Light overnight rain had
stopped by the time we got up. The forecast was good but dawn brought overcast
skies. It was cool again in Mabel and we tried to turn on the heating, we found
we were out of gas. The gauge on the right hand cylinder which had registered
empty for days now had finally run out. I turned on the full left hand cylinder
and began to think about how we cam manage the gas such that the tanks are both
empty by the time Mabel is shipped back to New Zealand. It was good to know
there was gas for a few days once the gauge read empty, so the immediate plan
was to do nothing and wait and see where we were when the left hand cylinder
read zero.
Today’s expedition was to
the nearby Königssee, an 8km long narrow fiord-like lake described in our guide
book as one of the most dramatically beautiful lakes in Germany. Our guide book
wasn’t wrong.
We drove the couple of
kilometres to the small town of Schönau am Königssee and parked in an enormous
car park. From there we started to walk through the clusters of souvenir shops
and cafes that line the main street leading to the lake. One of the first shops
we came to was jam packed with gift stuff including woolen socks that Jane
wanted to buy. We went in and started to look around only to be told by the
owner tersely that the shop wasn’t open yet, they were still putting
merchandise outside. We left and got a similar, and very terse, rejoinder from
the man’s wife to the same effect. They were both very rude, we made a mental
note not to return when they were open.
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| Schonau Street |
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| Electric Boat on Konigsee |
The lakeside was busy
with tourists waiting for one of the electric powered boats to take them along
the lake. To one side a boat with a wooden pen on its deck was unloading cows and
bulls some of which wore head decorations. We knew from a brochure that Jane
had picked up that cows were decorated to celebrate their return from their
summer mountain pastures. The decorations weren’t as elaborate as those in the
brochure, but we were pleased we had ben able to see this farming tradition in
action.
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| Brochure Photo of Cows Returning From Summer Pastures |
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| The Real Thing Not Quite So Colourful |
We bought return tickets to the end of the
lake. Passengers were counted as they boarded and we were the last couple
allowed on. That meant we had to stand until the door was closed and a cushion
put on the step for us. Our position did have the benefit that we were seated
right next o the guide who gave a commentary in German as we travelled up the
lake. Every now and again he gave us a potted translation in English.
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| Our Guide (after most of the passengers had disembarked) |
On board was an elderly
tour group from Augsburg, they were obviously out to have a good day. There was
a lot of banter between some of the men and the guide. Soon after we left the
boat that had been carrying cattle overtook us. One of the men was busy
shoveling dung over the side into the lake, not quite what the tourist board
would like visitors to see, we thought.
The lake was framed on
either side by mountains rising steeply from the water’s edge. We travelled past
Mount Watzmann, the second highest mountain in Germany. The boat stopped
opposite a sheer rock wall which our guide described as an echo wall. To prove
the point he opened up the boats doors and played a few bars on a trumpet. Sure
enough the music was replayed back. He played another few bars and so on – very
entertaining and enterprising we thought.
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| Trumpeter Guide |
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| Post Trumpet |
We docked near to the
onion domed chapel of St Batholomä where most passengers disembarked. We stayed
on passing dramatic waterfalls as we continued to the end of the lake. We also
saw another boatload of cattle on the lake heading for their winter quarters.
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| St Bartholoma Chapel |
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| More Cattle Heading Home For The Winter |
We left the boat at the
top of the lake and took a walk up to Bodensee pausing on our way for Jane to
commune with cattle that much to her delight were wearing bells. Bodensee was
simply stunning with the absolutely calm lake nestling in an amphitheater of
mountains that were reflected in the still water. Tumbling down the mountains
at the end of the lake was the Röthbabach waterfall which at 400m is Germany’s
highest.
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| Bodensee |
 |
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| Jane Communing With Nature |
We took a practically
empty boat back to St Bartholomä where we took a table outside a very busy
restaurant and ordered lunch. Jane went for a fish and meat platter while I had
noodle soup. We were both thirsty and each had a half litre stein of sparkling
mineral water. Jane followed up her main with Apfel Strüdel and custard.
After lunch we paid a perfunctory visit to the
chapel and then walked through woodland along the lake shore, found a seat by
the water’s edge and sat watching the boats making their way up and down the
lake. It was a glorious afternoon and we sat for quite a while before making
our way back to St Bartholomä.
There was quite a queue
for boats returning to Schönau am Königssee. One boat filled and there was
still quite a queue ahead of us and, like the outward journey, we were the last
two allowed on and got seats in the stern.
Back on shore Jane
wandered into a tourist shop while I window shopped. That was the last I saw of
Jane for a while, there was no trace of her. I sat on a bench for a time but
there was still no sign. Eventually I walked back to Smarty and drove to the
edge of the car park and parked in full view of the shops. That did the trick,
Jane spotted Smarty and we were reunited.
We drove into
Berchtesgaden to get cash from an ATM and buy groceries. We then drove up to
Obersalzburg where we wanted to do a scenic drive in the mountains.
Unfortunately, the road was closed and we had no option but to return to Mabel.
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| Smarty and Mabel at Konigsee Camping Ground (Eagle's Nest is on peak directly above Mabel's main door) |
By evening we weren’t
particularly hungry and snacked on cheese and apple.
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