Lake Konigssee is a beautiful, placid lake nestled right in the Alps.
When I traveled across Europe for the best twenty-four days of my life, I did it in style. I was cramped, squished, and unable to sleep on a bus. After staying in each city for a few days, we would load up the bus and head somewhere new, usually to a different country. Every so often on the bus we would stop, stretch, and get some water to get us out of the small, confined, traveling unit where we had just a foot radius of personal space to ourselves.
When we were on our way from Munich to Salzburg, the bus stopped; so, like any other stop, we got out, hoping for some snacks and fresh air, only to step off the bus and find fifty-degree weather in the middle of July. We had stopped at Lake Konigssee, just on the border of Germany and Austria.
Lake Konigssee is a beautiful, placid lake nestled right in the Alps. Literally, when you get on the lake, you’re surrounded by 360 degrees of mountain. In order to get to a little island on the lake, you have to take a ferry ride. We sat shivering on the ferry until we finally reached the island…
And it was a treat! The island is pretty desolate. There are only a few stores and a few churches there, but the views were breathtaking! Looking out from the edge of the island, the lake seems to go on for miles, with no end. It is completely encompassed by the Alps, snowless in the summer, but still beautiful. On the island you have the option to go on a hike, which takes you through a steep path in a thickly wooded forest. Once you push through this climb, the forest opens up to a river running right next to you with the clearest, ice-blue water you will have ever seen. The water is snow runoff, so it’s safe to drink as well. You feel so at peace, you and the river surrounded by these tall, wonderful mountains. The nature and beauty of the island on the magnificent Lake Konigssee was just astonishing.
There are Lake Konigssee-type wonders on the edge of every highway across Europe and across the world. If you take the time to explore, you can find that sometimes the best and most beautiful views are those you chance upon yourself. So don’t be afraid to just pull off to the side of the road and explore! An adventure may be waiting for you.
Article written by Sarah Graham.
