Tegernsee and Cheimmsee are two of Bavaria's most beautiful and popular lakes. We had the good fortune to be able to visit both when we were in the region.
The Tegernsee is a lake in the center of a popular recreation area 50 kilometers southeast of Munich. Some of the popular resort towns on this picturesque lake include Tegernsee (where we stayed), as well as Bad Wiessee, Kreuth, Gmund, and Rottach-Egern. The views are breathtaking and there are many things to do around the lake.
Chiemsee is another beautiful lake, befitting of royalty, also in Bavaria. The lake’s largest island, Herreninsel, or Men’s Island, is filled with serene nature trails. It is also home to the unfinished Herrenchiemsee Palace, built by King Ludwig II and today housing the King Ludwig II Museum. The 8th-century Benedictine convent Frauenwörth, with its Gothic bell tower, is on the smaller Fraueninsel, or Women’s Island. The third island is uninhabited.
Please join us as we explore these two magnificent lakes and unwittingly attend one rowdy German semi-final football (soccer) at a Tegernsee Biergarten.
We were happy to arrive in Tegernsee after our long day of walking around Lake Eibsee, near Garmish (7.5 km), and many hours of driving with multiple stops, en route. When we arrived at our hotel we were taken by the stunning views of the lake from our room. We were exhausted from the long day so we skipped dinner and instead settled for a bag of mediocre German tortilla chips that we had in the car.
We were up early the next morning to partake in the bountiful breakfast buffet that was included in our stay. We drove to Wallberg Mountain for our first (of many) cable car rides of the trip. After missing out on Zugspitze the day before, due to inclement weather, we were excited! The Wallberg has made history as the starting point for large-distance flights of paragliders and hang-gliders, of which we saw many that day. Additionally, the Wallberg toboggan run is Germany's longest winter toboggan run.
After spending time at the peak, which is 1722 meters (5650 ft), enjoying magnificent views of Lake Tegernsee, and doing some hiking, we took the cable car back down. In the afternoon, we spent time on the lake itself, taking a scenic boat cruise and later swimming in the lake toward the end of the day to cool off, since it was another hot day. The lake temperature was cool, as would be expected, so I sat lakeside on a rather uncomfortable rocky beach and tried to read my book while the kids braved the frigid waters of the lake and had a marvelous time doing so.
That evening, Catherine, Graham, Miles and I innocently headed out to a local Biergarten for dinner, only to find it mobbed with hundreds of fanatical German soccer fans (which seems to be about 90% of the population from our estimates). After looking around for a while, we were finally able to grab a few seats at a shared table (that's the way beer gardens work). Germany was playing Spain in the UEFA 2024 semi-finals, so tensions were high. I was lucky enough to have my camera on when Germany scored the only point in this 2-1 game that went overtime (Germany ultimately lost, which was crushing to the citizens of Tegernsee, all of whom seemed to be at this beer garden to watch the game on strategically placed big screen TVs). You have to see this!
After departing Tegernsee the next day (sadly), en route to Berchtesgaden, we spent the day at Lake Cheimsee. We nearly missed our timed entry tour of the Herrenchiemsee Palace and had to run from the boat landing to the palace in the heat, with only seconds to spare. But it was well worth the sprint. We have greatly enjoyed seeing all of Mad King Ludwig and his wealthy family's palaces.
The day turned out to be hot with little breeze, even on the boat ride back from the islands. We arrived back at our car, which must have reached 140 degrees inside, to find no relief from the heat. However, once we were on the road and got the AC running we felt much better. Everyone's irritability quotient seemed to drop precipitously as well.
After a long (and hot day) we made our way to Berchtesgaden, Germany, where we would spend two nights and continue our adventures. The kids loved our room (with a second-story loft for two). I enjoyed my cold German beer and we all devoured the refreshing sundaes we had for dessert.
Remembering Fitzy...
This photo was taken of Fitzy and Miles in May 2020, just two months into the Covid lockdown. Those were some tough times for most of us, but not for Fitzy. Like all pets, he reaped the benefits of having his family with him 24/7. But we too reaped the benefits of his wonderful company, love, and good humor during those dark days.
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