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Rossfeld, Eagle's nest and the Berchtesgaden National Park
After the Ammergau Alps, our journey took us some 350km due east (including a detour to Munich due to a closed road) to the Berchtesgaden Valley, pretty much along the German/Austrian border. This picturesque alpine region in the Bavarian Alps is part of the broader Berchtesgaden National Park in southeastern Germany.
The reason for choosing this location was to take in some more Alpine scenery and to visit the Eagle's Nest (Kehlsteinhaus) which is a building situated atop the Kehlstein, a rocky promontory above Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden. Completed in 1938, it was commissioned by the Nazi Party for official and social functions and was visited by Adolf Hitler on at least fourteen documented occasions. Now it is a prime tourist location attracting 250-300 thousand visitors over each summer season.
Following a week of hot sunny days, the weather turned to rain for some of this visit - and was apparently the same across most of Europe. With a little help from Google AI however we constructed a plan which fitted the best of the weather, taking in the Eagle's nest, a scenic Alpine drive, a bus trip to Salzburg (60 minutes away across the Austrian border) and a boat trip on the Königssee. The gallery is here.
Salzburg
For a trip to southern Germany, it may seem odd to include a day-visit to Salzburg (Austria) but the borders in this part of the world are open and transport links connect various destinations in both countries, including Salzburg. In fact, visitors to Shonau am Konigsee (our destination in Germany) are provided with a guest card which gives free local transport (including rail transport to Salzberg) or to the border by bus. A further payment of 7 Euros enables a return bus journey all the way: a round trip of 60km.
With the assistance of AI, the main sights of Salzburg are relatively easy to see in one day. They include:
Much is made of the city being the setting for the Sound of Music with tourists wanting to see the iconic locations such as Mirabell gardens (where the 'do-Re-Mi' song was performed) for themselves and of being Mozart's birthplace with the composer lending his name to a variety of goods from chocolates (the round marzipan balls) and fashion to (of course) music. And in May, there were a lot of tourists, many doing the traditional group tour led by a loud guide carrying an umbrella. On this particular occasion, the umbrella was needed as it poured - not unusually for Salzburg we understood from a waiter. The gallery is here.
Königssee
Our accommodation location is called Schonau am Königssee and indeed, nestled in the Berchtesgaden National Park, Königssee is famous for its emerald-green alpine water, dramatic fjord-like cliffs, and pristine environment. In fact, we were surprised to find that outside of our village location the lake boasts a very significant tourist centre offering lake boat rides, a fairly large number of tourist shops and restaurants, a cable car and a permanent artificial ice track for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton (whatever that is!)
The lake itself is enclosed on all but one side by high mountains. It spans 8 kilometers in length, 1.2 kilometers in width, and reaches a maximum depth of 190 meters - reputedly Germany's deepest lake. At the far end (Salet) there is a waterfall considered to be Germany's highest. The lake was carved out by massive glaciers during the last ice age and since 1909, only electric-powered boats, rowing boats, and pedal boats are permitted to preserve water quality.
Having decided to stay in the area, we were determined to see the lake but the weather forecast on our designated day was cloudy in the morning with thunderstorms in the afternoon. There are 2 possible tickets: one to Salet at the end of the lake and one to a location with an isolated church (St. Bartholomew) about 2/3 of the way (35 minutes). At €29 to Salet return, the tickets are not cheap, so given the weather forecast we opted for an early start to St. Bartholomew only.
On the morning at 7am, the entire valley was shrouded in cloud/fog but by 8am, it started to clear and in fact it turned into a bright sunny day with no rain or thunderstorms in sight. Whilst it is another tourist machine, the pictures of the lake were worth it and can be seen here. Included in this gallery and some images from the nearby villages of Schonau and Ramsau with its picturesque church.