Lake Fuschl, A Day of Recovery

We slept in and then splurged on a celebration of life breakfast at the cafe nearby. I was so excited to finally have found somewhere that was able to make me an iced mocha! Today was going to be a great day.

Last night we were reminded of why we are even on this adventure. Life is short and I want to create as many magical moments with my children, as possible. I want to give them the world. What parent doesn't, right? I feel like this trip is similar to the birth rite trips to Israel that some take. Briella deserves to see why she fought so hard and Aubrey deserves this because she sacrificed so much to keep Briella safe. Plus they (we) are like 100% European according to ancestry.com so lets make this a pilgrimage. We are so incredibly blessed to have a chance at this life with Briella, a complete family of four. I want to show Briella why she fought so hard, to have moments like these with us. I want to show both Aubrey and Brie that the world is so much bigger than our little area. To show Aubrey that you can make it through the hard times and come out stronger-there's always rain before a rainbow. If we make memories all over, then those places will always make us four smile. And if one of us is not here, they will always be our special places. So with my health issues and Briella's health triumphs, now is all we can be sure in.  I really didn't mean for it to get that serious, but writing about how we believed Brian had actually died, it put me back in a funk. Those feelings of holding onto our happily ever after are raging. The issue is, I can't stop trying to create what I believe are magical memories with our children. If they won't remember it, then we will have photos and videos to show them and capture our life.  I am going to go to bed and come back to this tomorrow.




Okay so what would you do the day after a day like that? Whatever you want, right? We had to go back to that picturesque turquoise glacier lake, Fuschl.

The most famous region of Austria for its lakes is Salzkammergut, and among all of them a crystal-clear Lake Fuschl (Fuschlsee in German) is the cleanest. The beautiful Fuschlsee is located in the eastern part of this touristic region, in the province of Salzburg. Actually, this picturesque lake is not far away from Mozart's city of Salzburg, and it is very convenient to visit, being situated close to the main motorway A1. 

Not only the quality of water is first-class, but the scenery is breath-taking as well. The color of the lake is unique. Some days, it shines turquoise, sparkles like a gemstone. Other days, it shows a deep impenetrable blue color, but sometimes, it is emerald green. The lake is located at the height of 664 meters above the sea level, and it is surrounded by the impressive high mountains, that contribute to the idyllic atmosphere of the region. The Fuschlsee has become world-famous as a backdrop for the trilogy of the romantic films about Empress Sissi (Elisabeth of Austria), who was starred by a teenage Romy Schneider. The Schloss Fuschl, a castle that stands on a peninsula at the western end of the Fuschlsee, was used as a stand-in for the Schloss Possenhofen, the place where Elisabeth was born and raised, in the Sissi movies. Today, the Schloss Fuschl is a 5 stars luxury hotel with a spa.

I had found a seaside resort online that would have kayak rentals available. We had no idea just how perfect this location was!  We rented a beach chair and took it to an empty part of the beach. The sun was hiding, but the lake still looked like glass. I rented a paddle board and Aubrey rented a kayak and we set out together on the lake, just us. It was Aubrey's first time kayaking, and she took to it immediately. She wasn't scared to be out in the middle of the lake by herself. At one point, out in the middle of the lake, I was lying down on my board and Aub was just sitting back in her kayak and we were holding hands just freely drifting around without a care and with our eyes closed. I don't think I have ever had a more peaceful moment in my life. Two hours of being one with nature on an empty, clear glacier lake, surrounded by the mountains. When we decided it was time to head back to the beach to check in on Brian and Brie, we had a race to the shore. I won. I am just thrilled that neither of us ever fell in to the cold water. Briella played around in the kayak near the shore and Aubrey took the paddle board out for a bit and we just enjoyed the scenery. The sun had just started to come out and we were getting a bit hot so the girls and Brian went to the pool while I basked in the glory of the sun.

We went to the outdoor restaurant and had a good meal, lakeside. After lunch, Aubrey enjoyed the large winding slide that dropped you into the lake. Briella laid out on the ground sunbathing. Sun, it felt great.  Having an extended trip like this really let us have the flexibility to just find random amazing places like this and not have to wait until the next time we come. It was just what we needed to regroup and remember why we started this journey. A lot of stress was melted away simply by canceling our plans and going where we wanted, to relax. Lake Fuschl is a magical place. The Fuschlseebad, with it’s expansive sunbathing lawns on the eastern shore of the lake, offers all that a water sportsman can wish for: a giant water slide, heated outdoor pool, children´s sand cove as well as an animation program, sauna oasis, aqua jogging, aqua gymnastics, Nordic Walking, beach-volleyball, fitness studio, large wellness area, solarium, restaurant, climbing tower, clock-golf, hockey and tennis courts, surf boards and canoes and also the possibility to hire roller blades, bikes and hiking sticks.


We ended the perfect day with watching the sun set with the swans swimming in front of us and the castle in the background, in Gmunden.

Holding hands and being present