On Monday, ConVal’s contingent of exchange students traveled to The Hallein Salt Mine, an underground salt mine located in the Dürrnberg plateau above Hallein, Austria. The mine has been worked for over 2,600 years and was a main contributor to the economic and political rise of the city of Salzburg whose name literally translates as “salt castle.”
As Frau Hodgdon reported, “We had a great day traveling to Hallein to see the salt mines. We had a fantastic tour of what a real salt mine used to look like and how salt was produced. It was awesome being underground, in tunnels, traveling in by train car, sliding down giant slides, having a boat ride, and a tour guide who explained everything in three languages!”
In addition to the exploration of the salt mine nearly 700 feet underground and almost 4,000 feet away from the entrance, students got to cross an international border underground (see photo below).
Another key takeaway of the day: one has to learn to negotiate the public transportation system with care and watch out for people on the bike paths!
