For this week's #AustrianExplorer, we are taking you to the Wachau valley, where 100,000 apricot trees are bursting into full bloom for the so-called “Marillenblüte,” the apricot bloom. This buoyant transformation takes place every year between mid-March and mid-April. The result is world heritage scenery plunged into delicate pastels for anywhere from ten days to three weeks. Once the apricots are harvested in July and August, they can be used to prepare the traditional “Marillenknödel.”

Apricot bloom (photos 1-3); Marillenknödel (photos 4-5) © Isiwal (photo 1 and 3); C.Stadler/Bwag (photo 2); Pero Mrvica (photo 4); Hedonistin (photo 5)