11/10/12

It was cold, raining and windy when we got up this morning. About 8.45am we drove to the Edinburgh Hotel and parked the car in the hotel car park. Then we caught the free bus into town and waited for another bus that would take us to Hahndorf.  Hahndorf is Australia's oldest surviving German settlement which was started by Prussian settlers in the 1839. They had fled Germany to escape religious persecution there. 

On the way to Hahndorf we passed through a number of small towns as we entered the Adelaide Hills area. As we approached the highest section of the highway near the turnoff to Mt Lofty it started to snow. The snowflakes were clearly seen hitting the front windscreen of the bus. None of us had ever seen falling snow before so it was a thrill. 

We eventually arrived at Hahndorf and found it to be a delightful town. All the buildings are made of stone and are still in wonderful condition. The town is full of pubs, cafes, restaurants, gift shops, chocolate shops and many more. We walked up and down the main street in freezing conditions and had lunch at a bakery called Otto's. The sausage rolls were great!

With our tummies full we caught another bus to the last town in the Adelaide Hills called Mt Barker. It was a modern town and nothing like Hahndorf. We got off the bus at the bus depot and had to wait for the next bus back to Adelaide. 

 Hahndorf Main Street

 Hahndorf Main Street

Otto's Bakery, Hahndorf.

Our lunch spot