Austria's popular bathing lakes.

When I declined the first prize that I won, I took all the abuses possible. But only I know the reason for my action (rather inaction).

The competition was on for quite sometime. Only a week before it ended, I sent in my entries. It was a test of knowledge and knack. It was a peculiar kind of competition really.

Skipping the details of competition let me come straight to the point. The first prize that I won was a fully paid trip to Berlin, Germany. It was an international competition. I was the only person in India to have won the prize and I was just 18 at that time.

I was afraid of the lonely journey to Berlin; I did not know German language. I had a lot of misgivings about hotels in Berlin. Looking back, I don’t regret my decision even today. Now the time has come; my son is going to be employed in Berlin. I am going to accompany him.

We have decided to leave a week early so that we can see some places in Europe. We have chosen Austria, Spain and Italy for our trip.

Hotels in Vienna threw us plenty of options but we chose a hotel offered by Cheaper than Hotels. The Airport hotel in Vienna was ideal for us because there is an Indian restaurant near by it. We have heard so much about the water quality in Austria. Water in the lakes and swimming pools is so good that you can even drink.

Lake Attersee also known as the Kammersee, is the largest lake of the Salzkammergut area of Austria. It extends for about 20 km from north to south and 4 km from east to west. Its water comes from the Seeache, which flows out of another lake, the Mondsee. Due to its steady winds and clean water quality, Attersee is famous for attracting sailors and swimmers alike.

We were recommended to see kite surfing, a famous sport in Austria. For that we had to change hotels in Vienna due to proximity to Lake Neusiedl. Kite surfing differs from normal surfing by one essential feature: fastened onto the board is not a sail but a ‘water’ kite connected to the handlebar by tethers.

We found out some very cheap flights to Berlin from Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Till my son settles in Berlin, he is permitted to stay in any one of the moderately prized hotels in Berlin. This would be arranged by his employer.

I think I can stay with my son in Berlin for at least 3 days. I am eagerly looking forward to the trip.