Day Fifteen: Velden

Before we left, I excitedly showed our Europe trip itinerary to my Dad. “You’re doing too much!” He insisted, “Dave is going to get tired.” I rolled me eyes and grinned inwardly. I like to be busy. But by day fifteen, after hiking, climbing, canyoning, and drinking our way through five different countries, I was ready for a relaxing day.

We slept in late (a luxury in and of itself) before enjoying a modest breakfast of toast and jam. Sofie’s grandma tends to a sprawling garden filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. Her basement pantry is stacked full of homemade jams, canned cherries, and marmalade. Eating good, home cooked food is another thing we haven’t done enough of on this trip.

After breakfast we enjoyed a ten-minute walk downhill, along curving narrow streets to the zentrum or town centre. Velden is a small tourist area made up of ski shops, restaurants, and hotels, all centred around The Velden Casino (I thought of you, Nana!). It had rained overnight, but there was no sign of the storm now, as clear blue sky stretched overhead.

The Velden harbour

Enjoying a walk by the lake

With no major plans for the day, Dave found a cozy bench by the lake where he decided to sit and read, while Sofie and I explored the nearby shops.

Such a pretty spot to swim

By early afternoon, the sun was out in full swing, so Sofie and I headed back to the house to change into our bathing suits and go for a swim. We drove ten minutes westward to a small peninsula on the lake that is surrounded by greeny-blue water. It looked like we were swimming in the Mediterranean.

The lookout tower, which we climbed up

After our swim, we met up with Dave and decided to drive to a nearby lookout tower, to take in the view of the entire region. We opted to climb the stairs (and forgo the elevator). 441 flights later we reached the top. Here are some photos of the view:

Gorgeous views

Overlooking the town of Velden

Dave at the top! The mountains in the background are the border of Slovenia

For four euros, you could take a slide down from the lookout tower, which of course we all opted to do. It took about 20 seconds to reach the bottom in the twisting tunnel slide, which was actually pretty fast! We all arrived at the bottom in a fit of dizziness and giggles.

After recovering from our dizziness, we drove back to Sofie’s grandparents, where they had a delicious dinner prepared of roasted vegetables.

Day fifteen was a relaxing day, which was much needed. We got a taste of authentic life on the Austrian countryside, ate good food, and then went to bed.

Next stop on our journey: Sofie’s hometown of Vienna.

Cheers,

Heather