Sometimes all it takes is a narrow path along the water to silence the noise of the world. The Lend Canal, lined with ancient trees, winds quietly and unspectacularly through southern Klagenfurt – as if everyday life had been pushed to the side to make room for the sound of tires on gravel, the soft patter of ducks' feet, and the gentle gurgling under a wooden bridge.
Anyone who sets out early will encounter the city in a state somewhere between sleepyhead and curiosity – a dog in a bicycle basket, a fisherman with a thermos, a couple who carry the silence within them like a shared song. Further west, where the canal meets Lake Wörthersee, the landscape expands, and the Natura 2000 area of Lendspitz-Maiernigg shows what water, reeds, and patience can become: a refuge for animals, plants – and people who haven't yet forgotten how to search.
The water is turquoise green, almost Caribbean, the shores wild and soft at the same time. A place that doesn't want much – except to be left alone. Perhaps that's what makes it so precious. Those who hike or cycle through this area aren't overwhelmed, but rather drawn in. In the rustling of leaves, the chirping of dragonflies, the inconspicuous wonder of everyday life. And if they're lucky, they'll find a bench that listens more than it speaks.
At the end, the impression remains of a path that doesn't call out loudly, but rather beckons in a friendly manner. And perhaps that's just the right dose of wilderness – in the middle of a city that's not ashamed of its nature.