Day 2 - Hallstatt

Day 2 saw a pressing desire to reach new heights. So we decided to see the peak called Krippenstein.

Not my usual mountain hike, since everything is designed for maximum comfort and easy access. So the only effort involved in making it to 2100m was a financial one. The cableway trip was equivalent to a ride in an amusement park for me: all glass around you, the trees and houses getting smaller and smaller, the occasional jerk and sudden change in height... quite thrilling.

Very very small fir trees:
Once up there, the view is breathtaking. Peaks and glaciers and rock and snow wherever you look, with the Dachstein standing imposingly in the distance:

Seen from this point, the height we had walked to with so much sweating the previous day seemed like a stroll in the park.

A hike around to the other side of the peak takes you to the "5fingers", one of the main tourist attractions. They are what their name says: 5 miraculously engineered fingers of steel extending over the edge of the cliff and scaring you with their transparent floor.

One of the fingers has a gilded frame fixed to a pole, which is meant for framing the beautiful scenery. ... Right
After doing the compulsory tourist things, we scattered all over the mountain top and took to all kinds of siliness.

I'm particularly proud of this pic:
And this one's funny, it looks like we're pasted onto a poster:

After we were done with the silliness, we descended to about halfway down the mountain, where the caves were. There are tens and tens of caves in these mountains, some are for tourists, some are meant for professionals and some are totally off bounds. Unfortunately I had put my camera away since the sign said no photos, but it turned put the guide did allow you to take pics. The ice cave was awesome, I wish I could have stayed there a lot longer than the tour allowed. It was beauty I cannot compare to anything else I've seen. You could try going here for some pics.

These little houses below are all little museum, each concerning a different aspect of the Dachstein: plants, animals, history, exploration etc.

The day ended with a brave attempt to bathe in the lake. It had gone cloudy and windy in the meantime, and there were big (and cold!) waves. So I lasted for about 10 minutes in knee deep water before I fled to the comfort of polar fleece.