Presumably, many of you have at some point stood on a skyscraper’s observation deck and marvelled at how very long is the “drop” to the streets below.
From the Sydney Tower’s “Eye”, it is 250 metres.
From the Melbourne Edge’s “Skydeck”, it is nearly 300 metres.
The Empire State Building’s top floor sits 373 metres above Manhattan’s streets.
This post’s featured image was taken from the summit of the Jenner (1874 metres ASL), looking down to the Königssee; the vertical “drop” to that lake’s surface exceeds the aforementioned “drops”, respectively, by more than five times, more than four times, and more than three times.
By Himalayan or Andean standards – or even Swiss, French or Austrian ones – Germany’s alps attain relatively modest heights.
They are, however, truly grand, and several jaw-dropping viewpoints are very easy to reach; chairlifts or special roads will whisk you most of the way up.
The Eagle’s Nest is the most famous (and “infamous”, via Adolf Hitler) viewpoint, but I think the vistas from the Jenner are even more magnificent.
Equally splendid is the Königssee, at its 600 metres ASL surface level; this fiord-like glacial lake’s deep waters are reputedly Europe’s purest.
Almost-adjacent is the smaller, even lovelier Obersee.
All the aforementioned Bavarian alpine wonders are conveniently close to Berchtesgaden, and you do not need a car reach them.
Future multi-image posts will showcase each one.
(photo is copyright Doug Spencer, taken at 11.05 am on 11 October 2023)