Hiking Lake Eibsee, Germany

Todd and the kids went skiing on our first day down in Garmisch.  I'm a native Floridian and to be honest, I just don't like to ski!  I'm not good at it, and no matter how many times I try it, I just can't seem to get into it.  So while they went skiing (and they all love to ski!), I got to go on a hike BY MYSELF around Lake Eibsee!

Lake Eibsee is at the base of the Zugspitze, which is the tallest mountain in Germany.  It's located literally feet away from the Austrian border.  The lake itself is at 3,281 feet above sea level!

In the summer, the water is emerald green in some places.  During the warm months, you can rent boats and swim and fish for carp, bass, pike and other fresh water fish.  But it's equally as beautiful in the winter!  It's a little more than 1.5 miles long, about 2/3 of a mile wide and 107 feet deep at it's deepest point.

The hike itself isn't a difficult one, but it is very long.  The entire route is about 7 kilometers, so plan on several hours here.  It's not a bad idea to have a walking stick or two, also - especially during the winter.  The pathway is compacted down for the most part, but it does get a bit steep as you reach the western part of the lake.  I hit a few slick spots here and there, but nothing too bad.  (Until you get into the sun.... more on that in a minute).  

I relied on a great website called OutdoorActive.com for my hike around Eibsee.  They suggested going counter clockwise around the Lake starting from the Eibsee Hotel parking lot, but I chose to go the other direction.  I'm glad I did because I got to enjoy the beautiful, surprisingly warm afternoon sunshine on the north side.

There are plenty of small lakes that are hydraulically connected to Eibsee.  Eibsee was formed from a massive rock slide approximately 3700 years ago.  The lake is still glacially fed, which is why the colors are so vibrant in the summertime.

Many tall pines grow on steep slopes around Eibsee.

Contrails criss-crossed the incredibly blue sky.

I only took this picture for my kids!  Someone had fun at Eibsee!  (Not me... I didn't have the proper gloves to make this!)

My new snowman friend in the shadows of the Zugspitze.

The Zugspitze makes long shadows this time of year. 

There's plenty of places around the Lake Eibsee trail to stop and take pictures, or even enjoy a few quiet minutes on a bench (bring some snacks and have a little picnic!)  Here I am coming around the west side of the lake, with the northern-facing mountains coming into view.

There's several small trickling streams that form slight waterfalls along the path.  I'm sure these are really nice in the summer.  I really liked turning off the music on my phone for a few minutes and enjoy the quiet.  I've got two kids. I don't get a lot of quiet!

As you come around the north side of Lake Eibsee, you emerge out of the shadow of the Zugspitze.  This means SUN!!!!!

Sun, trees and shadows on the north side of Eibsee.  I'm well over halfway done with my hike at this point.

There's one little spot in particular that provides the most spectacular views of Zugspitze and friends. On this particular day, I was able to grab a seat in the little covered bench and enjoy the amazingly warm sun on my face!  It was so warm, I had to take off my coat!  Of course, the hike itself warmed me up - so my recommendation as always is... layers!

While I was there, a nice lady from Frankfurt sporting a fur coat (!!) sat down next to me and we had a little discussion about the current state of affairs in the world.  We talked Brexit (she wasn't a fan) and Trump (DEFINITELY not a fan) and skiing (she used to ski more often before her career took off) and Italy (it's her favorite) and France (she speaks fluent French and English!) and how she was 70 years old (I would have said she was in her 50s!).  I love meeting people like her in my travels! 

Alas, I couldn't sit and chat with her for very long, since I had to finish my hike and go pick up the family from the slopes.  Here's some more snowman action on the trail!

The lake was frozen, and many people were walking across it or pulling sleds.  My new friend and I agreed - NO THANK YOU. 

I began my hike at the Eibsee Hotel, so you can see here I'm coming around the lake and I'm almost to the finish line!

One last look at the Zugspitze from the bridge between Eibsee and the Untersee.

The Untersee, facing north.

I probably could have stayed a bit longer at Eibsee since the kids wanted to keep skiing after their lessons were over, but I was starving so I went back to the hotel.  Mmmm, hummus and a Warsteiner are a nice post-hike treat! 

Until next time, Eibsee! 

Partnach Gorge

Another Todd guest post here!

The last week of January I went for some work training "way down south" in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.  It is a beautiful ski resort area in southern Bavaria at the base of the Alps.

Here is a view from the hotel where the training was held.  Really stunning views!  Well, after four days of work, it was time to play.  Colleen and the kids were coming down on Friday evening, so I had Friday to myself to explore the area.

I checked into our new hotel for the weekend in the Partenkirchen portion of town and decided to walk to Partnach Gorge.  Above is one of the many walking trails that wind through the town.  

The 1936 Winter Olympics were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.  I walked by the stadium and ski jump area on my way to the gorge.

As I got out of the downtown area, I walked next to the stream that formed the gorge.

The gorge was about 30 minute walk from the Olympic Stadium and costs about €4 to enter.  Once you buy your ticket, you pass through a small tunnel. 

The gorge is 702 meters (2,303 ft) long and in some places more than 80 meters (260 ft) deep.  The gorge was beautiful in the summer, but maybe even more so in the winter.  Something about the snow, ice, water, rocks and shadows combined to make some amazing scenes.  

From the Wikipedia entry about Partnach Gorge: 

The gorge was already being used by local peoples in the 18th century who, at risk of their lives, transported firewood from the Reintal valley on timber rafts to Partenkirchen. 

From the 18th century to the 1960s the river and the gorge were used as a rafting stream. 

In spring the logs, marked with an owner's symbol (Hausmach), were thrown into the stream and carried by meltwaters down the valley. 

The freeing of jammed logs required much daring and men were frequently lost in carrying out this dangerous task.

It was a really beautiful hike.  Fortunately, I could enjoy the natural wonder of the gorge without having to ride logs down the river!

When I came out of the other end of the gorge, I saw a sign pointing up a steep path with a promise of a biergarten at the end.  You had me at biergarten, so off I went.  It was quite a steep climb, but I was rewarded with some beautiful views.

Here I am at the top, still looking for that biergarten.  At first, all I saw was this building under construction.  But, if you look closely, you can see the restaurant behind it.

That's better.  I enjoyed a Pils and mineral water, along with some great views and sunshine, at Das Graseck Wellness and Spa Resort.  After a short break, it was time to return the way I came.

On the way back from the hotel, I went through the Olympic Stadium.

Here you can see some ski jumpers practicing.  

I made it back to our hotel shortly before the rest of the family got there and got to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

Until next time Partnach Gorge!

Cub Scout Clean Up at the Grafenwöhr Water Tower

Todd "Guest Blogging" here!

Grant is in the Cub Scouts, and one Saturday they had a service project to clean up the historic water tower on the base in Grafenwöhr.  As an added bonus, we were given a tour of the water tower before the clean up.  Natalie wanted to see the inside of the tower too.  So, bright and early on a Saturday morning we met up with Grant's Cub Scout Pack.

Here is the outside of the tower on a bright and sunny January morning.

The water tower has several conference rooms and classrooms that can be reserved for various events.  Here we are waiting to get a briefing about the history of the tower.

This is Is Mr. Federline, the Government Relations Advisor for the 7th Army Training Command.  He is very knowledgeable about the history of the tower and the Grafenwöhr area and is a great tour guide!



In 1907, Bavarian Prince Luitpold directed the establishment of a training area at Grafenwöhr. Construction of the Water Tower started two year later and was finished in 1911.  The picture above shows the tower as it looked in 1935.  As you can see, it looks much the same now.  Even today, the tower provides water for large sections of the main post with its 450 cubic meter water tank. The 43.5 meter (approx. 142 feet) high, half-timbered-style tower with its bays, stair tower and the canon silhouette on top quickly became the landmark of the training area and the city. It was pure luck that it survived the bombardment of April 1945 unharmed, although bombs fell all around it.

Natalie and Grant standing at a door overlooking part of the Tower Barracks grounds.  Hitler used this doorway to address German troops back when this was a Nazi military training facility.

Up, up we went!  Watch your head!

Here is a view from the top floor of the tower looking out the East facing window.

Here is another view looking out the same window, but turning to look to the South.

Finally, a view from the top looking North towards the town of Grafenwöhr.

Well, after a tour of tower, it was time for the work to begin!  In the warmer months, thousands of flies get stuck in the tower and then die.  They are everywhere.  Enter Cub Scouts (and one a brave sister) to come to the rescue.

Sibling teamwork cleaning up the bugs.

Grant giving one last sweep of the floor in one of the tower's rooms.

It was a good morning that combined history, cool views and community service.  Time to go home and clean up!  But not before one last view from the base of the tower.

Tchuss!

German Dishwashers and the Importance of SALT!

I've had this large box of Spezial Salz in my pantry for a while.  I've long known that I needed to use salt in the dishwasher because the water is so incredibly hard here in Germany, that the calcium build up happens very quickly.  You notice it everywhere.  On the shower heads, in the sink, and even on your face and in your hair.  I've had constant break outs on my face since we moved here.

Oh Spezial Salz... why can't I put you in my shower head!?  (Note:  You can purchase shower head filters on the internet and have them shipped over here. Make sure you know whether you need to purchase a wall mounted filtered shower head or a hand held one.  Trust me. I'm speaking from experience on this one.)

It's particularly important to make sure that your dishwasher has this special salt formula so that you don't get a terrible build up on your dishes and glasses, and you want to ensure that your dishwasher continues to run properly!  But WHERE do you put this stuff?  I wasn't sure if it went in with the dishwasher soap or some other spot.  It turns out it goes in that circular looking object on the left side of the above picture (the one that looks like it has small spikes around it).  You just untwist it, pour nearly an ENTIRE box of Spezial Salz in there, and recap it. When you pour it in, there will likely be a lot of water already in there, but that's ok.  Just keep pouring!  It should be done about every 6 months.  Now that I had that in, I needed to check the filter.  (That is located where the circle of water is in the middle of the photo above).

Ewwww.  That's nasty.

The filter was absolutely covered in calcium deposits.  In order to get rid of this, I washed off (and picked off) the larger chunks with my hand in the sink.  Also notice in the picture above you can even see a white film on my sink (near the drain).  Even the smallest amount of water leaves a residue over here.

Then I put it in a mixture of vinegar and water for several hours.  After a good soaking, I took a toothbrush to it.  It doesn't clean the whole thing up perfectly, but it's certainly better than it was before.  The moral of the story is... don't forget to periodically check your salt levels in your dishwasher and add salt as necessary to keep your dishwasher running smoothly and to keep those dishes and glasses looking clean!