Austria - Oostenrijk

We were in Austria last week, in the region of the lakes close to Salzburg. We visited the Kaisersvilla in Bad Ischl, where emperor Frans Jozef (Sisi's husband) signed the declaration of war to Serbia in 1914, the start of World War I.

We also saw beautiful christal clear lakes, like this small one

and this bigger one

This is the Wolfgangsee seen from the shore (and my daughter dipping her toes in the water)

and here the same lake seen from the top of the Schafberg 

me and my son on the Schafberg

There were picture perfect villages too

and local customs and traditions, some cute

and others, well, a bit weird to be honest

anyone need a cuckoo clock?

And if you ever wondered why Austrians balconies look the way they do

this is why!

I hope you had or will have a relaxing holiday too! For me, it's back to patchwork now :-)