Villach is a beautiful alpine town in the Carinthia region of Austria. A popular skiing destination in the winters. The Alps provide a stunning bakground to the city. River Drava runs through it. The water is pristine clean. Looks green in color. The surrounding area is dotted with many lakes and small water streams making a musical sound as the water runs over a bed of stones.
The city center is small. Very vibrant. Surprisingly vibrant. I expected a quiet town. Yesterday evening, there was live music that i could hear from several places and lots of people out. I spent the morning walking through the center. Just a few intersecting streets. There were many street performers. A girl with blonde curly hair, playing cello. Two guys playing drums. Another guy further down singing with a guitar. They all made the atmosphere very lively and festive. Covid does not seem to be affecting daily lives here. Life as usual barring masks on public transport.
I did a short hike afterwards. Passing river streams and several camping sites. It was drizzly almost the whole day with the sun making intermittent appearances. The air was fresh and crisp. The mountains go from green to bare. Small and big. Never too small though. Always overpowering in their presence. I notice that it’s hard to focus the eyes anywhere else than the mountain top. No matter where i look the gaze inevitably ends up going back there in a while. I simply walked and walked soaking in the the majestic scenery and sounds.
