October 10th, 2007 - Berchtesgaden

Jennerbahn Hike

One of those “classic hikes” for me is around the Jennerbahn mountain area. Typically, I would take the ski gondola to the top and hike from there, but today I was craving a work out so took the lift up to the middle of the mountain to climb the remaining 2, 000 feet before lunch.



Walking up the trail I can see the alpine hotel where Kristen and I stayed, in 2003, off in the distance.



The further the trail climbs, the smaller Berchtesgaden gets in the distance, but the main building of the Hauptbahnhof still gives a strong visual impression.



It is funny how I can vastly underestimate the time and effort needed to climb a mountain, even on a well-groomed trail.



On this side of the mountain, the hotel of the previous stay is clearly visible.
(A picture for the big sis’.)



Bavarian families seem to take their hiking together seriously. Here, a Mom and her two young kids have climbed to a steep point and are making their careful retreat.
(If you can, double click on the picture to enlarge it and see how steep the rock is that this young family is descending.)



This is the same rock from another angle… a very adventurous family excursion.



My “no holds barred” approach to Berchtesgaden continues with eating lunch at the summit lodge.



What a great lunch time view!



Yes, Kristen this is the “real deal” the German version of Hungarian Goolash, complete with a slightly sour kick at the end. The ball is a knurdel or one gigantic round noodle.



After lunch, the weather has changed enough to give this para-sailor “second thoughts” about launching. He eventually aborted the attempt.



Armed with a gortex shell I was ready for the shifting weather and got to enjoy the cloud transitions.





I wish we did more of this back in the states. This is a couple out for a “hiking date”, with his father.



Taking the mid-mountain gondola back down the ski slope, the early evening sun really began to hi-light the changing leaf color.



We like to complain about gas prices, but their cost per gallon for the cheapest gas equates to about $4.40.



Continuing the big sister theme of the day, before hiking back to Berchtesgaden from the Konigssee I had to stop by McDonalds for our favorite snack/desert, the original deep-fried apple pie. Yum!



Two days ago, when I walked this route, the mushrooms were obvious but they are down right dominant now.





Knowing that this would be the last evening in Berchtesgaden, I soaked up the Bavarian ambiance of traditional houses and cows.


(Calves too.)


There was even one garden, that had not be pulled for the fall, with incredible flowers. They were huge!







This scene of an O’ma clearing her garden for the coming winter was too classic to pass up.



In spite of it origin, I really like the train station here and it welcomes me back to town.



There is something classic about the architecture and arches.



Perusing the menu for the last time, I noticed something. Anything that is not 100% organic has an asterisk next to the menu item. This literally included anything, even phosphate preservatives. Nearly 80% of the menu was completely organic and delicious. It made me wonder if a restaurant like Chili’s had to list all the artificial ingredients in each meal how many tens of pages the menu would need to expand to accommodate? Hmmmm...

October 9th, 2007 - Berchtesgaden

Kehlsteinhaus

This was scheduled to be a laundry morning, but looking out the window and seeing the beginnings of clearing clouds it was not a difficult decision to change direction and head to Kehlsteinhaus in the morning instead of the afternoon.



What do you get the Fuhrer who has everything, on his 50th birthday? How about his own alpine retreat center in Berchtesgaden? That was the birth of this high altitude restaurant known to American GI’s as the Eagle’s Nest. The tricky part is how do you make an alpine retreat house, that he will actually use, for a man who is claustrophobic and afraid of heights?



First the road may be steep but have as few switchbacks as possible. Line road with stonewalls too high to see over from a standard car. But, the mountain is too tall and steep to drive all the way to the top, so how do you get there? Simple make an elevator. For a claustrophobic? Yep, simply carve an entry tunnel wide enough for a car to drive the fifty meters to the elevator bank.





Then when he gets out of the car, make the anteroom with a high dome ceiling and finally make the elevator large enough to fit thirty people comfortably and polish the brass walls to a mirror finish. No problem. (Tell that to the countless conscripts who died in the construction process.)


(Ceiling view.)




After emerging from the elevator, what remains is a great viewing platform for the Berchtesgaden National Park. On a clear day, the panoramic views include Salzburg to the East, the Konigssee to the West, and Berchtesgaden to the north.





A nice day hike is to head straight South up the spine of Kehlstein, past the cross an up as far as your equilibrium will allow. Today, without hiking boots, I just cruised about ten minutes and returned back down.



Viewing Kehlsteinhaus from above makes you really appreciate the architecture and engineering that went into constructing on the sharp mountains edge.



Inside the building, the views are just as good but safely confined within the strong stone walls.



There are many tables available for lunch inside, ...



... but most guests choose the outer balcony.



Returning to the theme of experiencing missing pieces of the past, I ate lunch on the balcony and enjoyed a leisurely meal of venison goulash.



The scavenging birds here are well educated in a sophisticated palate of pomfrites and anything else that is fried. They wait on signposts for their perfect launch time and swoop in for a snack. I even saw one of these creatures pass up a perfectly good piece of bread to wait for a french fry.



With my lunch at 1834 Meters now complete there was time for one more viewing before returning on the elevator and bus.



Distance and height advantage made the hill, climbed daily, to the Gasthaus seem small in comparison. (The Gasthaus is the largest one in the clearing above town.)



The buses used for this trip are specially geared for the steep climb and descent, requiring a classic engine re-build every other year.



The afternoon was bright and clear, making the Bavarian houses along my climb back to the Gasthaus stand out from their lush green backdrop.



Previously unnoticed details popped out.



I couldn’t put it off any longer, laundry had to be done.
(This place was awesome and even had a laundry lady to help you out!)


Fortunately for me, my favorite dinner location served an incredible lamb dish on a bed of garlic spinach. This meal may just rival the venison in explosive flavor.