Further travels in the Austrian Lake District included a night at the popular spa town of Bad Ischl.

This was a favourite summer retreat for Franz Joseph's Imperial family during the last century of the Hapsburg reign. The Kaiser Villa, an Italianate building set in parkland, the summer residence and hunting lodge, is now open to the public and also contains the Teahouse of Kaiserin Elisabeth, now an art gallery and museum. We enjoyed the famous Konditorei - Kaffee Zauner in the main street of Bad Ischl. ( http://www.zauner.at) Read about Sisi, the reluctant Empress Elisabeth of Austria and the legacies of her life and times in Philip's blog.

We also took a train journey to Gmunden, on Lake Trounsee, and a funny little tram ride from the station to the town centre on the shore of the lake. Gmunden with its substantial Austrian style buildings and a tree lined boulevard with walking paths along the lake, was a pleasant experience. Around from a yacht club we found the small castle on an island and reached by a walkway.

Bursts of glorious sun, grey cloud and rain finally finished with dark black clouds, fortunately as we stood on the train station at Gmunden to return to Hallstatt, as we then witnessed a most impressive hailstorm, the whole area covered with deep white hailstones.