Day Two in Chalet School Land

Lake Achensee from the Barenbad

Today's jaunt is the Barenbad.  Showers are predicted later, so it's a (relatively) early brekker so that we can get on the road early.  It's a short walk up to the Karwendelbahn and a flourish of the wonderful Achensee Pass for the ride up.  The view from the top is amazing and alone worth the ride. We decided, since this is partly an explore/walking/Chalet School emulation holiday to do the circular walk to the Barenbadalm and onward back to the Gasthaus at the top of the Karwendelbahn where we would suitably reward ourselves. Having walked it, I would suggest doing it in reverse to what we did as there's a lot of uphill the way we did it, which becomes downhill if you walk it in reverse. Glad we did the walk though it was worth it, even though it started to rain when we were at the Barenbadalm Gasthaus.  Only a shower. There were some foolhardy cyclists cycling up on part of the circular walk - the look on one woman's face did say it all!! How on earth the babies of the CS walked to the top is utterly beyond me!!! We puffed our way up the last steep slope to the Gasthaus at the Karwendelbahn with a real sense of achievement and headed straight in.



View of the Alpenhof Hotel from the cable car

Dave rewarded himself with a beer and I was going to be good and just have a coffee, but there was a delicious-looking Apfelstrudel just begging to be eaten, so Dave and I shared a piece (that made me feel slightly less guilty) and it was worth every last calorie. Sudden panic when the Gasthaus lady came out to say that it would be raining in five minutes (wonder if she was Marie the weatherwise?) and that it would be best to move inside. As we'd finished, we decided to make a run for the cable car before it started and just made it.  Took some photos of the Alpenhof in the trees (for non-Chalet people, this is the chalet reputed to be the site Elinor chose for her school). From the side balcony of our bedroom, I actually look right down on the Alpenhof.

By the time we reached the bottom of the lift, the rain was coming down in stair-rods so out came the wet weather gear (stored in my rucksack in all the best CS traditions). We waited a minute or so just to see if it would ease off.  No sign of that, so we ventured forth. Since we'd only paid £18 for the two coats we had our moneys worth in one shot!

Ventured out for a pre-dinner drink when the sun came out and found a really nice little bar called the Vittalberg above a little museum. We basked in the sun before returning to the Post for another excellent dinner.