Wittlesbach Heights

Blair's 42nd birthday started with a breakfast surprise from the Hotel:  Stevie Wonders' 'Happy Birthday' and a home baked birthday sponge (which I can't take the credit for!).



After breakfast we headed off for our chosen walk. It was much cooler (17 degrees) with some low cloud skirting the tops of the hills. Along the path from Rhupolding there were various signs depicting, what appeared to be, local fables and we passed a quaint dwelling which had no explanation on what it was but looked like a little 'Hansel and Gretel' house!



Out of Rhupolding we immediately climbed up past the Brandler Alm (one of many local hill farms offering refreshment) to reach Wittlesbacher Höhe which offered a lovely view point of Rhupolding through the clearing.



We carried on up following the signs to Rabenmoos Alm with this path being a lovely woodland path rather than the forest track.  The path was very atmospheric, given the low cloud, and we encountered two giant snails and a little salamander which was very well camouflaged on the forest floor.





At Rabermoos Alm (around 990m) we were greeted by some tinkling cow bells from the common cattle here (Fleckvieh; which we discovered are dual purpose - milk and meat) and from there we followed a path to Rhupolding, eventually rejoining the path at Wittlesbacher Höhe and steeply descending back to where we started.  8.6 miles/3.5 hours.



Once showered and changed we headed for a late lunch to the Schubeck (a well known Bavarian bakery offering a huge assortment of breads and cakes).  We spoiled ourselves with a gigantic piece of cake for Blair's birthday and then headed back for an afternoon of relaxation.

Munich with visit to Dachau

We got up early again to catch the 8:17 train to Traunstein and then on to Munich, arriving at 10:22.  We had made some plans for what we would want to do in Munich and had done some research the day before on trips to Dachau concentration camp.  We had wanted to do a 'war related' tour to learn more of the German perspective and so we bought our tickets early on for a tour (in English) starting at 1:15.

We had a couple of hours spare which meant we couldn't do much else - like visit the many museums and galleries or churches. We did stop at the Rathaus (Town Hall) and wait for the 11am show of the famous chiming clock - where mechanical figures in the clock enact a joust and perform the Dance of the Coopers (a carnival dance celebrating the coopers who make the barrels for the beer).  The display lasted about 15 minutes and received a round of applause from the audience below.

It was a public holiday in Munich, unbeknown to us, which actually meant the city was not as busy as it would normally have been (and I was happy about that!).  We stopped for a packed lunch (provided by the Hotel) in a local park - unfortunately we didn't have time to visit the English Garden before heading back to meet the Tour Guide.

The visit out to Dachau started with a train and then bus journey with the area around Dachau being built up with housing and businesses - before and during the war the area being open fields.  Our American guide walked us through the entry gates saying 'Work will make you free' (obviously in German) which, our Guide advised, was a lie as the prisoners were expected to be worked to death.  He said that this was set up as a prison in 1933 by Himmler for mainly political prisoners at the time before developing into something a whole lot more sinister.



Prisoners included Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, disgraced armed forces personnel, people classed as asocial (homeless), disabled and hardened criminals each depicted by a different coloured triangle with some with a coloured stripe above the triangle if they have been in the camp before or had escaped previously and been recaptured.

As the ideologies of Hitler developed, people were brutally murdered and cremated and, because of a coal shortage, buried in mass graves.  We were shown where the prisoners were brought in and stripped naked before being washed and then given striped clothing.  We were shown replica bunk houses where the men slept (women and children were taken elsewhere) and shown the communal eating and toilet areas.  Eric, our Guide, described the punishments that were meted out which included whipping with a bull whip for 25 strokes and the victim needing to count to 25 in German while this was happening - and if they couldn't count to 25 they would get another 25 strokes.  Other punishment included hanging from a pole to dislocate your shoulders and the guards would sometimes push or kick the prisoners to increase the pain.

We saw the tower were armed guards would shoot to kill if anyone veered off the main path and I couldn't help but think of the poor souls who would veer off the path for a quick (and relatively painless death) - they're situation becoming increasingly hopeless.

As the camp developed into an extermination camp, the gas chambers were built and we walked through what, to me, was an assembly line of rooms: prisoners coming in one door being told to strip naked as they were going for a 'shower', then into the next room (where they were gassed) and then into another room where their bodies were piled awaiting cremation in the last room.  Eric told us that this building was built by prisoners who were Catholic Priests using brick from bombed buildings in Munich.

On the site there are memorials built by various religious groups; the Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Catholic church and the Russian's (in memory of 4000 Russian prisoners of war who were assassinated by the Nazi's close to the camp).  There is also a memorial in the shape of twisted bodies which was depicting that happened to prisoners who tried to escape over the high voltage electric fence.

It seemed crass to take photographs of the site but it is an incredible place.  The site is immense in size:  Eric told us that the site was built to manage about 5000 prisoners but had about 60,000 - you could only imagine the misery, deprivation and disease these poor people felt.

The tour lasted about 5 hours and we ended our trip to Munich with a lovely meal in a restaurant called 'Salt' before getting the train back home - at one point we thought we had boarded the wrong train (which would have been interesting!) but we made it home safe and sound and ready for bed.

Maria Eck to Rhupolding circuit

We got up earlier than usual in time to catch the 8:17 train to Eisenarzt (a 6 minute journey north).  This wasn't a route that was on any recommendation list so we weren't too sure what to expect from it but we could tell it was in forestry (as most walks seem to be around here).

The walk began with an immediate climb into the woods and we continued to climb until we reached Maria Eck Kloster (now a restaurant though there were other buildings which indicated that a monastery might still exist).  As is the case with most buildings in the area, the display of flowers is very eye-catching and you can't help approaching them for a sniff - sometimes there is a scent and sometimes not!



The path was typical of what we have experienced so far:  wide and gritty; and it was a very quiet walk, we encountered only a few cyclists as they whizzed past us going downhill.  Through a clearing in the trees we could see the cable car station to Hochfellan (5492ft/1674m).  We left the path at one point and meandered through the woods on a more natural woodland path - this path being very short.  As we cleared the woods we met an Austrian couple who attempted to speak to us and we couldn't remember the German for 'I don't speak German' which was a bit embarrassing and we floundered a bit not able to answer them.



The path back to Rhupolding came out at the Steinberg Alm and through the haze of the morning sunshine we had a good view down the valley.  The journey back was now on a steeply declining tarmac road which was quite punishing on the legs and hips!

As we entered Rhupolding we spotted St Georges Church which sits on the hill just above our hotel.  The frescoes in the church are enchanting and there is a lot of gilt.  By the door there was a very sorry figure of the devil being squashed by what looked like a cauldron - not being religious myself I don't know what it was but you could certainly tell what it symbolised.





Walk:  9.3 miles/3.5 hours.

Lake Chiemsee

We had booked a tour to Lake Chiemsee, known as the Bavarian Sea (formed 15-20,000 years ago and covering an area of 80km squared). It took us about 45 minutes by bus to reach the lake and I was surprised that it skirted the main motorway, as I'd imagined it to be an idyllic and remote wilderness.



It was a glorious day and there were many boats on the water already.  We had been told that the water was very clear and unpolluted and it was - a lovely tropical green colour.  Our tour included a ferry trip to Fraueninsel (the female Island) and Herreninsel (the male Island and home to King Ludwig II's palace).

On the recommendation of the tour company we stopped off at Fraueninsel first (approx 25 minute ferry journey from the mainland).  The Island is home to arts and crafts people and I would say approximately 50 houses.  The properties were immaculate and the residents are obviously used to keeping up a certain standard.



We stopped for lunch and had some home-brewed beer and then visited St Michael's Chapel and local art gallery - the Chapel boasting some of the oldest frescoes found in Bavaria (dating 860/865 AD).

We then boarded the ferry to Herreninsel and bought our tickets to see the Palace.  The building of the palace started in 1878 and was intended as a monument to monarchy as opposed to a practical residence and was designed to 'copy' the Palace of Versailles.  Unfortunately, we hadn't left ourselves much time so this visit was a bit rushed.  The palace and gardens were very ostentatious and the tour included a visit to 6 or 7 rooms, ending with the bathroom (the bath being nothing less than an indoor swimming pool).  Every surface of every room was either covered in painting, gilt, marble or porcelain.  King Ludwig II died in suspicious circumstances at the age of 42 in 1886 (the Palace remained unfinished) and I couldn't help but guess the Government of the time got rid of him as he was bankrupting the country with his frivolities and expensive taste in architecture (he only visited the palace during the months of September and October).



After an hour we boarded the ferry back to the mainland and enjoyed a cold malt beer before getting the tour bus back to Rhupolding.  Lake Chiemsee was an impressive lake and you could see why it draws a lot of visitors - for me it was a bit too busy and 'touristy'.

We were pretty tired by the time we got back but after dinner we went down to the local bar (the Stachus Bar) for a quiz night with the Thomson's rep.  We joined a couple we had met (who were from Glenrothes) and we had a good laugh guessing at most of the answers but we came 2nd (out of 3 teams!).

The Staubfall Waterfall

We hopped on a (free) bus to Laubau about 3 miles north of Rhupolding and got off at the Wood Cutters Museum, which we would visit later.  It was another glorious day; from arrival in Rhupolding on 8th August we have been spoiled by the hot and sunny weather.

The first 5 miles was flat, straight track once again following a nearly dry river bed.  This walk was suggested as a hike and bike but we decided just to hike.

Through shaded tracks, we eventually we reached the bridge where we would cross to start weaving our way up the hillside to reach the waterfall and, as we climbed, the views were stunning as we looked down into pools of clear water (which looked so enticing in the heat).

The trees offered some good shade as we carried on up and just before we reached the waterfall itself we crossed the border into Austria!

The Staubfall was where smugglers used to take goods into Austria and it must have been quite treacherous for them back then - the paths are good now but some of the drops down were pretty scary if you had a fear of heights or you missed your footing.

The sight of the waterfall itself made the long drag of the initial walk worthwhile.  We feared it might be dry given the rivers were so dry but we weren't disappointed.  Water cascaded down and to carry on the walk we had to cross a bridge behind it; as we did so you were refreshed by the spray.

On the other side we came out into a lush field of grazing cattle and we stopped for lunch by the river before heading back the way we came.

Before catching the bus back to Rhupolding we stopped off at the Wood Cutters Museum.  In 1980, the original wood cutters huts were uplifted and deposited in the grounds of the museum.  They were impressive huts, some much largers than others.  You would think they would be reasonably warm in the winter, some of them having large stoves and communal seating/sleeping areas.  You would certainly need to have got on with your workmates!



After an hour at the museum we caught the bus back to Rhupolding.  Walk:  12.5 miles/4 hours

The Zinnkopf Circuit, via Hammer

We hired a couple of mountain bikes for our first cycle and set off around 9.45am to take a recommended bike route:  the Zinnkopf circuit - Zinnkopf being the peak at 1227m/4000ft - described in the guide as 'easy' but with long inclines/descents.



Immediately after leaving Rhupolding we were climbing and zigzagging on good roads and we passed a small hamlet called Vordermiesbach with lovely houses lush with hanging baskets (a very common site around here). We stopped for a break and looked back on the view of open, lush pasture.

Mounting our bikes again, we soon left the tarmac road with the path turning into a forest track.  The track was rather gritty and stony and made for a few skids on the bike as we were going downhill.

We were soon in the forest which offered some welcome shade and the path continued to undulate, though we were mainly climbing!  We got to the point on the route which told us to follow the signs for Hammer but we decided to ignore that and carry on climbing to the point where we could leave the bikes and take the short (but steep) climb to the peak.  The peak itself didn't offer any views but we got a good view down to the valley where there was a break in the trees and there was a welcome seating area for us to rest our legs.  The top was also marked by an impressive Jesus on the Cross which was certainly different from the piles of stones we get in Scotland.

Soon we walked back down, collected the bikes and carried on down (very sharply in parts) to the point in the route which put us back on track.  The route continued to undulate with very steep drops and long inclines and at one point we thought we were lost as the signs disappeared and by this time we were hungry and tired and running out of water fast.

Thankfully we weren't lost (thanks to Blair's good sense of direction) and we eventually cleared the forest and descended down into Rhupolding with our final stretch skirting the immaculately maintained golf course. All in, we were cycling/hiking for about 6 hours covering 23.5 miles.

We ended the day at the Raffner Alm, a Bavarian Hut offering traditional food, beer, song and dance.  We obviously couldn't understand a word but it was jolly and we got into the spirit of it - a few cold, dark and frothy beers helped of course!

Farmer's Walk - Rhupolding, Bavaria

Following a relaxing first day, we kicked off our holiday with a Thomsons guided walk called the Farmer's Walk, which picked us up at the bus station and dropped us at Lake Weitsee about 10 miles out.  There was approximately 15 of us on the walk of varying abilities but we were able to go at our own pace most of the time, stopping every 15 minutes for the more slower members to catch up and take a water break.

We followed a well made path through Rothelmoos, which we were told was a nature reserve, and we then came out onto some common grazing ground where there were approximately 100 cattle - some with their cow bells clunking.

We went onwards to our first destination - the Dandl Alm - where we were stopping for lunch.  We were served a lovely meat and cheese platter and selected our drinks from a trough which was full of bottles of various beverage.

The views on the walk to this stage were inspiring - with sheer cliff on one side dropping down to crystal clear water and there were many paths snaking off to various different routes that we thought we might try another day.

After lunch we carried on with the walk to reach Fairy Tale Woods and we were told that the woods were created by a significant landslip 700 years ago and the trees have grown around, and on top off,  the massive boulders deposited by the slip.  It was early on in the woods I spotted a grass snake which had just eaten dinner and it put one or two people off venturing further in!  There were butterflies and dragonflies but surprisingly no birds.

The 8 miles walk took the group about 5 hours to complete - relatively slow by our standards but enjoyable none the less and a good introduction to the scenes of the area and to the other holiday makers.