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...