Our week in Germany had been fabulous to this point but we had a fair drive across the south to get to Berchtesgaden. We left early with the hopes of making it by early afternoon and with the plan of making a couple of stops along the way. Again, the German roads are beyond exceptional and we left Grainau along the most stunning winding road along the base of the Alps. We stopped in at a roadside hotel/ski lodge to grab a quick coffee that turned out to be excellent and came with a lovely little amaretto biscuit (joy, basically the first good coffee we’d had in two weeks).
Our first stop was a small lake slightly off the main roads that Steph had seen in a photograph, access turned out to be through a farmers fields on the side of a beautiful small town. We wandered along making small talk with a couple of locals who were on their way for a very chilly morning dip.
The lake itself was a picture of life, green hills, cow bells ringing, water dancing with insects and fish. Just a gorgeous spot, but after half an hour of wandering and photos it was back in the car for the bulk of the drive.
Königssee
Around 2 in the afternoon we arrived in Berchtesgaden, a town in the southeast corner of Germany near the Austrian city of Salzburg. It’s tucked away in the mountains and famous for lakes and views (and a less salubrious past during WW2) .The most famous lake Königssee (King’s lake) is an 11km long, narrow, deep and incredibly blue snake of water trapped by mountains that rise well over 1500 metres on either side. It’s hard to explain just how sheer and imposing it is.
Ferries run up and back to two stops: One of the old kings hunting lodge, and the second at the far end of the lake. Our time was slightly limited by parking permits so we took the 45 ride to the hunting lodge. The lovely German boat captain made jokes in a very german manner, explaining in english that each joke, was in fact a joke and we should be quite aware of that and not take him too seriously. The party piece of the ride is a section of rock face that’s formed in such a way that it creates a single echo, the captain pulled out a trumpet and played a couple of rounds that echoed dramatically, creating a stunning duet with himself.
At the hunting lodge Steph grabbed some salted fish (ew) and myself a Currywurst and chips (correct), a bier or two and had a wander around before ferrying our way back and jumping in the car to go find our accomodation the Laughing Goat Inn..
The Sleeping Goat
The Laughing Goat Inn, which doubles as a hotel (The Sleeping Goat) is a quaint but lovely little german lodge looking towards the Watzmann, Germany’s third tallest mountain. We ensconced ourselves on the deck with a bier and watched the world slowly pass by for an hour or so before heading out for one of the most outlandishly large meals we’ve ever had the pleasure of being served.
Eagle’s Nest
Our final tourist destination in Berchtesgaden was the Eagles nest. It is now the site of a Hofbrauhaus, museum and outstanding views but was previously the summer house of the Nazi elite and Adolf Hitler. The germans don’t hide from this. There’s a very honest museum that talks to it’s history, but for the most part people just stand in awe of the views and go for a wander along the ridge line of the mountain.
Getting there is a significant effort, you take a 20 minute bus ride on a private road in buses that have been modified to allow them to deal with the steepness of the climb and the abrupt switchbacks required to make it up to the base level. There you walk down a 100 metre long red marble tunnel to a gold elevator then go up the final 200 metres through the heart of the mountain. To get down you do the same in reverse.. mildly insane.
The views from the top however are mind-blowing in a way that’s hard to explain… genuinely 360º cliff faces looking down across the plains of Germany and into the alps.
Salzburg
After coming down from the Nest we realised we had a little more time on our hands so decided to take a small detour through Austria to see Salzburg, a famous tourist town just across the border. It was lovely; full of marble encrusted buildings, modern art and with a spectacular castle towering over all of the old town.
We wandered around for an hour or two taking in the sites, having a quiet drink and reflecting on what an unexpectedly excellent time we had had in Germany before jumping back in the car for a longish drive back towards Munich!
