A Summer Afternoon on the Forggensee

Finally summer, and finally partially free from the virus lockdown! There is still a lot of faffing about with tests and weekly rule changes, but at the moment the Biergärten are open and we’re allowed to meet friends and family in them.

Last winter Roland booked some vacation days for this week with the hope of making some day trips, and rather coincidentally some of his family from Berlin were vacationing in Allgäu (southwest of Munich). They had a vacation rental on a working dairy farm in the Füssen area, with, yes, all the sights and smells of a working dairy farm, but also no city noise and a great view of the Alps. We joined them for an afternoon, after a two-hour drive in which the navigation unit didn’t tell us the bridge over the river Lech was out. Oops. 🙂

The main activity for the day was a short ship cruise down the length of the Forggensee, Bavaria’s largest artificial lake since 1954. A dam at the north end where the river Lech flows northwards generates electricity. The lake also stores meltwater from the Alps in the spring, to protect communities downstream. The lake is emptied every fall and in the winter months it is possible to walk on portions of the south end.

The ship cruise on a lake is a popular German vacation activity, particularly for those with young children or old knees. The ships all have snacks and beverages available for purchase; it is very relaxing to take in the view with your Kaffee und Kuchen.

The wonderful green color of the water comes from its temporariness.

Very relaxing.

From the lake on a clear day you also have a nice view of Germany’s most famous castle, Schloss Neuschwanstein.

We had our lunch in a cafe near this church, St. Maria und Florian in Schwangau. Florian is the patron saint of protection from both fire and flooding. The church was dedicated in 1520.

After lunch we went for a walk along the shore. The building in this photo is the Hohes Schloss Füssen, which was a way station between Italy and Augsburg during the Roman era and later became a cloister. It’s now an art museum. We’ll have to check it out sometime.

The Allgäu region is known for its dairy production. On the way home we enjoyed some ice cream while watching the ladies who made it possible.

In all, a very nice June vacation day!