School holidays at last! I’ve heard this sentence from my children a hundred times now. This euphoria normally lasts a few days, then inevitably they add: I’m sooooo bored!!! Time for Mum to get into gear and finally think about holiday activities.

Their wish is my command. We pack our swimming things and head off to the nearest spot for swimming in Eben im Pongau. The Adventure Bathing Lake is waiting for us. And because our neighbours’ daughter Julia is bored too, we take her with us.

When we get there, I breathe a sigh of relief, as thankfully there’s something for everyon. Twelve-year old Hannah immediately spots the slackline over the water, eight-year Carolina the long water slide and five-year old Moritz the shallow toddlers’ pool. So there’s some hope, that I too can enjoy a few minutes peace here at the bathing lake. Plus there’s also a nice restaurant where they serve iced coffee – how lovely!

But first things first, we don’t even know if the water’s warm enough to go swimming. We test the shallow water in the toddlers‘ pool tentatively with our toes. Well if Moritz can go in, so can I – I think and try to be daring. By the time I’m finally standing knee-deep in the water, he’s already whizzed down the yellow, three metre long slide ten times. Children obviously have thicker skin!

The two eight-year olds have headed for the windy orange water slide. They’re shivering yet they’re having so much fun they just can‘t stop. However, they finally follow my motherly advice and come out of the water. To warm up they bury themselves in the pebbles on the shore of the bathing lak

Eine weitere Attraktion ist die Slackline über dem Wasser. Balance und Körperspannung sind hier gefragt, eine super Übung fürs Gleichgewicht. Einige Schritte schaffen wir, dann wackelt es zu stark und der Fall ins kühle Nass ist unvermeidbar.

Nach so viel Action haben wir uns eine Pause verdient – bei Schleckeis und meinem wohlverdienten Eiskaffee lassen wir in der chilligen Sitzlounge die Seele baumeln. Wir genießen den Ausblick auf die umliegende Bergwelt und schmieden bereits Pläne für den nächsten Ferientag – Wandern vielleicht? Oder doch noch einmal an den Badesee?

Gut drauf und doch ein wenig müde machen wir uns auf den Heimweg. Aber wir kommen sicher wieder hierher an den Erlebnisbadesee in Eben.

Photo credits: Alexandra Viehhauser, TVB Eben