Leaving the Czech Republic, we took a bus to Salzburg, Austria, where we caught a train headed for a small town just north of Austria in Germany, Konigsee. We rode through green countryside, slowly making our way towards and then over the Alps, just to the other side. The train dropped us in the incredibly picturesque town of Berchtesgaden, an alpine town surrounded by hills, with the Alps jutting out in just beyond. There, we caught a local bus to the town of Konigsee, just 10 minutes away. We were dropped just by our campsite, a perfect spot just aside a glacial river - water so clear and so cool, extremely welcome during the hot midday sun. We set up camp, went for a dip in the river, then walked up the river a few minutes to the town. The town of Konigsee is built along the shores of the lake, an icy blue glacial lake perfect for swimming (not too chilly, actually). Beyond the lake rose the grand mountains, craggly peaks capped with snow. The town itself is a charming cluster of alpine lodges, lake-side cafes, behind which stretch grassy meadows and farmhouses decorated with bright colorful flowers. It was like walking through a postcard. Only far off in the distance, high atop one of the mountains, you can see the Eagle's Nest, Hitler's mountain retreat, looking out over the countryside. A little creepy. We decided to self cater at our campsite, a great dinner of antipasti salad, dense German bread, and wine, filling ourselves for our trek up the mountain the following day.

We woke up early and took the ferry from town across the lake to St. Bartholome, a spot on the side of the lake with a church. From here, we could start our day of hiking. We started our steep uphill, hiking through fir trees and wildflowers. Parts were so steep that we had to crawl up rickety wooden ladders, clinging to the side of the mountain. Our hike took us up over the treeline, where we were awarded with breathtaking views of the river, the mountains, and the town nestled below us. We continued our hike all the way back to town, a good 6-hour trek. Hot and sweaty, the lake couldn't have looked more exciting, so we jumped right in and went for a swim - quite a treat for our tired legs! That night we went into town for dinner, where we dined at one of the lakeside beer gardens, thinking how we just wanted to put our trip on hold and stay where we were forever!

A view from the ferry, then a view from the mountains

The next morning we woke up sore, but resolved to take full advantage of our Eden-ish surroundings and go on another hike before we had to leave. We left our camp early and headed up the other side of the mountains, winding our way through meadows and up hills. Though a less strenuous hike than our day before, we still had stellar views. (Notice the adorable cow with the bell). We hiked for about 4 hours, the had lunch and a swim at the lake. We then hurried back to our campsite, packed up, and reluctantly left.

Notice the name of the house