Carinthia

After some trauma with paying by Mastercard in a Vienniesse supermarket; Robert, Patrick and us packed ourselves into a crowded wee Skoda Octavia. A few hours and several Austrian states (including Steyria - Arnie Land) we arrived into Carinthia in the Austrian Alps. We made several stops in Carinthia en route to our new home for the next few days, including...

...toboganning...

  

Sam and Patrick decide who goes first whilst Mary anxiously waits

...playing on children's playgrounds...

...visited Afritzer-see...

 

...and attempted to conquer the mighty 'Saturn'...

 

...watched the sunset over Lake Millstatt.

Our home for the next few nights would be Villa Kunterbunt (like Pippi Longstocking's house!)

 

 

Over the next few days we did a lot:

 

...every day began with a hearty Austrian breakfast (and also yorkshire tea and crunchy nut cornflakes!)

...visited the River Malta in the Maltatal Valley

...Sam drank from the crystal clean river running straight from the Alps

...Sam (and Robert) experienced a natural slide in the freezing cold river

...Mary didn't fancy an ice bath

...we picked wild raspberries

...and walderdbeerin (delicious but tiny wood strawberries)

...visited five waterfalls high in the Maltatal Valley

...including this waterfall where Sam aggrevated a wasp nest with his size 12's, resulting in Patrick sustaining multiple stings to the legs and arms!!!!

...enjoyed delicious traditional Austrian food on Inge's birthday

...marched around the Raggaschlucht gorge

...and saw more beautiful waterfalls

..and views of the Alps

...fed the ugliest, cheekiest duck

...Sam drove on the right-hand side of the road!

...back to Millstatt

...where we enjoyed our last supper, pizza mit Almduddler! yum...

We had a fantastic time in Austria and are going to miss the beautiful scenary, excellent hospitality, Almduddler and most of all Robert and Patrick!