Maria Saal is located right next to Klagenfurt Am Wörthersee, which is the capital of the southern state of Carinthia. According to my family and other locals, Wörther is the best See (German for "lake") in Austria because it is both beautiful and warm enough for swimming.
All the family took different modes of transport to the lake. Emily (the youngest daughter) took her moped so she could leave at her leisure, Sabine (the mom) rode her bike since it was so nice out, and Alois (the dad) drove me with his fancy convertible.
"A present for myself for my 50th birthday," he said.
Alois just so happened to know where every camera and speed tracker was along the Auto-Bahn, so he took intervals between driving insanely fast and slowing down just in time for the trackers. In Europe, when you are caught speeding, you receive a nice letter in the mail with a lovely little surprise ticket. Although Alois explained this to me with along with a comment about how this was "fun, but illegal," I knew about this system from when my dad and brother rented a car through the UK. My dad always sped, but was not aware of the inconspicuous system that was in place. He came back home to some unexpected love letters.
Driving in the convertible was definitely an experience, but my favorite part of the day was swimming in the lake. The water was a clear turquoise and the temperature was perfect. I did have to avoid some large swans that were aggressively eating all the reeds, but other than that, it was so calm and peaceful. At one point, I stopped swimming just to tread water and gaze upon the foothills, boats, and trees. I smiled to myself - this was a happy place.
I learned something interesting about Austrians through this experience. They are very relaxed and can sit and do nothing for long periods of time. Sabine and one of her Austrian friends, Clemens, had explained this to me at my first evening meal with the family. According to them, Germans know what they are doing, know how to do it, and do it on time with 100% effort. Austrians, on the other hand, do not know what the hell they are doing, are at least a month late on projects, and only put in 80% effort. "Because the last 20 percent is just too hard," Sabine said with a laugh.
This cultural difference presented itself at the lake. We arrived there around 1:30PM, and did not leave until 7. I swam a couple times, laid out in the sun, paddle-boarded, watched Sabine and her friend fall off the paddle board, and then sat with Sabine, Alois, and their two friends from Luxembourg for a couple hours. In those last hours, the ever-working American in me was getting a little antsy to get back home and do something productive, like writing. After waiting it out to see if someone else was getting tired or hungry, I finally asked Sabine when they were planning on leaving. Her reply was simply, "Hmm, I don't know."
There is such beauty in relaxing and enjoying the moment without thinking about work, and that is something I need to get accustomed to and learn to enjoy during my time here in Austria. I'm sure once school starts and the laundry begins piling up, I'll begin to miss those times without a schedule. I'll make it a goal to do my best to soak up and enjoy those hours in the sun before the September schooling and Austrian winter prevent it.
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