an aussie in austria

I think you’ll agree with me that holidays were ruined this year. There were cancellations across the world from both enforced regulations and personal preferences.

For our team event this year, my colleagues and I had planned a mid-May weekend in Croatia. We’d booked a gorgeous apartment by the sea, and we were optimistic the weather would be warm.

Of course, due to Covid, it got canned. We initially thought the company may reneg on its offer of paying toward a team event in 2020, so we were ecstatic to hear in late August that instead they increased the dollar amount we could spend.

By that time of course high summer was over, and us three girls decided we better act quick if we were going to fit in a weekend away that firstly, would be allowed due to changing Covid restrictions, and secondly, wouldn’t see us stuck somewhere indoors in the dead of winter.

So in late September we headed to Ossiacher See (Ossiach Lake) in Austria for the weekend, which is about an hour from where I live. Although we would have loved to venture abroad to Italy or Croatia, we decided the risk of our second attempt being foiled by Covid wasn’t worth it. And such is the manner of Cov-olidays – you never really know how it will pan out until the day it happens… or doesn’t.

The weather leading up to our weekend away had been Autumn perfection – sadly for us on the Friday the winds from the Adriatic blew the first snow onto our peaks and we were bombarded with pouring rain and very cool temperatures.

But a girls’ weekend away can never be ruined by bad weather. And we’d also booked a hotel with a small spa, which meant that in fact, you could say the weather was perfect. Ok, so maybe we didn’t get to go hiking or take in the view from the top of the mountain, but we were just happy to be there.

Being on the latter end of the holiday season, some of the restaurants and attractions nearby were already closed for the winter, but with relaxation in mind, we had plenty to keep us amused. We took walks and runs, we ventured out for lunches and dinners, we enjoyed our breakfast delivered to our apartment door and there was even a brief swim in the lake, which was, surprisingly, not as cold as I was expecting.

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It was only two nights, but it was exactly what we needed at a time of the year when winter is looming and Covid threatens: a weekend of indulging in food, wine, good old girl talk and a lot of laughter.

Fingers crossed we’re heading back to Croatia next year!