Summer · Ossiacher See

The white sentinel — a day at Ossiacher See

Just an hour from the house lies the Ossiacher See — softer and calmer than the busier Carinthian lakes. Mute swans glide between the reeds, the water cool and dark, and the day stretches long enough for a swim before dinner.

Drive from Möderndorf along the Gailtal, past hay barns and small chapels, and the road opens onto the lake almost without warning. Park at one of the smaller bathing places on the southern shore — the ones the day-trippers don't find — and the rest of the afternoon belongs to you.

It's a different rhythm than the famous Wörthersee — no boardwalks, no crowds, no rush. Just the lake, the Karawanken in the distance, and the swans patrolling their stretch of reeds.

One of our favourite afternoons of the year. We always come home with that strange, good tiredness that only Carinthian water gives.