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Month: June 2014

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This weekend the weather was said to be nice. For some time we already wanted to see another side of Lake Constance. So we decided to pack our bags, take our bikes and jump into the local train to Ravensburg. Our plan was to cycle from here to Konstanz and the next day from Konstanz to Singen. From there we wanted to take the local train back.

Actually Ravensburg was a quite ok place. Just today it was very crowded and quite a lot of car traffic was going round and round. After leaving the center of the city it became more quiet and it partly looked very nice. We cycled to Tettnang which is a small town about 10 kilometers away from Lake Constance. We were expecting to have a great view on the lake but actually 10 kilometers still is a bit of a distance. We continued cycling to Friedrichshafen - one of the major cities directly located at Lake Constance. Personally our first impression of the city was not that nice. One of the main roads more or less goes along the bank. Of course there are quiet places as well but somehow it is different compared to Konstanz. Furthermore most of the old buildings were destroyed in World War II. Hence many parts of the historic center were destroyed as well.

We continued cycling from Friedrichshafen to Hagnau and then to Meersburg. Finally - after about 15km - the main road left the cycle track and we arrived at Hagnau. From this point the cycling path and the landscape became very beautiful. When we arrived at Meersburg we took the ferry to Konstanz Staad (about 15 minutes). Including a bike we paid about 6€ per person.

 

After a good night in Konstanz we continued our tour to Radolfzell. From here we started a short excursion to the small peninsula Mettnau which holds a great nature-sanctuary. From here we continued our tour along the bank heading towards Stein am Rhein. Stein am Rhein is a small town in Switzerland where the Rhine flows into the Lake Constance. Stein has many nice medieval buildings which are painted with beautiful frescoes.

From Stein am Rhein we further cycled to the north-west and finally arrived in Singen. Overall it was a great tour - especially the part between Hagnau and Stein am Rhein 🙂

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Published on Leave a comment on Oberstdorf – Having an apple soda at the Fiderepass Hut

Spontaneously we decided to stay one more day in Oberstdorf than we have actually planned. The weather forecast was quite good and so we decided to go for another hike. Beside hiking we wanted to try some of the things we have learned in the photography lesson with Heinz Zak the day before. We decided to hike from Oberstdorf to the Fiderepass Hut, have a drink and then hike back to Oberstdorf. We took the "Panorama Path" up to the Fidere-Scharte and from there down to the Fiderepass Hut. The path from the Fidere-Scharte to the Fiderepass Hut was still full with snow. Especially the upper part was quite steep and not so nice. However, we finally arrived at the hut and ordered something to drink. It was so nice to sit up here in the sun watching all the mountains aground and enjoying a cold beer. This is always the moment when you can forget the hurting feet 😉 From the Fiderepass Hut we walked down to the Fellhornbahn Talstation (about 3:15). From here we took the bus back to Oberstdorf.
All in all it was a nice trip with great weather and some nice photo spots. Just around the Fidere-Scharte there was a little more snow than expected. We are already looking forward to be back in the mountains.

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Published on Leave a comment on Oberstdorf – Photography lesson with Heinz Zak

Today we participated a photography lesson with Heinz Zak - a famous mountain and landscape photographer. More precisely it was a kind of "photography hike". Together with eight other participants we have been taken to Renksteg. From here we started to hike to the Freiberg See. Everyone had his own camera and mount and here and there we stopped to practice different techniques. Heinz always gave some hints regarding the scene and the camera settings. From our perspective it was also very useful to compare and discuss different images with respect to the layout, exposure and focus settings. After about 5 hours a small bus took us back to the center of Oberstdorf. Here we all were sitting together for another hour discussing different photography topics and enjoying the prepared food. Finally, Heinz gave us a presentation of his new exhibition - most of his photos were taken in the Karwendel. Personally we think the photos are absolutely great!
All in all we have to say the whole event was very well organized by the Oberstdorf tourism center - you did a good job! 🙂 We are already looking forward to  next year. We plan to participate the "photography biwak" at the Nebelhorn then.

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Published on Leave a comment on Oberstdorf – Again visiting the Rubihorn

Again we were visiting Oberstdorf for a few days - this time to visit a photography course with Heinz Zak - a famous mountain and landscape photographer. We arrived one day earlier and decided to make a short hike in the afternoon. Even if we have been there before we decided to hike to the Rubihorn summit again. From Oberstdorf and back it takes something between 4 and 7 hours - depending on the walking speed. Most of the path upwards was just a zig-zag and the sun was burning quite much. After about 2 hours we arrived at the Rubihorn and took a long break. Actually we were expecting quite a lot of people up there since it was Sunday and the weather was nice but actually there were just six or seven other hikers. At the summit we were able to observe daws.
The path from the summit down to the Gaisalpsee took about 45 minutes. Here we made another break and enjoyed the sunlight dancing on the lake. From the lake we further followed the path downwards to the Gaisalpe. After about 1 hour we arrived at the Gaisalpe and enjoyed a cold apple soda 🙂 From here we were heading back to Oberstdorf (about 90 minutes). We think the Rubihorn is always worth a hike. Especially after a long winter break the Rubihorn is always a good starting point to get used to the mountains again 🙂

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