Two Kids and a Passport: Simply Beautiful

On our first day in Berchtesgaden, we decided to spend some time enjoying our beautiful surroundings. We spent the day relatively close to home, visiting a lovely alpine lake, pretty little village and dramatic gorge - some of the less touristed (by non-Germans, anyway) places.

We started with a visit to Hintersee, a pretty little alpine lake about 15 minutes up in the mountains. The lake is up a winding valley with very pretty views of the mountains and rolling meadows. The river was pristine and clear as it rushed down the mountain beside the road. We couldn't wait to get out and take a walk. What we hadn't taken into account was the fact that this was a sunny Saturday and many, many other people thought this would be a good place for a walk, too. All the parking lots and much of the roadside around the small lake were packed with cars. We decided we weren't up to fighting for space to enjoy the beauty and would come back again later in the week.

Along the drive up to Hintersee

Heading back down the mountain we were undecided on what to do until we drove through the pretty little alpine town of Ramsau. Doug pulled the car off the side of the road and suggested we go for a walk. It was lovely. The houses were decked out in window boxes over flowing with flowers and here and there were little fountains constantly flowing with spring water. Sheep grazed on steep pastureland just behind the first row of houses. And the river from Hintersee flowed through the town with many little wooden bridges criss-crossing it. We walked upriver for a little way and stopped to explore the little church on our way back down.

The river flowing through Ramsau

St. Sebastian Pilgrimage Church in Ramsau

Inside St. Sebastian Pilgrimage Church

The inside of the church was simple but clearly well-loved. The stones running down the centre aisle were uneven and smooth from centuries of use (a plaque outside the church said it was established in 1512). The backs of the pews had old metal plaques that seemed to bear the names of individuals but we aren't sure what exactly they were for. Outside the church was a small cemetery with well-tended and clearly loved family plots.

A plaque on the back of a pew

Inside St. Sebastian Pilgrimage Church

The flower-filled cemetery outside St. Sebastian

Each plot seemed to belong to a family or series of family members but what was most impressive were the well-tended and pretty little flower beds (all real - no plastic flowers here!)

Our next stop was Almbachklamm (Almbach Gorge). A narrow gorge carved out of the rock over the centuries by a rushing river. The cement and wooden stairs were constructed in the late 19th century to provide access to the gorge. It was used for logging and a dam at the top would control the flow of water until they needed to float trees downstream. They would open the gates of the dam, flooding the gorge and the rushing water would carry the logs downstream.

It was lovely and dramatic. The sun didn't reach to the bottom of the gorge, which was very damp from the river spray and last night's rain. The river roared and echoed, making it difficult to hear each other talk. The rocks weren't exactly slippery but despite handrails and fences the path was quite narrow in some spots. So, with the kids we decided to play it save and turned around before barely getting halfway up. If the second half is as dramatic as the first, it is pretty impressive.

Almbachklamm

We decided to have an early supper and then take a quick trip down to see the Konigsee before we cam back and got the kids ready for bed. Konigsee is one of two big tourist draws in Berchtesgaden (the other is the Eagle's Nest - a Nazi hangout, now a museum). Konigsee is Germany's 3rd deepest lake and in the middle of a nature preserve. There are no roads around the lake, so you can only visit it on foot or by boat. We're planning to take a boat trip on the lake later in the week.