The Top of Germany
The Zugspitze is 2,962 m (9,718 ft) above sea level, the highest mountain in Germany. On Friday, June 20, the first day of summer, Gail and I visited this magnificent sight. First we took a train from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Grainau. Then we transferred to another train to Eibsee. Along the way, we saw houses like this one:
Eibsee has a gorgeous lake (photo below taken from inside a cable car).
We took a cable car to the summit
Zugspitze is shared by Austria and Germany. Here I stand at the border of these two lands.
Here we are on the German side:
The view of Lake Eibsee from the Zugspitze
A panorama of some of the mountain peaks we saw. On a clear day, you can see peaks from Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland.
Gail and the Mountain Goat:
There were patches of snow here and there
A few intrepid hikers walking up instead of taking the cable car. As the day wore on, the number of hikers increased (as you will see).
The actual summit of the Zugspitze. There’s a shortcut from the viewing complex at the top, but it’s stĂll a challenging climb. The really cool thing is that almost anyone (like us) can get close to the summit. A few years ago, we could have been among those that actually reached the summit.
As you can see, there’s a crowd of people waiting for a chance to reach the peak.
A rare site: the summit marker without people.
Unlike most people who reach the summit, the guy on the right actually climbed a great distance to reach the top.
We got to Zugspitze early but the clouds started to roll in before 11.
From a museum on the Austrian side, I could look over the mountains. Note the glass panels beneath my feet. Gail chose the non-see-through floor. 🙂
We are by a marker on the Austrian side
We took another (shorter) cable car ride down to Plateau Zugspitze where you can have access to the remnants of the glacier that used to cover the mountainside.
Free sleds! O boy!
The number of hikers who wanted to reach the summit sort of reminded me of our hike in Cinque Terre from Monterosso to Vernazza. Of course, that hike wasn’t as steep, but the crowds of people were similar.
The receding glacier. You can see a few people on the winding path.
On Plateau Zugspitze
The Visitation of the Virgin Mary Chapel (Mariä Heimsuchung) is located 2600 meters above sea level and is Germany’s highest church.
One last look at the glacier fields
A look at the buildings of the plateau. Underneath is the train that takes us down the mountain. The first few miles are through an underground tunnel.
We talk with a few guys on the train. One is from Belize, and is visiting his brother-in-law, who is from around here. Both are multilingual. Among other things, we discuss how sad it is that Americans, as a rule, are limited to English. We know a little of some languages, but we certainly count ourselves among the language-challenged Americans.
Back in Garmisch-Partenkirchen at the Italian and Mexican restaurants.
The start of another sunset
One of Gail’s best photos, taken from our balcony.
The cool thing about Zugspitze is that it makes the mountain top accessible to everyone. From small babies to people in wheelchairs, everyone can experience the fantastic beauty of the mountain’s summit.
Our host Sabina told us about a fun festival that will take place in Partenkirchen on Saturday. Our next post will talk about that, complete with some German music and dancing.
