It was Monday morning and the fun-filled weekend reached its end - well, for one of us. Julie's conference started, therefore; I had no traveling partner for Bavarian adventures. During breakfast, I compiled a list of activities Julie wouldn't feel (too) left out if she didn't participate. The previous day we rode a
Cable Car to the top of the Zugsptize where we saw a beautiful lake, Eibsee - or Lake Eib (?) - Lake Eibsee seems redundant.
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| View of Eibsee from Cable Car |
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| Eibsee from top of Zugspitze |
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The lake is 973 meters above sea level (3193 feet) and is situated at the base of the Zugspitze. Having seen Eibsee from afar was enough to spurn interest for a closer look. Fortunately, we drove to Garmisch-Partenkirchen prepared for exploratory odysseys - we brought our bikes, and at least one of us had to use them after the burden of affixing the cumbersome rack to the car.
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| View from bench on trail |
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| Climbed down some rocks to get closer to the water |
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I wasn't sure of the trail's length or the amount of time it would take to complete, therefore; I prepared a small backpack with food, water, and a camera. The trail is pleasant to start - flat terrain lined with trees on one side, shorelines and the lake on the other. However, there is a point on the trail - opposite the parking lot where the flatness ends and seemingly never-ending hill begins.
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| Lunchtime, nom nom |
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| Untersee |
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Since internet machismo appears to be popular - I found riding my bike up the steep slope too easy, I decided to carry my bike over my head and sprint backwards the rest of the way. After all, the Winter Olympics were once held in Garmish-Partenkirchen, maybe there were Olympic recruiters on the lookout for athletic tourists. However, the Olympics were held in 1936, if there was ever such as a scout for said games, they're history - as are the days when I once resembled an athlete. Returning to reality, I made incremental stops along my ascent of the incredulous incline.
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| Eibsee |
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| Small pond |
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There was little reward once I reached the top of the acclivity, the view of the lake was blotted out by Bavarian Ents (known outside of Middle Earth as tall trees). I rested on a bench, yelled at Treebeard and cursed the land from which he grew. None of this happened, but it makes my trip around Eibsee more interesting (I digress, but then again - I don't know if I was ever on course).
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| Crystal clear |
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| Small waterfall feeding into lake |
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Eibsee is beautiful, the trail offers countless views of crystal blue water and picturesque landscapes near the foothills of the Zugspitze. While enjoying the sights, I got the opportunity to speak some German on two separate occasions with the same German. A gentleman who was birding by a small pond spoke to me and pointed out some birds, however; my knowledge of bird species is apocryphal (at best) and non-existent in German. From my understanding, he saw several (insert birds and other words I couldn't translate) and stated where he saw them. Later, I came across Birdman near the beginning of the path for another interaction.
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| A closer look |
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| Pond recommended by Birdman |
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At the beginning of the trail, I saw a man taking pictures of what appeared to be a fence post - or it could have been a pretty leaf on the other side. I made my way to the paradoxical palisade to uncover the mystery beyond the pickets - a snake. After snapping a few photographs of the serpent, Birdman made his way over for some more conversation. The first thing he said, I didn't understand, but I did catch that he suggested stopping by another pond back up the path towards the steep hill. I wished him a good day and went to see the site.
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| Peak-a-boo Eibsee you |
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| Untersee |
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He was right, it was a great place to have lunch and figure out what to do for the second half of the day. The area was near Ent Hill, and having an aversion to acclivities, I returned to to the parking lot. I spent the rest of the afternoon at the Deutscher Alpenverein Boulderhalle - a bouldering gym in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. I climbed for a few hours before calling it a day - I drove back to the hotel, picked up some Bavarian beverages (Ayinger) and later made my way to the Edelweiss hot tub.
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| Grass Snake (Natrix natrix) |
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