Our last day in Germany! Sean insisted I got to plan the day since Alpspitze had bean “Sean’s Day.”

Well, I didn’t hesitate with that kind of offer! My cousins had recommended the alpine town of Tegernsee, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity!

We started our day with a quick stop at the same cafe as before, and I treated myself to Breakfast Tiramisu and a delicious toasted ham and cheese croissant.

Our train was a little full, so we sat across from each other next to some young guys. I caught a tiny bit of their conversation and their unmistakeable American accents and decided to be friendly.

Turns out they were from the San Juan Islands in Washington! Small world! They were also way younger than I originally thought – one fresh out of high school and the other a “rising junior.” Always cracks me up when people describe themselves that way. I think it’s a prep school thing.

We chatted the whole train ride. I mostly partook when the conversation was about travel and home, and Sean jumped in when the talk took a turn towards engineering. Booo-ring!

The younger guy was pretty reserved until Sean started talking about books, and then he really came out of his shell. They were rapid-fire suggesting sci-fi books back and forth, and I quietly sat in the corner, knowing these boys would have no interest in Fourth Wing.

Once we arrived, we bid the boys farewell and wished them a good hike, and then we were off in search of some bikes.

We found a beautiful garden cemetery near the lake shore.

I had two dreams for this day: bike around the lake and rent a paddle boat. Our first plan was a bit tricky because there were no bike rentals on this side of the lake. We had to take a ferry to the other side, but that was kind of a fun little break.

The first bike shop we came to had one dude in it. He was extremely tan, had a shaved head, and was very persuasive. He immediately found us two e-mountain bikes and then made it seem like he was giving us a deal with the two all-day rentals for €80. (Turns out, compared to US prices, this was actually a screaming deal.)

We told him we wanted to bike around the lake, but he suggested we bike up into the valley between mountains instead. He said it would be about ten degrees cooler, and that it was the “perfect day” and the “perfect ride.”

I was pretty hesitant, but luckily Sean was gung-ho. Thank goodness I deferred to him!

The ride was, in fact, perfect and beautiful. It took us a little while to find the right path, but once we did, we were cruising on a trail through the hills. Sometimes we were on shaded forest paths. Sometimes the way was wide open and sunny. It was magical! It also made me want an e-mountain bike. That thing was slick.

I am not super skilled when it comes to riding, so I have very few pictures! I’m just not comfortable fiddling with a phone while riding along. Sean was able to take a few on his glasses, but he was a bit too pumped about the ride to keep my leisurely pace. (My bike had four levels of power, and he kept asking me to boost it up a bit, haha. I’m sorry! I just do not have – and never have had – a need for speed.)

When I finally caught up to him, I found him casually waiting for me amongst a few new bovine friends.

Almost every house in this area had an entire exterior wall lined with firewood. It was crazy! Must get cold in the winter!

We’d come to a little restaurant tucked into the hills, and it seemed the perfect spot for lunch.

I found some hammock chairs with a great view of the mountains, and then we ordered a radler to share.

I (foolishly) ordered a bratwurst while Sean asked for the most popular dish. Our waiter recommended the fresh mushrooms, and we agreed. He ran back at the last second to say, “Or the deer!” But we stuck with the mushrooms.

I cannot adequately express the deliciousness that was this mushroom soup. So creamy and rich, and topped with a big dumpling. Thank goodness Sean let us trade meals back and forth! I’m not sure I would have been as generous….

Partway through the meal, a group of men and women stood up around the table behind us and began singing the most lovely song. We recorded it and marveled at their harmonies, wondering what the song was all about! (A German friend later insisted it was not, in fact, a birthday song, but just a tune wishing someone good health, beer, and good schnapps.)

I could have stayed tucked away in those little hammocks for the rest of the day, slowly sipping radlers and ordering more mushroom soup when I got hungry, but Sean insisted there were other wonderful things waiting for us back in Tegernsee.

A cow was blocking the gateway to the restaurant, so we had to jump the fence, but then we were off again, back down the hill to complete our loop.

We found some very cool carved statue men along the way.

And Sean got some nice snippets of me!

Back in town, we explored the shoreline a little and considered hanging at the beach, but I wanted some how time!

Then, around five, we finally found a peddle boat rental place. All my dreams really were coming true today!

The guy running the place was a funny little dude. He was shirtless, tan, and had a big straw hat on. Very chill.

I debated for a minute between the peddle boat and an electric boat (the prices were so stinking cheap), but we went for the peddle in the end.

Just as the guy was pushing us away from the dock, Sean asked if there was anywhere we could peddle to along the shore to buy a beer.

The boat man paused before saying, “Uhhh… Hmmm, no….” Sean waved it off, but then the man said, “I have beer. Two euros!” He then ran to grab a beer from his stash and explained that this Munich beer was better than the Tegernsee stuff he had, and we were off again. It was pretty hilarious.

It didn’t take long before Sean, beer in hand, said, “This is my kind of vacation.”

We peddled around a bit, and as we did, we heard a big band start a performance on the shore. It felt pretty silly – almost too perfect, you know?

The band played some classical songs, but mostly they played classic hits – ABBA’s Dancing Queen, etc. I was singing along while Sean and I took turns peddling and I worked up the courage to finally jump in the water.

The water was cool but not cold. Nice and refreshing. I swam around the boat, climbed back in, and then jumped in again.

It always takes me a while to jump in the first time. I’m not sure why! Something about it always scares me!

Sean opted to stay warm and dry, and then he eventually peddled us back to shore so we could catch the tail end of the performance.

The whole band was dressed in lederhosen. It was very adorable.

After the show, we walked along the lake a little bit to admire the flowers and the setting sun.

We grabbed a table at a busy outdoor restaurant, and after being recommended the deer for the second time in one day, we decided we’d better try it.

We got an adorable tiny salad, a big side of deliciously sweet cabbage, and a couple of house special ginger lemonades. (We saw them at another table and immediately ordered two of them!)

The deer also came with a heaping portion of obviously handmade spatzle. The little flat noodles were so funny!

The deer was just okay, but as a whole, the meal was lovely, and we were stuffed at the end. Perhaps foolishly, we ordered some peach-filled donuts things for dessert.

They were so good (super soft and fluffy), but we were so full! It was hard to clean the plate.

Our last chore was to drop off our bikes again.

It was a loooong day, and we should have definitely planned better around our train back to Munich. It only came once an hour, so we were dilly-dallying waiting for the bus to the station for quite a while, and we were so exhausted by the time we got home around eleven.

Still, we consider this to be one of our favorite days of the trip! So magical and dreamy. Mountains, water, e-bikes, spontaneous serenades… What more can you ask for?

More to come (believe it or not).

Until next time,

Auf wiedersehen!

-Lizzy-wa