Taste of Childhood’

Franz Gerdl

Tracing the "Taste of Childhood"

Taking freshly baked bread out of the wood-fired oven, gathering sweet and fruity berries for the picnic under a blue sky, or sending self-made paper boats on a big journey - Carinthia takes us back to our childhood. Here in the south, where people used to go on holiday years ago and nowadays like to return with their own children. To share the most beautiful childhood memories, to revive them together or to rediscover them in a completely new way. There are more than enough ideas and ways to do this on the sunny southern side of the Alps.

Sam Strauss; © Kärnten Werbung

Geschmack der Kindheit - Apfelernte Mostbarkeiten

Fresh apples

Seven at once

Reviving the taste of childhood really is "child's play" in Carinthia. Here are seven ideas to try, discover and rediscover.

1. Fancy a summer picnic?

For a picnic under the southern sun, the preparations alone are lots of fun. Fresh berries are picked from the garden, deliciously fragrant cakes are baked and a sneaky peek into Grandma's pantry are risked in order to pinch some bacon and spicy alpine cheese for the picnic basket. The treasures of Carinthia's Alpine-Adriatic cuisine are almost infinite. A little while later, you're cycling through the wonderfully warm summer air towards the yearned for favourite spot, which is still there today, just as it was then. The joy of reunion is all around. And who needs a car with so much natural beauty? Return to where it all started in total relaxation by train or boat.

2. Petri Heil!

How was a fishing rod made again? Oh yes, it takes a long, flexible branch, a fine string and a bit of manual dexterity to plunge the bait into the drinkable water, where Carinthia's freshwater fish swim. Now it's time to be quiet and with a little patience you might soon have something on your hook. With all the excitement, it's a good idea to dive into one of the more than 200 warm and pure drinking water bathing lakes of Carinthia yourself, from time to time. By the way: Probably the best-known fish here in the south is the Carinthian lax'n, a lake trout. This delicacy can best be combined with high-quality products of the region's agriculture and a glass of fruity Carinthian wine is recommended to round off the taste.

Sam Strauss_Kärnten Werbung

Lesachtal
Tine Steinthaler; © Kärnten Werbung
© Kärnten Werbung, Edward Gröger

Afritzer See
Franz Gerdl

3. Farmer? Can we help?

A farm holiday - how could that ever be boring? Ever tried milking your own milk for breakfast cocoa? With a little help, it's not that hard. Perhaps a little persuasion can also help by giving the cows some freshly mown hay. Diligent helpers are also allowed to ride along on the tractor as a co-pilot. What fun, just like all those years ago.

4. Golden oven secrets and more

You once looked curiously over the shoulders of the cordial hosts as fresh bread was being baked. Waiting eagerly for the golden-brown treat to be taken out of the oven. The unmistakable fragrance that then flowed through the house. A fragrance that brings back happy memories of carefree holiday moments. Further secrets on the delicious Alpine-Adriatic cuisine await inquisitive explorers in the slow food travel adventure programmes. "Good. Clean. Fair." - regional delicacies are refined and prepared in Carinthia with this in mind.

Tine_Steinthaler_Kaernten_Werbung

Franz Gerdl; Kärnten Werbung

Heiligenblut mit Blick auf den Grossglockner

GERDL_Kaernten_Werbung

5. Barefoot up the mountain

Walk barefoot over green alpine meadows, feel the soft forest floor covered with a thick layer of moss, and giggle with surprise when the spruce needles tickle under your toes. For example, you can go on a guided barefoot hike in the Nockberge Biosphere Reserve. Soothing alpine valerian bath included.

6. When dreams learn to fly

For inspiring dreams, it's best to make your way to Pyramidenkogel, the largest wooden lookout tower in Europe. Here, with Lake Wörthersee lying at your feet, thoughts truly grow wings and you can even take off yourself. With the so-called "Fly-100", a 100 metre cableway with a descent of more than 70 metres.

7. Striving for the highest

As a child, you always wanted to go really high up. And if that wasn't possible in the past, then why not today? How about riding in a balloon over the valleys of the southern lakes, conquering Austria's highest mountain, the Grossglockner, or going on an unforgettable hiking trip that takes in Carinthia's 16 summer cableways. Here in the south, long-cherished childhood dreams come true.

Ultimately, it's a feeling of security. Here in Carinthia, where you can rediscover the "Taste of Childhood, the joy of which put a huge smile on your face. Nice and easy, just like your childhood.

https://geschmack-der-kindheit.at/