Salt of the Earth

While we were in Bavaria we found that salt mining is a major industry. And not just for the salt that comes from there. They give tours through the salt mines and they are a pretty big deal. Think Pirates of the Carribean at Disneyland only underground in a REAL mountain and checking out salt instead of Pirates! Before even entering the mines you are issued a sweet costume, making you a character in this little endeavor.


I felt a bit like a big marshmellow monster wearing my trench coat under the overalls but we were told it was pretty chilly inside so I just went with it...that is not to say that I didn't feel a bit silly. I actually got a little slap happy just before going in, modeling the many ways these beauties could be worn!

You start your journey off on a little train ride deep into the mountain....

Next up is a slide down further into the mountain. These are really what the miners use only these ones are done up with a laser show and music. It is fairly dark and pretty cool in there. It is also one of the few times you are actually glad you are wearing a lovely blue jumpsuit on top of your streetclothes and coat. They woulod probably snag and get filthy on this part of the tour. And what would a tour ride be without those fantastic and always flattering action shots? Jeff loved this picture, probably because he looks so composed while I look like a complete idiot. I would not even add it out of pure vanity but you just have to see how cool this was. I think it was a 200 meter downhill ride!

After several stops at various sites with demos of how all the equipment worked and some great laser demonstations and maps we made our way over to a large cave with a low roof and what seemed to be a mirror on the floor. It turned out to be a lake! We rode across a boat in the middle of a mountain watching a laser show and tasted the salt inside the mine. I know it may sound crazy but it was really interesting and way fun. We even rode a really cool elevator and then the train back out. No cameras were allowed inside and it was too dark to take any real pictures but I took this picture of the info booth. Look at the two little lake pictures and you'll get the idea.