Tuesday – Salt Mines in Austria

Today we went to Hallein, Austria (just outside of Salzburg) to tour one of the famous Salt Mines. The Salt Mines are a huge attraction here and are so popular because it is not just a boring tour, but quite an experience. This salt mine closed in the 80’s, but until then was a thriving salt mine that held the main product that contributed to the wealth of Salzburg (Salz means Salt). For the tour into the mine you have to wear cover-up clothes, which was interesting. At first you take a train deep into the mountain and then you slide (literally on a slide) down different levels to get deeper into the mine. There is even a boat ride inside the mountain where there is quite a bit water. Some of the water has as much as 27% salt in it (to give you an idea the ocean only has around 3%). With the liability issues back home, the tour would not have been possible – that is what adds to the fun here! It was really a neat time!