(Lake) Konnigsee in Bavaria, Germany

If you're, say, visiting Munich or Salzburg, and want to take a short sightseeing trip that could include hiking, boating, or simply standing in awe of the beauty of the Alps, then check this place out! 

You will not be disappointed! 

Situated in the far southeast corner of the German state of Bavaria, this little gem is perfectly shoved between the narrow pass of two jagged, alpine mountains. Lake Konnigsee is in the Berchtesgarden National Park, and while it's a relatively small body of water, it happens to be Germany's third deepest lake (random facts from wikipedia). 

At the end of last year, Chris and I had just moved to Regensburg, and Reece suggested a quick trip down to see the breathtaking Konnigsee (which literally translates to "king's lake"). We never hesitate when a new sightseeing destination is on the table, so naturally, we packed the car and headed south. 

The first thing you notice when walking up to the lake is the intense, aqua-green color of the water, oh and it's strangely clean. The lake is so clean in fact that it is said to be the cleanest lake in all of Germany. In order to keep up appearances, no fuel powered boats are allowed on the lake. In the summer, get extra exercise by rowing or paddling your way around the crystal clear lake, or do what we did, and take an electric powered passenger boat tour. If I remember correctly, the boat will put you back 12 - 18 Euros depending on the duration of the boat tour that you choose. We got off the boat at the beautiful, red domed church named St. Barthomoma, and we enjoyed a local beer at a nearby restaurant. And naturally, I took a million pictures.

We didn't have time to take a long hike, but next time we visit, I really want to hike Mount Jenner. I think it would be absolutely incredible to see Lake Konnigsee from above! Hopefully we will have time to go this summer! Another thing that we really want to see is Hitler's Eagles Nest, and if you're in this area, you're too close not to visit this historic piece of German history. Unfortunately, you can only reach it by bus or by hiking for 2-3 hours. If you want to figure out how to get to The Eagle's Nest, I found this post quite helpful. From the parking lot of Lake Konnigsee,  on a clear day, you can see The Eagles Nest. If you look at the last picture in this post, you will see it in the top left hand corner. You'll really have to look closely!

Salzburg, Austria {Gondola Ride}

All the boys crammed into the Gondola in Salzburg, Austria. 

This post is a continuation of that one time I crashed "guy's weekend." 

{and . . . It may not be the last time because I had a blast}

After we broke the rules at Neuschwanstein Castle, our big group piled into the borrowed "mom-van" and headed for Salzburg. Now, that is one stunning city! Unfortunately, the weather wasn't exactly cooperating on our first morning in town, so Reece decided we should try to get above the clouds by visiting Untersberg, the highest mountain next to the city. 

About 15 minutes after leaving Salzburg, we pulled into the Untersberg gondola parking lot. The Alps loomed all around us, but heavy clouds interrupted our upward views. We paid 20 Euros per person, pushed ourselves onto a crowded gondola, and silently prayed that the angry clouds would disappear once we reached the summit. A dense white fog obstructed our view for most of the 10-minute gondola ride, but just as we summited, the sun appeared and the sky was the most magnificent shade of blue! Suddenly we felt a burst of energy and a lightness of spirit. It's amazing what a little sunshine can do for  you, eh?!

Neuschwanstein Castle

Be jealous - I spent three days with these handsome fellows. 

Chris and I booked a pair of spendy tickets to Munich, and met up with Reece on the other end.  The three of us have seen quite a lot of Europe together this past year: Krk, Croatia – Vienna, Austria  - Cologne, Germany – Weltenburg Monk Brewery, Germany – Various German beer festivals – and Venice, Italy, just to hit a few highlights. I typically book a suite or a room with a roll away bed for Reece, but this trip was an entirely new way of traveling for me! I threw my controlling tendencies to the wind and didn't plan a thing (and it was one of the best trips), and as you can tell from the picture above, rather than a travel group of three, we were a, won’t-all-fit-into-one-car, pack of six!

Five guys + one girl = I totally crashed guy’s weekend, and subsequently stayed in my first European hostel! Guy’s weekend was awesome. . . . the hostel . . . well, I guess it was everything I had expected. I had not expected very much. I will leave the details up to your imagination. 

Chris and Reece graduated from the University of Kentucky and three of their (awesome) classmates flew out to Europe for a week of city blitzing (seeing as many sights as possible in a very short period of time).  We effortlessly picked Stu, Kirk and Ben up at the Munich airport, piled into a borrowed “mom-van,” told the guys they could drink in the car (as long as they weren’t driving - sorry Reece), and set out to see the first sight on their blitz: Neuschwanstein Castle. 

Cinque Terre Italy

One of my favorite shots of Riomaggiore in Cinque Terre, Italy.  This is where we stayed!

Cinque Terre Italy (The Five Lands), that mythical portion of the Italian Riviera that has, for centuries, lured travelers in with the promise of fine Italian wines, charming local flare, breathtaking views, and romantic hikes uninterrupted by passing vehicles. I had a good friend who had hiked The Five Lands with his wife several years ago, and after seeing his pictures, I instantly added the destination to my "bucket list." I know it is a super "touristy" place to visit in Italy, but I am a tourist, and I want to tour as much of this amazing world as possible!

Kayla and I were blessed with fantastic weather and cheap flights in mid-September! We did book about three months ahead, so perhaps a little advance planning helped us stick to our budgets. Even with three months notice, it was a struggle to find a comfortable, budget friendly B&B with an available room. If you are planning to spend some time in Cinque Terre next summer (2013), I would suggest contacting B&Bs now! A lot of places are already booking up for June, July and August. You will need to contact most places via email when requesting a reservation. 

I learned while researching that there are a few (super expensive) hotels in Cinque Terre, but the most common thing to do is to get a room at a guest house or family run B&B. I used Trip Advisor as a reference, and decided to book four nights at Locanda Ca da Iride in Riomaggiore, the first of The Five Lands. Our little B&B was nothing spectacular, but it was clean and the family was friendly and accommodating. Riomaggiore was a great home base from which to explore all of Cinque Terre. A lot of B&Bs only accept cash payments once you check out, so as a rule of thumb, contact your accommodation several times before you arrive to make sure they indeed have your booking. 

We had such a great time in Cinque Terre, and even though I can now check it off my "bucket list," I want to get back there some day with my Hubby! Enjoy a few of our pictures and if you are interested in any of my notes from the trip, I will list them at the end of this post. 

First picture of both of us in Cinque Terre! Rocks make great tripods!

Riomaggiore - Cinque Terre, Italy.

It's really this beautiful!

You just cannot stop taking pictures of Riomaggiore, Italy!

Via dell'Amore (Walk of Love) Kayla is looking for a lover. 

Mimosas on the hike at Bar dell'Amore. 

Grapes off the vine in Groppo, Italy. 

Wine Tasting in Groppo, Italy. 

We hiked up to Corniglia, but we didn't eat or drink here. 

Entering Vernazza, Italy. This was our favorite of The Five Lands

The views of Vernazza, Italy just take your breath away!

Two girls in Vernazza with a mini bottle of wine and a lovely sunset. 

The umbrellas are the restaurant Baia Saracena where we had some great pizza. 

Our last day was stormy and we spent it in Monterosso al Mare. 

We had the best sangria at Enoteca del Eliseo in Monterosso al Mare

The owner of Enoteca del Eliseo treated us to his homemade grappa and limoncello. 

As promised, I will leave you with a list of our Cinque Terre "loves." 

Riomaggiore (Where we Stayed):

Breakfast - Every morning we picked up fruit at a local co-op (store) on the main street. We stuffed our bags with fruit and munched on it along the hike. 

Dinner - La Lanterna - A great, family run Trattoria right on the water. Great food and friendly service!

Hiking - You can start your hike from any of The Five Lands, and you will pay 5 Euro each day that you hike. The hiking fee is used to maintain the trails and is much needed after the mudslides last year. We started hiking from Riomaggiore, and whenever we didn't feel like hiking anymore, we just took the train. You can buy a daily hiking/training pass for 10 Euros. Also ask for a train schedule at any of the stations, the schedule is helpful since the times are pretty limited. 

Mimosas on a Hike?! - We hiked the romantic Via dell'Amore from Riomaggiore to Manarola, and about ten minutes into the hike, we stopped for mimosas at Bar dell'Amore. Why not?! It was a girl trip after all!

Manarola

A Little Dip - We were so hot after our (short) hike, so we walked down to the water and jumped in! There is no sand in Manarola, but stairs have been carved into the stone allowing you to easily reach the water. Once you jump in, little ladders are cleverly placed to help you get OUT of the water gracefully. 

Groppo - Manarola was pretty quiet, so we decided to take a friend's suggestion and hike up to the small hill town of Groppo. We meandered through cliff-side vineyards and grabbed handfuls of grapes as we passed. Eventually we found a place at the very top of Groppo where we could taste some wine. 

Vernazza (Our Favorite)

Picture Worthy Time/Place - Make sure to go out on the pier and get some pictures back on Vernazza as the sun is setting. This was my favorite bunch of pictures from the trip. You can also buy a half bottle (or a whole bottle) of wine at any little store and they might even offer to open the bottle and provide plastic cups so that you and a "glass" of vino can take in the majestic sunset. 

Dinner #1 - As the sun was setting, we had dinner on the pier at a little Pizzeria called Baia Saracena. The pizzas were good and the wine was cheap! What more do you need when in Italy?! We even made some local friends who invited us out for post dinner drinks. Salute!

Dinner #2 - We liked Vernazza so much that we decided to do dinner there a second night. It was a stormy evening, so we were forced to sit inside at Ristorante Pizzeria Bar "Vulnetia." The interior is very cozy with exposed brick walls and high, wooden ceilings. We had pizza and while it was good, we quite preferred our first dinner at Baia Saracena. 

Monterosso al Mare - (The Town with the Beach)

The BEST Sangria! - Kayla and I fell in love with the little bar called Enoteca del Eliseo in Monterosso! You will have to wind through lovely little streets to find this place, but once you get there, the cinnamon and clove Sangria is well worth the trip!

Take a Hike - Hike up the hill and get a view of Monterosso. The cemetery for all five towns is located at the highest point of the city. Random little fact. 

Lunch With a View - We had caprese salads for lunch right on the water at Nuovo Eden Bar and Gelateria. The food was nothing to write home about, but the setting was worth every single Euro penny!

I know that there is so much that we did not see and experience, so I will have to drag Hubby along for a second Cinque Terre adventure in the near future! As always, thanks for reading!

Cinque Terre on Dwellable

Carried Away in Capri.

On our way to Capri, we saw Mount Vesuvius in the morning mist. 

While in Almafi, we decided to hop on a ferry and cruise on over to the Italian island of Capri. Because a little afternoon cruise to an exotic island sounded romantic and oh so "Italian-ish"! I was envisioning a sexy, intimate sailboat that allowed me to dance around deck with my long hair softly blowing in the wind (lofty dreams that I don't have the budget for!); instead, we squeezed onto an industrial sized ferry with 1000 other tourists all heading in the same direction. The 20-minute ride was nothing glamorous, there was no dancing, and my hair turned into one bit knot all for a whopping $40 (round trip). I didn't really do any research before going to Capri, so the ferry boat may not be the most economical way to see the island, although it was very convenient. Some day, I would love to get back to Capri, and perhaps hire a small boat and driver to show me and Chris around the Island. Now that sounds romantic, eh? Still dreaming when I should just be focusing on how lovely my first trip to Capri was!

Have you been to Capri? If so, how did you get there and what did you see? Did you hire a boat driver to show you around the island? I would love to hear your experience!

Capri really is stunning, it's truly one of those places you must see for yourself. My pictures just don't do Her justice! Once we got off the ferry, we hiked about 25 minutes up hill to the main Piazza in Capri town. There is a bus you can take, but why not choose the picturesque walking trail where you enjoy quaint homes blanketed in pink and purple flowers?!

From the Piazza, we found an information center and followed a route which took us through the Gardens of Augustus, gave us a great view of the famous Faraglioni rocks, wound us down Via Krupp and landed us on a wonderful little beach close to Marina Piccola. After lounging around and swimming for a few hours, we treated ourselves to the best gelato we have ever tasted! Buonocore Gelateria is close to Piazza Umberto, and while you wait in line, they're making your waffle cone! The gelato is delicious and that warm waffle cone adds just a little something extra to the whole experience!

View from the center of Capri town. 

The Morris' posing close to Capri Piazza Umberto.

Every corner of Capri is picture-perfect!

In the Gardens of Augustus - Capri. 

From the Gardens of Augustus, you get a great view of Faraglioni. 

Winding our way down Via Krupp in search of a beach. 

Our small little beach close to Marina Piccola.

Marina Piccola - Great looking beach, but you have to pay for your seats. 

Looking back on Capri harbor. 

I just love boats!

I'm dreaming about living in Capri. 

Hopefully this is not my first and only trip to Capri. Next time (if there is a next time), I want to hire a boat with a driver and float around the entire island! I know we didn't even scratch the surface here! There is so much more to enjoy and fall in love with in Capri.

Capri on Dwellable