Donnerstag
We have plenty of time this morning. The trip to see the lakes doesn’t start till late. Kumar annan and I go for a brisk walk around Schwarzsee lake. The air is thick with mist and it feels cool when we start our walk. Schwarzsee is quite a distance from the hotel, although the walk around it is not that long. I check the water temperature and it is actually warm and we can see the steam rising from the surface. Someone is having an early morning dip. Birdsongs fill the air, the tweeting, warbling and crowing are all quite distinct. We get back in time for breakfast. The sun seems to be making an appearance today and the mist is lifting, but in the distance the mountains are still partially covered by clouds.
The coach takes us to the Wilder Kaiser mountain ranges and the lakes we are visiting today are in the surrounding regions. We stop off at a number of lakes. George, our guide from the other day, is with us again today. He tells us the history of the towns and valleys we are visiting. Once again I fall asleep. Prasanna thinks we should take him home with us to help put all the babies and toddlers to sleep.
On a sunny day like this, the lakes sparkle as the rays hit the surface. The lakes are calm unlike when we went to Zell am See on Tuesday. At one of the most picturesque lakes we stop, we get an opportunity to have a quick walk around it with George. The brilliant blue shade of the sky with very few clear clouds, the bright turquoise hue of the lake set in the background of the emerald green mountains are a sight to behold. Reeds and wild flowers line part of the lake separating the path from the lake. Crickets are busy buzzing around making their signatory tune. I see white and light green butterflies fluttering around. A lady tells me that her husband is trying to film damselflies. He is a wildlife photographer and has even won prizes for his photography. I look up the difference between a damselfly and a dragonfly. There is a slight difference but they both belong to the same family of insects.
At our lunch stop, I notice a quote on the walls of a cafe across the square. It says ‘In the end only three things matter, how much you loved, how gently you lived and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you’. I agree with the person who coined that phrase.
In the evening as we make our way back, the whole Wilder Kaiser mountain range fills the view on our window section of the bus. This panoramic view with the wooden houses and their vibrant multicoloured window boxes in the foreground transfixes me. By the time I return to my senses a few minutes later and get my phone out to take a picture I lose the most opportune moment.
In the evening as we settle down for dinner, I can see the sun set behind the mountain through the window ahead. I ask our waitress the name of the mountain. When I came here these mountains didn’t have names, there were just mere hills, glaciers and part of the Alps. Now they all have names and identities and I can see what our host, Veronica, meant when she said how special the mountains are.
