Jen and Dave: Adventuring

We bussed back to the Königssee this morning, and this time we got in one of the electric boats that ferry tourists and locals alike about the lake.

The ride was smooth and we enjoyed the towering mountains framing the turquoise waters. At the echo wall our captain played the trumpet, and you could hear multiple echos – it is said you can get as many as seven echos.

We got off at St. Bartholöma, but we weren’t there for the beer gardens or the pilgrimage church with its trademark onion domes – we hit the trail and climbed up into a valley where permanent ice fields form Eiskapelle – the ice chapel. The main cavern had collapsed, but there was still a smaller cavern on a separate piece of ice and a few ice bridges (no, we didn’t go into a cave, but yes we used those bridges to make it look like it!)

After walking back to the boats, we boarded once again, this time headed for Salet. Here we had four legged companions with sharp horns and cowbells around their necks as we walked an easy trail to Oversee – dubbed the prettiest lake in Bavaria and it’s easy to see why. Still turquoise waters framed by pasture, forest, overwhelming mountain faces, and the tallest waterfall in Germany.

We walked to the far side of Oversee, where the proprietors of the Alm were kind enough to sell us sustenance- bread and butter, bread and cheese, a beer and a cola-mix (a local favourite consisting of cola mixed with lemonade). The bread was fresh, the butter and cheese made at the Alm from their own cow’s milk. Incredible.

Then, too soon, it was time to retrace our steps, take the boat back to the town, and the bus back to Berchtesgaden. Grocery shopping for Friday’s hike (as tomorrow is a holiday and everything will be closed), and a hearty dinner.