Saturday 18th May
After a domestic morning we now have a van full of drying laundry. The Austrian dryer took 45 minutes and didn’t do much drying. We finally left camp after a painful check out with an older lady with absolutely no English who couldn’t get the computer to do what she wanted. Eventually a younger lady waiting to check in leaned over and told her to click the top box. Crossed in to Germany partway through a tunnel.
We jumped off the expressway to get coffee in Mittenwald and were really impressed. Greg in particular. It’s the most gorgeous little village. Painted houses, a channeled stream running though the centre with lovely eating and drinking places all around. High high mountains all around, snow capped with dark rock faces. Lots of people with Nordic walking sticks. Shops selling walking sticks and other hiking gear. There is a cable car running to a mountain top but I think it’s not going today.
So we decide to stay the night. The car park is €5 for 1 to 24 hours. We missed the sign when we parked and went for coffee lol. So we have a quick lunch, pay the €5 and then go off for a hike to some lakes. 40 minute walk to the first lake and there is a beer garden on the lake front. Ummm. We carry on to the second lake, 50 minutes. It’s so picturesque. Greg wants to go for a swim. We have a planning discussion about the lack of togs or towel. He decides he’ll skinny dip and use his singlet as a towel. That is until he takes his shoes off and stands in the water. It’s freezing, haha, we both just wade in very short bursts. 10 seconds and your lower legs start tingling like pins and needles.
We walk back to the first lake via a different track and go to the beer garden. Local beer (Spritz for me) and try the local pretzel-like bread with the local Bavarian cheese. Order a second round of drinks. We are sitting beside an alpine lake in sunshine with towering snowy mountains! Pinch me! Somehow it’s 7pm, we hike back down via a different track. Lol, google maps helps.
As we descend we hear the clang of cow bells, and beyond that the tolling of an iron bell calling the faithful to their knees to hear the softly spoken magic spells.
…….
19th May
Sunday morning. We cycle to the start of the Leutasch gorge. There is just over 4.5 k of trails and over a third of it is along a steel cantilevered walkway up the actual gorge. You wouldn’t be allowed there build something like this in New Zealand. It a beautiful steep narrow gorge. The chalky water thundering below your feet. Literally. We do a different track first. It goes 200 metres up the lower gorge to a 27 feet waterfall. The spray is tremendous and keeps the lower gorge icy cold. This track is a wooden cantilevered path crisscrossing the gorge walls. Then on to the main feature, we ignore the arrows to do the gorge section first, getting there about 9.30am. 
By the time we got to the other end of it, there are lots of people coming in ( the track is accessible from both ends). At that end, half way for us, we stop for coffee and Apfelstrudel. Remote but with comforts. This has struck us quite a bit. In New Zealand a place like this would be remote, challenging and without any services including cellphone coverage. Here in Europe, with the denser population and much longer human occupation nowhere is unexplored or under utilised. It’s not better or worse, just different.
Greg takes a photo off a bridge and drops his camera filter. It bounces down the rocks and stops just before the raging water We clambered down and retrieved it. Amazingly it isn’t even scratched! I’m thrilled we don’t have to make an insurance claim. I’m sure our son is too, else I’d be trying to get him to find the purchase receipt.
We hike back to our bikes via the forest track. So serene. Mixed pine and birch trees, no undergrowth and the looming mountains all around. Occasional open meadows with yellow and purple wild flowers.
The rain clouds are creeping down the mountains as we leave Mittenwald. Good timing but not so good for our next camp. It’s beside a lake called Walchensee, with coin operated power. We connect up under umbrellas and decide we’ll look at the lake tomorrow morning. The rain is meant to clear for a few hours then. Bonus with the coin operated power, we checked the 5 unused plugs and there is 1.85kw left on one so free power for a few hours. It’s €1 for 1.25kw.
The rain really set in now. We spend a couple of hours going through the photos from the Millie Miglia and using the program type the car details into the info for future reference. There are car types even Greg hasn’t heard of. Pasta and red wine for dinner.
BAGGAB 