Garmisch-Partenkirchen & Zugspitze II

Todays target: Zugspitze!


Yesterday we tried to figure out which one of the mountains was Zugspitze, the highest point in Germany. Today we decided to be sure to see it and after an enormous breakfast (again!) we made plans to drive to Eibsee, where it is said to be the best view of Zugspitze.



Eibsee is a mountain lake about 9 km southwest from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The lake is over 3 km long, about 560 meters wide and in average 12 meters deep. At deepest it is 35,4 meters! The water is clear and has a beautiful light blue color. There are a few small islands in the lake, that look like the coral islands in the Caribbean Sea! I think it is the limestone that dyes the clear water white around the islands. With the mountains in the back the view is just simply magnificent!


We were blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather! No rain, no clouds, just beautiful sunshine!! Perfect weather to see the famous mountain top.


Zugspitze is the hightest mountain peak in Germany reaching 2962m height. It is a border mountain between Germany and Austria and it lies between the districts of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany) and Reutte (Austria). The first ascent to the summit was recorded in 1820 but there is evidence that local people had conquered the peak over 50 years earlier. Nevertheless, ever since the first recorded climb the summit has been visited by people of different nationalities. Today the peak is regularly crowded with tourists and there are different possibilities to reach the top.



There are various hiking and ski trails one can follow to the top. From base to top it takes one to two days. For those who are not interested in reaching the top on their own power, there are two possibilities: cog railway (Zugspitzebahn) or cable car. Zugspitzebahn leaves from Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the cable car leaves from Eibsee. There is also a cable car connection from Austrian side to the top.



Even though above mentioned possibilities sounded facinating, we decided to stay at the lake and enjoy the view of the peak from there. The plan was to walk around the lake. But first, we HAD to swim in the mountain lake Eibsee!!


All finns jumped into the lake! The water was crystal clear, calm and felt warm. Later we heard it was only 15 degrees! We swam quite a long time because the water didn't feel cold. Air on the other hand felt much warmer after swimming in the lake! We all agreed a dip into a lake was a very refreshing experience. And after that we were ready to hike around the lake.



The trail around Eibsee is very easy to hike but it sure has the best Zugspitze viewing places!! We walked near 3 hours around this beautiful lake with a panoramic view all the time. A couple of times we sat down to amaze the mountain region or to have a picnic on the shore. At times we enjoyed the sights and nature in silence - partly because we had no German words to describe the beauty in front of our eyes!



We ended our perfect day with a perfect evening. We had a Finnish sauna in our Gästehaus in Oberau!! It felt sooooo good to lie down in Sauna and let the warm air relax every muscle in my body. For a moment I felt like at home.


And a sauna wouldn't be perfect without a sauna drink! A bottle of beautiful red wine made sure the pleasure was perfect in every way!!

---

---