Think of paddle steamers, an Abbey with the best beer you'll ever try, sailboats everywhere and the amazing backdrop of the Bavarian Alps. If you can see the picture, then you´re at the Lake Ammer. Located southwest of Munich the Ammersee is the sixth largest lake in Germany and like other Zungenbecken lakes in the south, it's a very popular place for watersports.

During the summer I spent the most incredible and relaxing week at this lake of glacial origin. Every aspect of the trip made it one of the most unforgettable travel experiences I've had so far. 

Andechs Abbey looking lovely from afar.

What's pretty common in Germany is to stay at a Ferienwohnung (holiday home) for as long as you want. I stayed at Ferienwohnungen am Ammersee  in Herrsching, which is just a 10-minute walk from the lake. What I love of this type of accommodation is that you get to live like a local, instead of staying at a hotel, where you kinda feel everything's made according to a standard.

Andreas Stamp, the owner, received us with a friendly smile, Ritter Sport chocolates and saluted us in Bairisch, a dialect spoken in Bavaria. I love to travel around a country appreciating the different dialects because it shows how diverse people are even when they live in the same region.

As I mentioned on a previous post, the town of Herrsching is really quaint and less mass tourism-oriented than other cities of the area like Starnberg. Walking around Herrsching and to the shores of the lake gave me a very nice first impression of how town life is like at the Ammersee.

Boarding the paddle steamer in Herrsching.

Ammersee vibes.

The advantage of staying in a holiday home is primarily that you can cook whenever you want. We did a lot of cooking and also bought our fresh Brezn and Brötchen from the nearest bakery. Bakeries are synonyms of glory in Germany. Wherever you go, you'll surely find a bakery which offers the most delicious fresh baked bread, pastries and cake. Having long breakfasts at the terrace of our home with the first sunrays caressing my face has got to be one of my faves from the trip.

Another lovely aspect about staying at the Ammersee is that you can rent a car and  drive around the lake exploring all the other towns and pretty places such as Dießen with its cathedral.

If you're at the Ammersee then you cannot miss Andechs Abbey. Nicknamed "Bavaria's holy mountain", the pilgrimage site of Andechs sits on a hill and is famous for the impressive Baroque church. Andechs is a popular destination for beer lovers, too! The monks who live there brew the finest beers I have ever tried! I hiked all the way to the top while enjoying breathtaking views of the Bavarian Alps, which could have perfectly illustrated Johanna Spyri's book "Heidi".

Dießen from afar.

Dießen cathedral.

Another way of appreciating the sights around the lake is to take a tour on board of a paddle steamer. The entire experience is pretty romantic, as you get to see the prettiest sunsets from different parts around the lake.

Last but not least, I couldn't finish this post without writing about my absolute favourite moment of the entire trip. You know how I mentioned watersports are a big thing at the Ammersee?  Well, I spent an entire morning trying out SUP, stand up paddle. André Weidner from  Windsurf-Schule Herrsching was really nice and even stayed with me until I felt comfortable doing SUP on my own. I thought I was going to fall off the board into the cold waters of the lake (yep, it's cold even during the summer), but to my surprise it went pretty well!

It was almost midday and we had to return the boards. But we decided to go for another 5 minute round. Just my father and me, the both of us together facing the impressive Bavarian Alps on that sunny summer day. We were submerged in a startling silence, almost numb by the beauty of the sights all around us. The memory of that moment still warms up my heart.
That's when I realised summer is not a season, it's a state of mind.

Ammersee vibes.

Ammersee vibes.

Ammersee vibes.

Ammersee vibes.

Ammersee vibes.

Ammersee vibes.