and a large number of foreign tourist group buses, Hallstatt is a beautiful destination that we would visit again - however we would stay outside the main town.