Königsee : Oct 9 – 11

I’ve had this destination on my to do list since about three weeks after I arrived in Germany. I had planned to take mom and dad here during their visit back in April, but we all know that didn’t pan out. So finally, as more and more countries became off limits during this four day weekend my list got smaller and I decided I needed to finally make it out this way. And good thing because the ferry boat that goes across the lake stops going all the way across after this weekend and the fall colors are coming in! The crummy part is that it’s raining ALL weekend, like everywhere, but nothing can keep me in the barracks on a long weekend.

I slept in Friday morning since I was in no rush but got coffee, threw a few things in my bag and took off around 9 am. It’s only about a 4 hour drive, having to make adjustments because the quickest way there is through Salzburg and I didn’t want to go into Austria just for 15 minutes on a highway. Since the weather was nice I stopped at a place to hike before going on into Berchtesgaden.

I found this place on IG just a few days ago and then found a hiking trail on the AllTrails app and decided it was worth the stop. It was super cool but I had a TIME getting a parking place on this nice day around 1 pm when everyone else was trying to go to the same place. To make a long story short, I walked back and forth across the parking lot four times, got some snarky looks from a couple guys who could clearly see me wondering around lost, and I paid €1.50 all in 10 cent coins which required me digging all the change from my cup holder and carrying it to the parking meter. Finally, Amos had a parking ticket on the dash and I could take off on the trail. It was beautiful day in the sun Friday afternoon. The trail was only listed as 1.5 miles out and back. Luckily I read signs along the way and noticed I had to pay for .. something. So I paid the €2.50 and got a cool coin with three grooves. Once I made it down the trail more it all made sense. On the other side of the turnstiles was a nice wooden path along the side of the gorge. It was definitely cold in the gorge with the loud rushing water drowning out all other sounds. It wasn’t a long path so the 2.50 paid for a short peak along the way but was worth it.

After making it out the other turnstile it was still plenty early so I made my way down the path to see what was out there. Turns out, not much. Just a normal trail. I went out another mile and realized it was boring so I headed back to make it to the actual lake and check out where my boat leaves for the next day’s adventure. I drove to the lake and the temperature was starting to drop. Going from sweaty to cold is not fun. Come to find out once I figure out where the boat dock was, my ticket wasn’t for the right destination. I wanted to go all the way to Salet and St. Bartholomae. The info counter was closed, the phone number didn’t work past their hours, and an email was a lost cause. So I decided I call the €17 wrong purchase a loss and buy a new ticket online. I did the same thing I swear I did on my computer two days ago and selected Salet as my destination but it didn’t work and reset to St. B. At that point I just called it all a loss and figure I’ll come back early on Saturday to figure it out before my scheduled ticket time.

After the mess of parking, the wrong ticket, and a long day of driving I made my way to my hotel and got checked in with ease. Come to find out they have a pool but I didn’t know that and didn’t pack my suit. I was planning for 50° and rain all weekend, not a pool. The guy working at the hotel counter was super friendly and told me about several good restaurants to try in the area. After a very refreshing shower and clean, dry hair I made my way to Gasthof Neuhaus for dinner. Nothing fancy; a light beer, schnitzel and boiled potatoes. The walk back to the hotel was nice with crisp mountain air, with just a hint of farm smells like hay and dirt. Day one under wraps with a full stomach, one site checked off, and enough effort overcoming travel hiccups to call it a success.

Day 2

I had a nightmare about having the wrong ticket for the ferry so my day started with some anxiety as I managed to get to the ferry 30 minutes early to figure it out. Turns out it was totally ok, I paid 3.50 for the short ride I needed to get all the way to Salet. It was cold but not too cold and the sun was keeping me warm until I got into the hike. There were two girls around my age I figure who were speaking English, one with an American accent and one with a German accent. I made my way straight to the Öbersee because I knew rain was coming sometime so I wanted to get the important views knocked out first. Coming over the hill to see the iconic wooden structure on the lake was surprisingly underwhelming; maybe because it was super easy to get to and there was a family with young kids running around 🙄 the hike went on around the right side of the lake and was pretty interesting with it being slick, jagged, and lots of cow patties to watch out for. The lake was no doubt beautiful, and a whole different vibe than what it looked like when I left hours later as the clouds were rolling in.

Past the lake are a couple waterfalls so I followed some people to what I thought would be a nice view of them. I ended up climbing XX meters in 1 km and quickly took my hoodie off to cool down because I was sweating through my shirt quickly. The hike was actually just making me go up the side of the mountain and never really lead the waterfall I was hoping. There was a guy constantly 50 meters behind me that I was trying to get away from because I truly hate hiking around other people. I got to a three way point and decided it was time to quit while I was ahead. I took a seat, enjoyed the view and ate an apple (for anyone who knows me really well know it’s a big deal that I brought an apple on a hike and ate it.. I haven’t eaten an apple that isn’t sliced since the day I got braces on in 2006.) Back down the mountain was quicker but just as challenging and I made my way back around Obersee to the ferry. The ferry took off just as the rain came in, and it came in fast and strong!

On the way back I got off at St. B just to say I saw it. Not the best idea because the rain felt like pellets and the temperature dropped fast. I caught another ride all the way back to the start, got a warm strawberry & Nutella crepe and made my way to my Jeep to sit in the warm heat. The clouds and fog were thick again and the rain was drowning out any type of view there could have been. A warm shower made things better and a beer with pasta topped off my night.

The views today were great. Mountains, water, AND fall colored leaves .. ya girl was happy. Would definitely recommend this destination and would actually like to come back during the winter to see it all with snow.

Day 3 started with plenty of sleep until 8:30 since I had no plans. I finally made my way to Dokumentation Obersalzberg, a museum about Hitler’s Eagles Nest and how the socialist came to be. Would only recommend if you get access to the English audio guide on your phone ahead of time because I didn’t know it was all in German so the google translate app had to do, and it doesn’t do great by any means so I was really under impressed with the it all.. especially considering I waited in line outside in the rain at 42° for an hour just to get through the front door. It was not fun. The museum had great reviews though.

Afterward I made my way back Königssee to get my souvenir and one last look at the lake I drove this far for. Back to the hotel for a walk around Berchtesgaden lead me up a path with a better overlook and then back down into the city for some dinner. First I drove to * since it had really great reviews on TripAdvisor. However I quickly and embarrassingly found out that you had to have a reservation to eat there. So I settled for the Hofbräuhaus down the street from my hotel. A dark beer, schnitzel and spaetzle always make for a good dinner. I really have to praise the waiter. He was so gracious with me as I was NINE CENTS short to pay for my meal. I used a single euro cent to pay just to prove I was giving every cent I had on me. I had used every single coin in my Jeep during the last two days and this was all I had and they didn’t take card. So thankful he didn’t make a big scene out of those nine cents and let me go with a smile and a full tummy. Blessings on blessings. This also meant I didn’t need that ice cream I really wanted because I didn’t want to go find an ATM.

Day three really was just walking around and trying to stay warm and dry bundled up under my umbrella. Lots of walking around and relaxing with the fact I had no where to be any time soon.