Girl Gone Running: Europe 2016: Day 10...Lake Konigssee...

On Sunday I woke up and went for a run. Running on vacation is so much fun to me, mainly because I can check out the city or village where we are staying and it feels like I am alone. There is something very peaceful and magical about that time running in a new place. I ran around old town Salzburg and got to experience it without the hoards of Asian tourists and their Nikons. It was fantastic!

Good morning Salzburg!

I ran by Mozart's place of birth.

Salzburg Cathedral

The streets of Salzburg

I had fun running around the windy streets and getting lost and not knowing what was around the corner.

The clouds had lifted off of the fortress when I was heading back to our hotel.

After my run, we got ready for the day and made our way to the train station to catch the bus to Berchtesgaden Germany. I was very excited about the day because I really wanted to see Berchtesgaden and going hiking. We took the #840 bus from Salzburg to Berchtesgaden and arrived in about 40 minutes. We changed buses and arrived at Lake Konigssee.

I will be brutally honest, the place was pretty busy with people, BUT no many people were going to go hiking. Most people ride the electric powered boat to St. Bartholomew and wander around there and then take the boat home, so we were not worried about the hike being crowded.

We bought our tickets and began the boat ride on Lake Konigssee. About halfway during the boat ride, the boat stops and the conductor plays a bugle that echos several times around the mountains. It was pretty cool to hear.

Bugle playing on Lake Konigssee

Our plan for the day was to take the boat to Salet, the last stop on the lake. From there, we would hike to the upper lake, Lake Obersee, and from there we would hike around the lake to the waterfall. I will go ahead and say it right now, Lake Konigssee is absolutely stunning! We felt as though we were wandering around Jurassic Park. It was beautiful.

The boat dock at Salet, the last stop on Lake Konigssee

The clouds, still water, and fjord like mountains made the hike unbelievable

I am sure it is beautiful on a clear day, but the clouds added a little bit of mystery.

We stopped at the a little restaurant that is in the middle of the picture. They did not speak any English and there was confusion about us taking a pretzel and sausages to go, but we managed!

Ken was pretty excited about the day! See the waterfall behind him? That is where we were hiking to!

Beautiful scenery on Lake Konigssee

Lake Obersee, the upper lake. The water was so calm and crystal clear. You can see the reflection of the waterfall. It was unbelievably beautiful!

Once we left the lake to hike on, it started raining. We were not worried, we had umbrellas and rain jackets, so we continued on. We also knew that there as a hut halfway to the waterfall where we could stop for drinks and snacks.

The darling farm/hut that we hiked to.

We made it to the hut and they were selling beer, snacks, and fresh milk. We bought a few beers and some of the milk that was fresh from the cow's teet.

Ken and the freshest milk that he has ever had!

I heart Radlers.

It was the perfect place to stop and enjoy the scenery!

We enjoyed our drinks and rest and continued on to the waterfall. As soon as we crossed over a hill towards the waterfall, we were hiking with the cows!

Unreal scenery

Looking back at Lake Obersee and the hut on the right

I could not get over the clouds hovering around

Hiking with the cows

I think this is a picture definition of alpine

That moment when the cow turns and starts walking toward you and you are not sure if she is a friend or foe.

Ken and his signature pose

Enjoying our day in Berchtesgaden!

It was really cool because the clouds kept moving and completely changing the look of the waterfall.

We had so much fun on the hike!

My favorite picture of Ken. Everything about this picture is so Ken.

And as much as the picture above is Ken, this one is equally a great representation of me.

We went into picture overload, but it is hard not to with this guide of scenery.

Just a Sunday hiking with the cows in Berchtesgaden Germany!

I was so grateful to experience such a beautiful place with this guy!

A video of what it sounds like with the waterfall and the cows

After we made it to the waterfall, we hiked back to the hut for another round of drinks and some bacon and bread.

Buying our treats!

The perfect snack with the perfect view!

Enjoying fresh milk that was delicous and I do not even like milk!

Making our way back to Obersee

The water was even more green on the hike back. The building in the center is where we were enjoying our drinks.

Gorgeous!

Lake Obersee

Taking it all in

The boat coming to Salet to take us back to the mainland

St. Bartholomew, where most people get off and explore

After our hike, we took the bus back to into the city center of Berchtesgaden. Looking at the mountains that were all around, we know that we would love to come back and spend a ton of time hiking around. We walked into old town and found a restaurant for an early dinner. Our food was delicious! Unfortunately while we were eating, I noticed that we had missed the last bus back to Salzburg. We walked back to the train station and decided we would just take the train when two girls approached Ken to see if we were going to Salzburg. Long story short, we shared a cab with the two of them and made it back to Salzburg in about 25 minutes versus the hour train ride. Our cab driver was super nice and Ken talked to him the entire way. He was a fire fighter in Bertesgaden and gave us some great tips for future trips.

We ended our day back at the Augustiner Biergarten. It was our favorite place in Salzburg, so it seemed appropriate for us to spend our last night there.