Samomatic

We arrived in Zell Am See, a town at the foot of the Austrian Alps.

The weather was already turning chilly and in the peak of autumn.

We roamed around town and visited some of the retired freight trains.

An interesting orament.

Rescue helicopter doing routine training. Reminds me of the game Choplifter!

We took the Schmittenhöhebahn AG, a cable car up that took us to the peak of Schmittenhöhe. A breath-taking view from the top!


Paragliding from the top of the mountain, looks like so much fun!

Zell Am See from the other side of the lake.

Flying back from Hong Kong and landed at 12:30pm and had to be at the ceremony by 3pm. Rushing out of the house I grabbed the nearest camera, an Olympus EP-1 with a 25mm F1.4 C-mount lens. The combo turned out to be a lot of fun and quite versatile in the low light situation.

The newly wed couple :)

Victor showing off his Movember mustache.


Preparing for the Q&A session.

On your mark…

“Who will spend more time in front of the mirror?”

The first dance.

More photos from the wedding, you can also click the HERE to see the gallery.

Hallstatt, a peaceful village in the heart of Upper Austria, is one of my favorite places in this trip. It is the oldest salt mine in the world, with tools and artefacts dating back to 7000 years ago.

Two main street run parallel to the waterfront both lead into the town square and the ferry dock.


All the houses are beautifully maintained and painted in different colors. Flowers decorate the balconies.

Surrounded by mountains, the weather conditions are ever-changing and unpredictable.

Hiking up to the salt mine, a view of the ferry terminal across the lake.

Several minutes later the clouds have blanketed the entire hill-top.

View from the docks after sunset.

Our host at the guesthouse who prepared such delicious breakfasts and useful tips on what to do.

The last look at the town from the ferry to catch the train to Salzburg and then transfer to Zell Am See.

Salzburg is the 4th biggest city in Austria and is the name means “Salt Fortress” for the salt trades derived from the Salt Mines of Hallein.

It is also famous for its setting in the Sound of Music. Offering many “Sound of Music” tours to tourists to visit the scenes in the movie.

The Festung Hohensalzburg, the city’s fortress, was built in 1077 and expanded in later centuries.


A beetle atop of the castle walls.

This is an amazing truck with a telescopic scissors lift!