Different sources tell slightly different facts and stories about the origination and the history of picnic. What we know for sure is that, in the 17-18th century the French aristocrats started a new fashion that England quickly adopted: big outside gatherings where they were horse riding, chattering, feasting and dancing. In the beginning of the 19th century, they started to call these events picnic, and when the civil class started to adopt the aristocrat’s habit the picnic became popular.

These nicely dressed people used blankets to sit on and huge, hand woven willow baskets to carry and serve the mouthwatering foods like game, pie, flavored cheese, cakes, fine spicy wines and so on. They used original silverware while "pick at ones" food from the basket. The name Picnic comes from the French pique = pick at ones and nique = trifle, other words: eat a little while in Nature.

In recent history Picnic has its renascence in EU, people re-discover the beauty of outdoor activity: eating, drinking having fun while picnicking. Interestingly enough small business travel agencies realized the potential in organizing romantic picnic for couples and company style picnic for bigger groups. They carefully chose cozy places next to a lake, spring or nearby sight sees, forest or beautiful meadows to organize these fun activities. They provide programs and all the needed picnic accessories: picnic baskets or backpacks, food, drink, snacks and so on. People are willing to pay big bucks for these well-organized services and it’s getting more and more popular in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

For those who prefer intimate, or want to go on a romantic picnic and don’t want to be served and directed in many ways, they can go by themselves to different places in different areas on well-maintained trails, using their own food, drink and picnic accessories, and of course pick spot they really like.

Certain hotels in Austria provide small compact cars like Fiat 500 (these are very small cars) for those who want to go out to picnic, while discovering the area’s famous places. Your rent a car at the front desk, pack it up with your own stuff and you’re ready to go to an adventurous picnic that you won’t forget. There are many vineries and famous places to visit and the local people love visiting tourists or picnickers.

I personally visited the Prugg Mansion is Bruck, near to Kapfenberg where the owner provides an exceptional environment for picnickers. The visitors can use the mansion and it is huge, many acres of beautifully maintained parks that have gorgeous meadows, springs, nicely manicured park areas, forest and many picnic spots with covered patios, fire pits, seats, tables and so on. Here nobody tells you Don’t step on Grass! They invite you to do so…

They let you feel free to take whatever you please from the Manson’s huge Picnic Basket. Most of the offered foods were totally unknown for me and so I just picked them by choice and let me tell you every one of them were exceptionally delicious. We could choose from a huge selection of fish and cheese (many of them was smoked) various chicken dishes, different kinds of very tasty pastas, jams and like I said a lot I-don’t-know-what-but-tasty stuff. Oh yes, they also offer a wide selection of light red, pink and white wine for the picnickers.

These events offered and organized by travel agencies and Manson owners are very elegant, very classy and really memorable for an affordable price! They provide a nice program, excellent and safe environment, a wide selection of really delicious food, wine, and while you enjoying all of these you can listen to something from Franz Schubert who - as we know – was a serious picnicker as well.