This was an awesome conclusion of my trekking spring: a one day hike in the German Alps with my friend. Needless to say the weather was marvelous, however, not everything went as smoothly as we planed. The start was pretty comfortable with excellent German facilities namely: parking lot WITH coins exchange (!) and ATM (!) on site! This is only possible in Germany, as far as I’m concerned. Mythical German organization appeared in its whole glory. The basic idea was to have a look at the Königssee (ang. King’s Lake) from high altitude and to do that we had a plan to go up in a cable railway first and climb a nearby summit called Schneibstein (2276 masl) afterwards. The plan was simple, we set up in the early morning and after a 2h drive from Munich we met the first obstacle: a lady at the cash desk of Jennerbahn (a cable railway). Not that I am prejudiced towards ladies working in such facilities but this time it was really classic! She refused to sell us a one way ticket up saying that the path towards  Schneibstein and Carl-von-Stahl hut was impossible to cross. We could only buy a half way ticket and we did so. And that was the first thing that made our day and the route really really long. No worries, though. Starting from the middle of the track we enjoyed a spring weather: +18C, sun and green grass all over the place. The sun was shining for the rest of the day but green grass became covered with snow really soon. So for almost 2 hours we’d been walking through Strubalm valley trudging up in deep snow, falling down up to our waists from time to time. If you start to laugh every time you fell you quickly become pretty tired so not only the trail was long but also considerably engaging. There should be a mountain hut waiting up there after about 2h walk but it was closed. Bad luck again but we were in such a good mood it didn’t make any difference. Instead of an open hut we met a local trekker who looked like a professional sherpa (I swear he did!) and he told us about another mountain hut called Carl-von-Stahl (1736 masl) located just at the border with Austria. 5 minutes walk. Fine. Before we arrived to this hut we sat for a while in front of the closed one that I can’t remember the name of and watched skiers who were skiing down the Schneibstein with amazing speed (so jealous!). It was high enough to enjoy amazing view towards west with the majestic Watzmann massif as background. After a short walk we reached a saddle where  Carl-von-Stahl hut was located. The view on the Austrian part of the Alps and Schneibstein was awesome. But by the time we got to the hut we knew we won’t be able to climb it. Obviously trekking without any summit reached feels somehow incomplete so after a short discussion we thought it might be a good idea to climb at least Jenner summit (1.874 masl). Crossing the ski piste we safely arrived to the cable railway (I wonder what a lady from the cash desk would say if she knew we crossed it!) and went directly to the peak. And it was so beautiful! The lake was there and although it was shadowed by the Watzmann range it was still amazingly appealing. Just as everyone says: reaching the summit is only a half way down so after a while we had to get going. This was fast. And tough at the same time. We picked up alternative route down and soon got to cross the snowy fields sinking up again. At some point we would just running down like mad through these fields until we reached the green grass again. The deep winter in Strubalm valley we crossed that morning was a fairy tale like place but it was also by far the longest route to the Schneibstein and because of our lost battle with a lady in Jennerbahn we had no chances to reach it. I guess we traded the achievements for the beauty this time. And I am quite happy about it. We were both smiling when we finally reached the car left in Schönau am Königssee and we are pretty determined to cross the mythical 2200 masl next time. Itinerary MUNICH – KONIGSSEE (603 masl) – STRUBALM – JENNER KONIGSBERGALM – CARL VON STAHL HUT (1736 masl) – JENNER (1.874 masl) – HOCHBAHNWEG – RABENWAND – KONIGSSEE (603 masl) – MUNICH  

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Lakes are one of the most spectacular elements of the New Zealand landscape. Each of them has its own characteristic: size, shape, color, mountain rage surrounding them, beaches and roads. This gallery shows few of the New Zealand lakes. My favorite one is Lake Pukaki- the one colored with impossible turquoise. The water of this lake is milky: you cannot see the bottom even close to the shore. Its color is a result minerals eroded from the close glaciers. Minerals are mixed and dissolved in water of this amazing lake. Lake Pukaki is frequently visited by tourists as it is located close to the highest summit of New Zealand: Mt. Cook. The road to Aoraki  (closest village is situated at the end of a wide valley filled almost entirely by the lake) leads along this lake for more than 50km! With its numerous turns you can watch the lake from many different perspective. But its fabulous color is always hard to believe. Aoraki is dominated with The Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre, from where the alpine quests start and from where the view is breathtaking. Standing in front of the building you can admire a wide perspective with Mt. Cook just before your eyes, with peak covered with snow and spectacular blue ice. If you wish to watch next photo gallery from New Zealand click here: most beautiful beaches! Lake Pukaki is a filming location of the new Hobbit movie: The Desolation of Smaug. I am thrilled with it! I think this site is so beautiful and mysterious at the same time that filming a movie there was a must! See for yourself! Some of the Hobbit filming locations were close to Christchurch – the biggest city at the South Island which was badly hit by the earthquake. Read the full story here.  

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Lago di Como is one of the dream destinations. The lake has been filmed many times and because of its beauty it fascinates tourists. Como Lake and three other big lakes in northern Italy: Maggiore, Garda and d’Iseo, are unique places of stunning views and architectural delight. Lago di Como has a weird shape of upside-down letter Y and is surrounded by hills. On its northern shore you may actually see very high peaks of the Alps, that are often covered with snow. In the middle of warm Italian summer this view is intriguing. For the Italians Lago di Como recalls school times and their compulsory reading I Promessi Sposi, written by Manzoni. The main plot of this epic love story of Lucia and Renzo is placed on the lake. But Lago di Como was not only in the area of interestes of the classic authors (Hemingway, Twain, Dostoevsky, to name a few). Popular culture seams to adore this place! Clandestine marriage of Amidala and Anakin Skywalker was shot in one of the lake’s villa, just as the Ocean’s Twelve concluding scene, and some of the scenes of the Casino Royale with James Bond. The current trend among rich and famous to buy a villa on a lake rises interest and prices. Como- the town on southwest shore of the lake- is comfortably connected with Milan. You just take the train on Cadorna Railway Station and after about 40 minutes you’re in the center of this town. The proximity of Milan is also one of the reasons of its popularity. People tend to become tired with the noise and rush of large city and uses the opportunity to relax during the weekend. Many Italians go to Como. Some of them just take a walk around the city, others buy some exclusive products made of silk. Eating ice creams is one of most common way to spend Saturday or Sunday afternoons, both for the large Italian families and for the tourists. During the summer time the town is crowded and the most pleasant moment to see it and enjoy it is late evening. You might find it difficult to believe however Lago di Como is one of the deepest lakes in Europe (more than 400m deep!). What’s more the bottom of the lake is more than 200 metres below the sea-level! The color of water is outstanding. Together with snowed peaks it is one of the most beautiful views in Europe. The lake area is also famous of its production of silk and growing of mulberry trees. The production of silk is dated back in 14th century and it is still a popular business here. The guidebook says that over 80% of the European silk production comes from Como. There are couple of museums focused on history and production process of silk, however, I cannot recommend any of them. What I can definitely recommend is a visit in the cathedral. The Duomo together with Broletto (constructed originally as a residence fot the local authorities in the 13th century) creates beautiful space in the city centre. The magnificent facade cut out of marble expresses the rich history of this town, its golden years, exceptional wealth and love for art of the famous aristocratic families. The way the Duomo is constructed and filled with sculptures shows also the development of architectural thought in northern Italy. While some other churches were reconstructed many times and the final effect is simply awful this is not the case of the duomo in Como. The extensions made throughout history are well planed and implemented. This is a beautifully proportional building with great facade and excellent interior. To fully appreciate Como– the town I mean, not the whole lake- you should go to Brunate. If you take a cable railway called funicolare, and go to the top you can admire a nice view over the town and a bit of the lake. Brunate with its lighthouse (yes, there is actually a lighthouse dedicated to Alessandro Volta, Il Faro Voltiano) you can enter and enjoy the view. Credits: all photos were downloaded from Flickr on license of Creative Commons. Authors: Axel V, bric72’s, Nando Scafroglia. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

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