Branch Members Visit Klagenfurt, Austria
In June 2017 branch members Phil Barnes and Steve Bretherton travelled to Klagenfurt in the Austrian Alps to take part in the Mittelkarten branch 30th anniversary friendship week.

Around 20 members from Germany and the U.K. joined our Austrian hosts enjoying a busy 4 day itinerary.

The accommodation – a hotel on the shores of the Wörthersee lake was first class and a dip in the lake at the end of a hot day was a delight.

The full itinerary laid on for us included a hike in the mountains along the Austrian-Italian border and a visit to the Pyramidenkogel, a new spiral tower constructed entirely of wood, which sits on the hillside overlooking the lake. The views from the top were stupendous, only matched by the thrill of helterskeltering down from the top reaching 20 mph on the way down.

In between activities we weren’t allowed to go hungry or thirsty being liberally supplied with Mirielle, the local snaps made from mountain berries.

After our hike in the mountains we joined a huge IPA BBQ after which we popped over the border to Italy to round off the meal with an espresso!

The hospitality shown by our Austrian friends was second to none – see the photos below. The visit was a great opportunity to meet up with old friends and make new ones, who we look forward to meeting again in August when 12 branch members travel to Wolfsburg for their friendship week.