June 17, 2015

Berchtesgadener and the Alps

A few notes on yesterday are needed. We found the riverfront restaurant that serves only wurst and sauerkraut. Did not see any Hobbits. We did manage to upload a blog from a “student coffee house/beer hall” that play atonal music. The beer was good. We awoke this morning to breakfast in the Gothic arched dining room. I spent the meal trying to figure out how they built it.

   
       We reached the Alps after bypassing Munich. We were too early to check in so we headed for Konigsee or King’s Lake. It is located in the Berchtesgagaden National Park that is a few miles from our hotel. The setting was dramatic but the carnival environment crammed with tourists was a bummer. I now know what Yosemite would look like if there were no restrictions on commercial activity. We did encounter some American hikers who had been using the huts in the Park’s backcountry. The huts had meals, beer, showers and beds. They thought it was quite nice. The lake itself reminds me of an overdone Lake Arrowhead. Nice to look at but not to enjoy.

   
         We returned to our chalet style hotel and checked in. We have our little porch with geraniums and plan to eat in the hotel restaurant. We did venture into town and did some window shopping. We even found the elevated and cantilevered salt mine trail that periodically collapses and dooms those who dare to walk on it. It was perfect for Peggy. After the trail were in need of some wine.

   
                     We found a cute little shop with a charming owner who sold us some local wine made from some strange German vine. It is actually pretty good. We also bought a 100 grams of organic cheese from the local mountains. It is very good and very expensive. Oh well. 

It is hard to believe that such a small mountain community can have so many people and tourists. Tomorrow we will venture to the vacation home of non other than Adolf Hitler. We will arise tomorrow and head up to the Eagle’s Lair. I can see it in the clouds at present. Hopefully, we have good weather tomorrow.

Just finished our dinner in our small hotel. The host is decked out in full Lederhosen and the decor is what I have seen in movies about German restaurants most of my life. Huge chunks of wood and leather and sheep skins covering the benches. We ordered spare ribs and got the spares as well as the rest. It was a massive meal accompanied by the local brew. Peggy resisted drinking from the glass boot. Most of the clientele spoke English. That’s OK since I didn’t feel ready to break into patriotic Gemütlichkeit singing. I was too full.

Duke hats left unpurchased

Bernese Mountain dog in correct setting

On the walk of doom