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A pleasant boatride on the Königssee to Saint Bartholomae with a
stop at 'The Echo' for a serenade from the captain. At this location sound
echoes up to 5 times in perfect conditions. The picturesque chapel is
one of the most photographed sites in this region.
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The National Park ranger told us 'it's not a difficult hike, the path
is this (indicating about 4 feet with his arms) wide'. The lady selling
us the boat tickets warned us 'you better buy a return, this is a dangerous
hike'. We requested one-way tickets, should the hike turn out too strenuous,
we could always purchase the return later. The sign pointing up the mountain
said 'Rinnkendlsteig, nur für geübte' which roughly translates
into 'for experienced hikers only'.
We started up the path, and it was UP with capitol letters. The views
back towards Saint Bartholomae and across the lake were awesome .
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Then we reached the 'geübte' part. The trail narrowed with steep
dropoffs to one side. Steel cables appeared just in time to provide us
with needed assistance. Here and there only a cable and "steigeisen',
iron bars in the rocks, let us see where the trail continued. Wooden ladders
aided us in scaling parts of the almost vertical mountain. We remembered
the ranger and his 'this wide' remark.
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After crossing an abyss on a board barely wider than our feet, the path
leveled out and soon we were at the top. Whew, we made it...
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