We shall never know if our Alter Herr (Old Gentleman) felt comfortably. Boats have no feelings, even if we have feelings for the boats. Our Azzurro and Alter Herr accompany us for a weekend to Austria, to a rowing trip on the Atter Lake (Attersee) and the Traun Lake (Traunsee). This is a wonderful part of the Salzkammergut, which one can reach from Germany in acceptably short time (not including traffic jam). Both lakes are situated close to each other, so it was easy for us to commute between them.
We enjoy the distance from everyday life, the mountain view, great material from our Austrian colleagues (Rowing Club Seewalchen und Gmunder Rowing Club) and a few strong rowing units. Only the beginning puzzles us, when looking on our smartphones for the weather forecast. It predicts a broad range from good to bad (while the rest of the news is all bad). The usually spectacular view from the Guesthouse Wachtberg, high above Weyregg, is so besmirched by rain during dinner that we almost can’t see the lake.
The following morning starts with a challenge, which can not be documented in pictures. We leave with a strong swell which definitely excludes using a camera. Instead we have to make some busy stops to relieve our boats from water, which swashes aboard in big bulks. After a while this changes and the lake presents itself exemplary with flat water and all the colours from blue to green.
The next day I take a special shine to the Traun Lake. It is the deepest lake of Austria, fresh and cool and normally clear. However, because of the heavy rainfalls during the last days and weeks it is a bit murky and large areas are covered with driftwood. Anyway, together with the adjacent mountains it presents a perfectly idyllic scene. We are offered an eight – a special pleasure for us, which we use for training. Once again Annette demonstrates the proper technique, and we do our best to follow suit.
During a short rest we become a foto target of a friendly gentleman who even manages to send the pictures to our club. Thank you very much.
Enjoyment is followed by work, i. e. cleaning, clearing and unrigging the boats. And finally a dive into the lake. Everything is fine: What a wonderful excursion!
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