May 27: Berchtesgaden National Park

H arranged an awesome day as we visited Berchtesgaden National Park in Southern Germany.

The hike started with a breathtaking boat ride in a spectacular green lake surrounded by mountains.  I was impressed that all boats were electric as the German government demonstrated their commitment to maintaining the beauty of this region.  

Our first stop was at Königssee.  The Königssee is a natural lake in the extreme southeast Berchtesgadener Land district of the German state of Bavaria, near the Austrian border. Because of the crowds, we only spent a few minutes here as we enjoyed the amazing views and took several pics. We had a quick cup of cappuccino, sandwich , and some fruit.  I was able to take a proper poop in a clean, quiet toilet. I felt like a new man.

From here, we took a boat ride to St. Bartholoma where we did the Eiskaplee trek. The easy/moderate trail took us up to a glacier, which was gorgeous.  Unfortunately, the ice cave was blocked by the snow.  As we made the turn and began our descent, snow began to fall from a cliff– what a scary rush!

We had pizza at L’Osteria and had one beer before retiring to bed at 8:30 pm