We Saw Eibsee

My friend Rachael recommended hiking around Lake Eibsee near our hotel. The weather was forecast to be windy and rainy all day, but we figured we’d give it a shot. It rained a little at first, but it did not matter at all.

We were all floored, but I was most amazed at how much Isaac and Eloise loved it. Of course they were tired by the end of the hike, but man-oh-man, none of us were prepared for how gorgeous this alpine lake tucked in beneath Zugspitze would be! We’ve been here once before, two and a half years ago when we took the cable car to the top of Zugspitze. But late summer greenery around the deep, still lake with ducks and fish on top and beneath, rivers running in and waterfalls crashing around—this was something else completely.

Isaac was the lead fan, immediately declaring, “This is what I am: mountains, forest, blue lake.”

Eloise was aghast: “What about cozy and kittens and huskies and legos?!”

But she too was under the spell of the lake: “I LOVE this!” she said after hiking over a mile. The first yellow leaves glimmered between green branches with shimmering hints of turquoise lake here and there. “I just love this! The forest and the water—It’s like a rainbow with all the different colors!”

Even five miles later she was complimenting the landscaping of the restaurants near the lake.

And after hamburgers (for the kids) and local German specialities for Chris and me, we discovered the answer to our wondering about how big the fish are down there—nearly two meters, although the big ones haven’t been caught since the 60s, our waitress told us. It was one of those dinners where we laughed and laughed about who knows what. We seem to have a lot of those in Germany. Then, we headed back to the hot tub at the hotel!