Zugspitze

The Summit
The villages of Garmisch-Partenkirchen look like a post card that came alive. It is a wonderful alpine resort with views of towering mountains and lakes. Infact, Germany's tallest mountain, the Zugspitze lies right here. It is also a major ski resort and was the location for two of the Winter olympics. Standing 2960m (9720 ft), the view from the top of the peak is a feast to the eyes. You can see the alpine mountains extending into Austria, Switzerland, Italy and ofcourse Germany.

We took the cog wheel train from Garmisch station to Zugspitzplatte, a plateau that offers some stunning views.

The Cog wheel train
After a bit of strolling at Zugspitzplatte we took the cable car to the peak. While we were waiting to take the cable car, we actually saw hikers coming down frm the peak along a path which did not even seem to exist and not too mention way too steep. I have no other explanation for their action, other than they were just plain "verrückt" (that's Crazy in Geraman!).

At Zugspitzplatte

The view of the peak from Zugspitzplatte

Snow in fall, ski slope

Two people hiking down!!

Can you see them now?

After taking in the sprawling views, we decided to dine at the restaurant that is at the highest elevation in all of Germany ;-)

People trying to get to the summit

The sprawling Alpine mountains

From the top

We then descended through the Eibsee cable car all the way to the base.

More mountains

Eibsee lake

At the train station at Eibsee to get to Garmisch

Check this out for more info on Zugspitze.

Königssee at Berchtesgaden

It was decided that R & I were going to go to Berechtsgaden with two of our friends to see the (in)famous Eagle's Nest. It was a gift of Bormann to Hitler for his 50th birthday and is considered an engineering marvel. But unfortunately, they closed down earlier this year due to maintenance. However, we had made up our minds to not waste the beautiful day (who knows how long it would last, November was just around the corner.)



Once we reached Berchtsgaden, we hit the Tourist information center to figure out the plan for the day. It was decided that we were going to hike at Konigsee lake (ofcourse only after filling our stomachs with the much needed fuel ;-). This lake is considered to be the most beautiful in Bavaria (or according to some Germany) and the water is supposed to pure enough to drink (it was cyrstal clear, but I probably wouldn't recommend it). The emerald green water of the lake is surrounded by steep mountain walls especially on the eastern shore.








We were quite adventurous (?!?!?) that day and decided to go along a not so unchartered territory which for me including once walking without my shoes on in ice cold walter one way and with my shoes on, on the way back. I would strongly discourage anyone from trying both methods. Apart from the fact that the water is extremely cold to the point that you may not feel your feet, you wont even know that just hit a rock and broke your nail and are bleeding :-( Well, this was just the beginning of the fun.


The next part involved climbing quite steep mountain sides which was not as daunting as sliding down on your derriere on the way back down. Thanks to our friend, I was holding a long stick for support and R promptlt informed me that I was walking like Dronacharya. Being the optimist that I am, I now look at it as, "well he atleast compared me to a well famed guru of Mahabharatha and not a cripple". But ofcourse, considering that I was wet and numb from having just slipped and fallen into ice cold water by the water falls (thanks largely to the well intentioned actions of R), I was in no mood for this comment.





Inspite of my frequent interludes with ice cold water that day, it turned out to be quite memorable, thanks in large part to the natural beauty of the place. Next time I visit konigsee may be I should try the less exciting method of taking the ship across the lake...

Dachau & Andechs

This past wekend reminded me a lot of our Vienna trip because we started with the concentration camp on saturday and ended with the monastery on sunday.

Dachau Concentration Camp

On the gate : "Arbeit macht frei" - "Work frees"
The charming and idyllic town of Dachau that lies just 10miles north of Munich is a sad reminder of the bygone days of the Nazi era. While a gentle breeze blows and the town has a charming feel to it, there stands KZ Dachau with high walls and electric fencing - so glaringly out of place. Dachau holds the sad distinction of being the first town to ever have concentration camp established by the Nazis. Soon after Hitler's rise to power, Himmler and the SS converted what used to be the remanants of a armaments factory of World war I into a concentration camp. During its notorious history, between 1933 and 1945, more than 206,000 prisoners from 30 countries were imprisoned at Dachau, perhaps a lot more.

The Memorial

The Krematorium






Inspite of having a gas chamber disguised as a shower it was never really used. This however, did not mean that no killings happened here.


The Shower (of death)?

The gas pipes disguised as showers

Numerous other methods had been devised for the purpose. The short movie that is screened is definitely worth the time and opens your eyes to the suffereing of the prisoners. Dont be surprised if you leave the place with a dreary feeling. The treatment metted out to the prisoners goes beyond one's imagination. I cannot believe how one can treat a fellow human being in such a grossly inhumane manner.


The barracks that held prisoners almost 5 times their capacity



The new crematorium - in an effort to keep up with the death rates

The old crematorium

To learn more about the camp visit the official site.

Andechs Monastery

The Andechs Monastery


Andechs, a Benedictine monastery close to the Starnberger see was such a delight after the grim trip to Dachau the previous day. R & I made the trip with a friend of ours and her mother. The monastery is set on the mountain of Heiliger Berg (meaning Holy Mountain). While the pilgrims visit to venerate, the not so devout make the journey for the beers and cheeses produced by the monks. Yes, you read it right, MADE by the MONKS :-). Several monateries in this region seem to have that trend. The monateries had to be self sufficient and the money from the products were used to sustain the place. There is a huge biergarten and a restaurant that sells Andechs beers.


The chapel

Yes, they are beer bottles!!

Once inside the monastery, you can climb all the way to the top of the structure which involves very narrow and steep steps. I should add here that the steps are constructed in a manner that is very discriminating for the vertically and horizontally endowed (for those less refined, I mean tall & stout). The view from the top is quite amazing and one can see both Ammersee and Stanberger see lakes.


The narrow stairs

The view from the top

The Stanberger see

The Ammersee

To learn more about the monastery, visit the official site.

Neuschwanstein - An inspiration to Disney

Yesterday R & I took off to visit one of Bavaria's most famous castle - Neuschwanstein in the town of Hohenschwangau with two of our friends. If you have not heard already Neuschwanstein was the inspiration for Disney for the Walt Disney castle (dont ask me if its the Cinderella castle or the Sleeping beauty castle, there seems to be some debate on that! :-)

Enroute we stopped at the Wiesskirche (which basically means the "White Church") an old barouque church and witnessed an authentic Bavarian wedding in progress. The church is surrounded by beautiful landscape and the interior has beauiful frescos and gilded walls.

Do you see the bride & the groom?

Off to the fairy tale castle, along the way I wondered if it would live up to its high expectations & personally it not only met but also exceeded those expectations. Perched on a cliff, the castle was an enticing sight. The fall colors just added to the beauty of the castle. The castle was commisioned by King Ludwig II and construction began in 1869. It was one of three castles commisioned by Ludwig II, the other two being Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. The castle built in neo-Romanesque style was never completed following the mysterious death of the King who was found drowned in the Stanbergersee lake near Munich. It is a 20-30minute hike up to the entrance and at certain points you are offered scintiallating views to the castle.









A view from Marienbrucke (or Marien Bridge)

The interior has been well maintained to this day and so unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside. The interior was decorated with frescos from Richard Wagner's operattic themes and you see a good repition of the swan motif through out the castle (from pipes that are hidden in the swan's mouth to door handles in the shape of the swan). By the way, "Schwan" means Swan in German and the nearby lake is also called Schwansee. While you have a beutiful view of Schwansee and the city of Hohenschwangau on one side, you see the mountains and a spectacular waterfall on the other. The Marienbrucke offers a splendid side view of the castle

Ludwig II was declared insane during his reign and was imprisoned in Castle Berg near Starnbergersee and 5 days later he was found dead in the lake. While he may or may not have been insane, he definitely knew how to live in style! If you are interested in learning more about the king click here.

Hohenschwangau Castle
The Hohenschwangau castle perched on top of another hill was restored by built by the father of Leopold II, Maxmillian II of Bavaria. Unfortunately we did not have the time to take the 35minute tour inside the castle but here are some of the pictures taken from the outside.

A view from Neuschwanstein




The outer gardens




A modern bath in the garden