I am sitting outside the St. Bartholomä church, facing the vast and glistening lake of Königssee. The fleeting mist rising from the turquoise blue waters caress my face as though wiping out all the tiredness that set in from hiking across Mt. Watzmann – the imposing eastern wall of Lake Königssee, splitting German and Austrian territories. As I glance at my own reflection in the crystal-clear water, I notice the gigantic mountain having a peek of its own. ‘Hey! let’s go, it’s time to catch the last boat’, shouted Shiva from a distance. I awakened from my momentary trance to the incessant rattle of tourists but somehow felt glad to have greeted the mountain and its gorgeous lake up close and in person.
After reading through numerous blogs on things to do in Königssee, Shiva and I were glad that someone else could make the decision for us. A French colleague of his, to our coincidence, was planning a hike around Königssee and we were more than glad to tag along. Little did we know that the experience would completely change our way of visiting such marvellous natural wonders.
A lot of times we have both been asked about the kind of joy that hiking brings to us. Aside from the stunning views and the summit thrills, it’s about the calmness and serenity that such journeys let you feel. It’s about becoming aware of our elemental senses that are often lost in the chaotic urban life. The sense of smelling wild alpine flowers, touching the tender pine cones, sighting Eurasian red squirrels or hearing birds chirp their way through wind gusts always tend to occupy permanent spots in our hearts. And it so happens that more often than not we end up exploring these beautiful lakes through hikes.
Königssee is considered as one of the cleanest lakes in Germany. The journey to the lake by public transit takes about three and a half hours from the city of Munich. Most people prefer to take the electric boat from Schönau am Königssee (the town north of the lake) to reach St. Bartholomä church and hang around the area before taking a second boat towards Obersee lake, a smaller offspring to the south. We however, opted to hike up Mt. Watzmann only to witness the most breathtaking bird’s eye view of the lake. One that exposes the different shades of blue: turquoise where the water is deep and minty green at its shallows. One that lets you trace its edges; bulging on both ends and narrowing at the church in the middle. One from which you can count the many boats sailing across ever so smoothly. One that captures the grandiose of the surrounding peaks and the fleeting clouds up above, each casting their shadows on the lake.
We were filled with a mix of excitement and curiosity upon hearing Jérémie’s (the French colleague of Shiva in his early 20’s) plans to trek the Himalayas in the coming year. Although naturally shy and a non-native English speaker, Jérémie expressed himself through small gestures and a big smile. His warm demeanor was in itself a language, more than the spoken tongue. Our conversations on the hike ranged from sharing about movies/documentaries on trekking the Himalayas to our mutual interest for sustainable architecture and travel. We also learnt about his job application to a small architecture firm in Uttarakhand that practices sustainable building methods. Impressed by his will to chase his passion at such a young age, we realised how collisions can occur across the globe when interests match, irrespective of the scale of the organisation. And let’s not forget; the pulling power of the Himalayas.
Hours after we started the hike, we were physically exhausted and eager to rest. The long and rocky trail led to eagerness to sight the lake, leaving us wearied. Right in that moment, we stumbled upon a wooden bench overlooking the highest peak of the Watzmann family. With swift decisiveness, we dropped our bags to the ground and sank onto the bench, savouring each deep breath, all the while marvelling at the ethereal beauty of the snow-kissed Alps all around. Each hike has its own little moments of bliss and this halt at an altitude of 1500m was certainly one, as each of us surrendered to the sounds of leaves rustling and birds chirping. And as the alpine flowers swayed in graceful rhythm with the winds, our hearts were full and dancing along to the symphony.
After a few steps and some tricky manoeuvres around boulders, we spotted the blue hue we were after, gleaming through the trees, lighting up our faces with joy and delight.
As we descended, the crimson red onion-domes of St. Bartholomä grew increasingly luminous. The soundless EV boats seemed like white ants on the move. With our gazes affixed to the enchanting beauty of Königssee, we steadily moved forward. At times, we held onto the steel cables anchored to the boulders while other moments found us descending on wooden logs secured to the steep rocks.
However, in a short while, our excitement knew no bounds as we stood by the shores of Königssee. The steady and mild waves tumbling over our bare feet washed away all the exhaustion. As we splashed the cold water on our faces, we took a moment to recount the entire experience we just had. We gradually recognised how different the world appeared from below. The tranquility of the place was raided by the cacophony of the tourists, their voices almost echoing from one end of the valley to the other. The rustling of snack wrappers and the crinkling of plastic bottles tainted the otherwise pristine atmosphere. Trying to ignore this disarray, we hurried to the ticket counter, eager to take our return boat journey.
Seated upon a wooden bench, caught amidst the chaotic activities around the church, my attention drifted to the tiny fishes darting through the shore’s waters. And as I glanced at my own reflection in the crystal-clear water, I noticed the gigantic mountain having a peek of its own. ‘Hey let’s go, it’s our time to catch the last boat!’
Barriers and Borders
Hi ! We’re Forum and Shiva, two intrepid souls united by our shared love for TRAVEL and SUSTAINABILITY. We met as architectural colleagues and we both spent some years exploring sustainable and socially responsible architecture. Our mutual fascination for vernacular architecture, traditional communities, and the curiosity to witness the natural world.. all led us to build this little nest: Barriers and Borders.
Our mission is simple – to bring you meaningful stories from the small or the big journeys that we make which could allow you to see the world differently. To let you join our journeys through our words.. to touch upon those little details that maybe get missed.. and above all to attempt to give back to the places we are privileged to visit in this lifetime.
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That’s a beautiful Trek and love all the pictures…
Thank you Akash 🙂 It was indeed magical to see this lake from a height. Reminded us of our Roopkund trek.
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