Munich; Thursday, 16 April, 2009

An early start, out to the station and onto the train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen up in the Bavarian Alps. From the station in Garmisch it was a quick walk round to the Zugspitzbahn station and onto the train up to the Zugspitze, the highest point in Germany.

The views from the top of the Zugspitze are stunning, and on a good day like today you supposedly can see four countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein). Only problem, is that there are no signs to show what’s in each country. However, I was able to identify the Austrian areas more easily. As I walked across the top of the viewing station from the highest bar in Germany to the neighbouring restaurant I found myself entering the Tyrol region of Austria. There wasn’t much there and the restaurant was closed so I left Austria and crossed back into Germany.

Having taken my fill of the Zugspitze I caught the cable car back down to Eibsee and then the train back to Garmisch. From there I had a wander through the town up to another cable car. This climbs up to a mountain on the opposite side of the town from the Zugspitze. It’s also a mountain which many British tourists visit purely for its name – Wank.

The views of Garmisch-Partenkirchen are possibly even better from the top of Wank than from the Zugspitze. Having taken in the views, and a break for a very late lunch, I caught the cable car back down into town, and then picked up the train to the next town along Mittelwald.

I had a wander around the town, though there was not much to see. Having taken in the town I got the train back to Munich.

By the time I got back it was almost 9pm so I grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to the hotel to catch up on my sleep.