30 July – 6 August 2012
We both like Munich. It’s a liveable city with green and parks everywhere, good public transport and enough restaurants with non-sausage-based food to keep us both happy. However, We are both keen to get out of the city and back to the mountains.
During my 2008 cycle tour I loved the German town of Mittenwald, and the Leutasch Valley next to it. This week we are retracing my route to those towns and staying at a hotel in the Leutasch Valley that I liked four years ago. Thanks to the euro crisis though things are cheaper and less crowded, so we get a room this time.
Looking down from Mt Karwendel
Our arrival in Mittenwald is heralded by the spectacular view of Mt Karwendel. The peak towers a full kilometre above the town, and the mountain faces off to the town with inconceivable cliffs of insanity. It’s a majestic peak visible from everywhere in the township and it sings a siren song to all to come and climb it. I did the cliffs of insanity the last time, so this time we take the cable car and only climb the last 100m.
Early morning mountain biking / Hintere Schwarzenwald, Austria
One morning I left Keiko to a late morning sleep-in while I tackle a 60km mountain bike trail in a temporary fit of enthusiasm. My plan was to enjoy a serene ride through a beautiful valley on a completely inappropriate rental chariot. I was to enjoy a late breakfast latte at the balcony of a hiking lodge at the end of a long climb up to a high ridge. I would finish it all before the end of breakfast at our hotel. So, at the crack of dawn, I get up with significantly less enthusiasm than when I set the alarm and chug off into the cold, scaring a fox and some rabbits with the chatter of my teeth.
Looking down the Leutasch Valley from Mittenwald, Germany
Many hours later, already well past the time I had planned to complete my caffeination and start the return, I finally arrive at the bottom of the major hill. I can almost smell the coffee wafting down from the lodge above me, but due to the lack of time before breakfast finishes at the hotel, I turn around return home immediately. The way back has a bright sun, light drifting mist and singing birds which are enjoyable, but despite pushing hard, I still miss breakfast; and begin the dreaded decaffeinated day.
Schlosse Lindhof, Germany
We camp one night at the Plansee, a lake on the border of Germany and Austria. This cold mountain lake with poor visibility, few fish, and a lonely little 12m sailboat sunk in a few metres of water is popular for scuba diving. These people are obviously desperate for water to dive in. I expect that some of them practice in their bathtub.
Morning hike / Plansee, Austria
The mountains surrounding the Plansee are standard German issue, i.e. frickin huge. I know that Keiko won’t feel like climbing any of them, but since I feel frisky, a quick run to the top of a mountain will burn off some of the excess energy. The run starts fine, and continues well even after I lose the trail and find myself perched more than halfway up a vertical waterfall staring at a salamander.
Keiko at the top of Germany on the Zugspitze
Where it goes wrong is on the way down where I find that the trail that I thought I had been following was actually just an animal trail. It must have been made by lemmings though as I burst from low scrub to find myself staring over the edge of a serious cliff with no possible descent. To cut a long story short: dismay, retrace steps, fall down scrubby mountain, dismay, slide and fall a few more times, quiet resignation, find trail, lose trail, find trail again, finally return to camp for breakfast.
Golf course with decent views
Many other interesting things happened this week. I like the mountains in Germany.
