We drive several hours southeast of Munich crossing into Austria close to Salzburg and head on south into the province of Carinthia, almost Italy, almost Slovenia but still very much Austria. In fact politically at least, this is the most conservative corner of Austria largely rural and with an interesting history. Carinthia has a couple of decent sized cities - Klagenfurt, the provincial capital and Villach which was our first stop.

Villach is an important European rail junction - lines from Austria, Germany, Slovenia and Italy all intersect here - and had the misfortune to be the victim of allied bombing at least 50 times in the latter stages of WWII.

But these days, the region or at least one part of it is a target for a very different reason. The lake, Worther See, one of Europe’s largest stretching from Velden in the west to Klagenfurt in the east is a billionaire’s playground. The shores of the lake are lined with castles converted into luxury private estates, and massive mansions both old and contemporary. These are the summer homes of around 14 mostly German billionaires and their families - Glock’s (of gun fame), Swarovski’s (of crystal fame), scions of Volkswagen, Porsche and BMW families to name just a few. And they of course are just the tip of the iceberg!

And as if to further emphasize the hyper-wealthy theme of Velden and its surrounds, the very grand Schlosshotel Falkenstein where we’re staying for a couple of nights......

.........is at the centre of an extravagant display of high end luxury sports cars - Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin and the like which has attracted film crews and a large crowd of gawkers.....

........And I have no doubt potential customers!