Friday 2nd October – Winkl, Germany

Last night, we booked a round trip on an electric boat on Konigssee lake. We chose the 11:20 boat and caught the 09:40 bus from the stop on the main road, just a five minute walk away. The good news is that the tourist tax that we had paid entitled us to free bus travel and we just flashed our electronic passes as we boarded.
We arrived at Schonau am Konigssee and walked past the souvenir shops, cafés and restaurants to the lake harbour where the ferries are based. I asked at the booking office about stopping off at the St. Bartholemew Church and she explained that we could do that on the way or the way back and continue the journey on any ferry. She also said that we did not have to wait for the 11:20 ferry, so we were able to take one half an hour earlier.
We were advised to go first to Salet, the furthest stop at the far end of the lake. A guide on the boat gave a very amusing talk about the lake but it was lost to us as it was all in German. However, we stopped at a cliff where there is a very impressive echo and the guide played a tune on a trumpet where each short phrase that he played was repeated by the echo and it sounded really good. I took a video of him playing but, although we could hear the echo, the phone did not pick it up.
It was a very pleasant ride down the lake and, even though the weather was overcast, the views were still good. We saw a barge full of cows being transported to Schonau and afterwards we read that this happens at this time of the year when the cows are taken off the mountains before winter sets in.
Arriving at Salet, we disembarked and walked the short distance to the small lake, Obersee, where the reflections in the mirror-like water were beautiful.
Catching a ferry back, we stopped at St. Bartholemew that was buzzing with people as many only go as far as this rather than going on to Salet. The church is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage destination but the church itself is not very inspiring. The National Park has a couple of buildings that explain how water affects the local environment and we chatted to a couple of the staff about the birds and butterflies in the park.
Returning to Schonau, we walked again past the souvenir shops and were intrigued by many boards with pictures of marmots accompanied by the word ‘Murmeltiersalbe’. Marmots are a large rodent that lives in the mountains here and ‘Murmeltiersalbe’ is a ointment that is produced from the fat of the animal. Apparently, the ointment reduces inflammation but there is no medical proof of its efficacy. Allegedly, the product is only produced from marmots that have been culled to control the population. I think that I am happy to leave the fat with the marmots.
Photos: One of the 19 electric boats passing one of the few unwooded sections of the Konigssee banks; Reflections in Obersee; Konigssee close to Salet; Approaching St. Bartholomew.