More damn mountains

This time in Germany.  I've realized while I like mountains, climbing them isn't my favorite activity.  Although the cardio is really good and I could use the toning that it gives you, but still...

Five of us went to Berchtesgaden on Saturday to climb Jenner.  It's 1,800 meters(about 6,000 feet) so a pretty good hike.  I forgot my passport so I had to smuggle myself into Germany.  I bet that's not something you hear everyday.  :)  Honestly if you're in one EU country they don't care too much.  Except the UK.  But I digress.

After a walk through Salzburg to the train station we hopped one train to Bad Reichenhall, then switched to another to Friesling(I think that's the spelling) and then took the bus to the mountain.  Impressive.  Pretty.  Steep.

Grant went off on his own, since he was faster and more motivated to make it to the top than we girls.  Although we took a steep route to Mittlestation.  Practically all uphill(haha)  As Lisa said, Well, it is a mountain.
Stopped for snacks a few times, had clear mountain water from an Alpine fountain dealie...very cool by the way.  (Sorry no photo) It was a very warm and sunny day, so I'm really glad I packed the sunscreen, because melanoma is no one's friend.

They are still skiing on Jenner, so we had to watch out once for skiers near the mittlestation.  Seems so odd to see skiers in April!  But we were pretty high up.

We decided Mittlestation was as high as we wanted to walk, so we took the cable cars the rest of the way(shh, it's a secret).  Great views from the summit.  Okay, I didn't make it all the way to the summit, just a little below it.  The snow was still pretty deep and I don't have goat feet.  Just sneakers.  Even with Stickly(my pet walking stick) it was daunting.

After climbing and riding down we walked a bit around the town at the base of Jenner.  There's a lake and some touristy shops we poked into.  Then caught the bus back to the train station at Berchtesgaden to head to the Therme in Bad Reichenhall.

That goes down as one of the best experiences here so far.  The Rupertus Therme is a spa deal with these heated salty pools in different areas.  The outdoor one is sooo lush, as my British friends have said.  You float, swim and enjoy the jacuzzi like areas(chasing the bubbles is fun) while watching the sun set over the mountains.  It's a seriously wonderful end to a day. 
They have saunas, massages, water gymnastics, and a cafe.  It's a big family thing as there were lots of kids and couples there swimming and soaking.  I highly recommend it.  You know if you're in Germany(southern Bavaria) or Austria.