My hometown

Christmas is coming closer and closer, there are only three days left till the big day. Since this is the time of the year that you spend with your family and friends, I am heading home today. So, I have decided to tell you a bit about my hometown.

My hometown is a small place called Ferlach in the South of Carinthia. And when I say that it is a small place, you can believe me, because the town only consists of 8000 inhabitants. I don't know if it's true, but when you walk though the 'city centre' it seems that more than half of the population is older than sixty years. Considering that, I wouldn't say that Ferlach is the most exciting place for young people. 

Still, that does not mean that it is not a nice place to live. The town is surrounded by many lovely spots with a breathtaking landscape. The Drau, Carinthia's largest river, crosses Ferlach. People enjoy fishing by the riverside or taking rides on their motorboats on it.






Another place that is worth mentioning is the so-called 'Tscheppaschlucht', which I'm sure those of you who have already been to Catrinthia, have heard of. It is a canyon that is crossed by a stream and there is also a waterfall. Although it is a very touristy place and the wooden planks that lead through the canyon are usually crowded on summerdays, you can still perfectly switch off your mind when hiking through the Tscheppaschlucht. Furthermore, what is more refreshing on a hot summerday than staying under the shadow of the trees beside a cooling waterfall?

My personal favourite is the 'Meerauge', which is not very far away of the Tscheppaschlucht. The name refers to two little, sparkling blue lakes, better be called ponds, that contain the clearest water you have probably ever seen. For a long time people believed that the 'Meerauge' is subterraneousely connected to other waters, also to the sea. This thought came up due to the myth that once a farmer had lost the control over his yoke, which fell into one of the two ponds and was found in a lake somewhere in Slovenia, on the other side of the Karavankas, a few weeks later.

Even though my hometown has a lot of natural beauty to offer, most people don't think of it as a holiday destination in the first place. Many have heard of it because it has been a centre for the production of hunting rifles for more than 500 years now. Ferlach's gunsmiths have customers from  all over the world, even including the Spanish king Juan Carlos. This privileged customer has twice travelled to our South-Carinthian town himself, to choose his rifles for elephant hunting, This is, of course, criticizable, but still, Ferlach's population is proud of being able to mention him as a visitor of their town.

That's enough of my hometown for today. I hope this blogpost has created quite a positive image of it in your heads. I am going to enjoy Christmas in this nice, little place and I hope that, wherever you might be, have a nice celebration too. Merry Christmas everyone!