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AndreaZ @[email protected] · 2026-09-08 · 09:39 UTC

August Recap Part 1: Bliss on the Water

August seemed to have one theme: deep relaxation.

We spent a week on our annual camping holiday, staying right by the lake with our grandpa of a camper van, a 1987 model that is still going strong. No AC, not even power steering, good that the drive only takes around 90 minutes 😉 Still, there is something wonderfully comforting about that old van that we (or rather my parents) own since the early 90ies. Back then, the motorhome took as all over southern Europe each summer. Nowadays we just keep returning to the same spot not too far from home year after year.

My happy place

It was hot. Of course it was hot. By now, I had completely lost track of whether this was heatwave number two or three or even four of the summer. But being right on the lake made all the difference. The days were hot, but the water was always there. And once the sun went down, the temperature dropped enough that we actually needed long trousers and jackets. Bliss.

Refreshing……and cool……mountain water.Cool Nights and Starry Sky. Not sure if the resolution is enough to see the stars.

I usually spent the mornings mountain biking with my dad, while daughter and grandma chilled at the beach, but the mountain biking trips deserve their own post.

We tried to be back at the campsite by lunchtime, before the heat became too intense. One morning, though, we swapped bikes for the canoe and set off across the lake instead. Arm workout instead of leg workout.

The colour of the water is neither photoshopped nor AI-created. It is real.

There is something incredibly calming about gliding silently across perfectly still water. No noise. Just the gentle dip of the paddle and the occasional sound of water against the canoe.

We explored tiny beaches and hidden little lagoons that can only be reached from the water. Places where you can stop, drift for a while, swim, or simply sit in the canoe and take it all in.

We love our canoe!Look closely and spot the baby ducks in the right bottom corner.Exploring hidden lagoons.Taking a break in the shade of an old beech tree.Who needs the Caribbean Sea if you have places like this at home?

For a few hours, it felt as though the rest of the world didn’t exist.

And perhaps that was the most wonderful thing about this holiday. For one week, there was nothing to worry about. No problems to solve, no plans to make, no headlines to follow. Just a lake, an old camper van and endless summer days.

We spent the afternoons on the beach and in the water, doing absolutely nothing except reading some books.

During the day, the wind is usually too strong for our canoe, but in the evenings, we would take it out again for a gentle paddle. The light changed, the heat faded, and the water became quiet. Sometimes we would simply drift along. Watching the sunset, not really going anywhere, just taking lots of photos.

Sunset Paddle

It was the best week I have had in a long time.

A week of hot days and cool nights, swimming and paddling, books and family time. A week with nowhere to go and nothing that needed to be done.

For a little while, the world felt very far away.

And that, perhaps, was the greatest luxury of all.

Our accommodation has millions of stars: The Milky Way over the campground.

#Austria #Camping #Canoeing #Hiking #Holidays #Nature #photography #relaxation #Summer #Travel

#austria #camping #canoeing #hiking #holidays #nature