Mummelsee

In the last weekend of April, we decided to make a day trip to Mummelsee to watch the autumn colours before we left for our annual India vacation. Mummelsee is a small but beautiful lake in Schwarzwald or Black Forest in Germany. Well, winter started early in Germany and we got to see winter wonderland instead of fall colours. Mummelsee is only an hour and a half drive from our place and is beautiful in all seasons. The drive to Mummelsee through Scwarzwalderhochstrasse is scenic. The lake is in the middle of a pine forest. It is better to carry warm clothes even in summer as it can be a bit chilly.

Schwarzwaldhochstrasse - On the way to Mummelsee

There is a restaurant right next to the lake and couple of take away places. The restaurant serves authentic German food, which I do not particularly like because it consists mostly of meat preparations. But they serve really good cakes and we indulge ourselves in the rich cakes every time we go there. This time, we ordered some käse spätzle as well, in the hope that Sunshine would eat it. But I ended up eating it. It is just a kind of pasta with melted cheese, but was quite tasty.

There is also a souvenir shop right next to Mummelsee which has a decent collection of cuckoo clocks, dolls that are typical of this region and even German cheese and sausages.

It is possible to walk around the lake or up the adjoining hill and we usually do when the weather is better.

This is just the right place to get the 'Black Forest experience' especially when short on time

Thekkady

We visited my parents in Kerala in November during our annual India vacation. They took us all on a trip to Thekkady - a reserved forest area with a beautiful lake in the middle. The drive there was rather long and tedious with winding roads and unruly traffic, but the destination was worth the pain.

Thekkady Lake

Our accomodation was the best part of the trip -Lake Palace, Thekkady -  it was in an old palace which belonged to the Travancore royal family on an island in the middle of the lake. A short boat ride through the lake brought us to the island and our accomodation. The lake is one of a kind; it has old tree stumps all over the place, making it look a little eerie, but charming. The island was so serene and since we were the only guests there, we had the place to ourselves. Sunshine and my sister's son ran all over the manicured lawns and well kept gardens while we sipped on tropical juices and relaxed.

We went on a boat trip later, in the hope of spotting wildlife, especially tigers since it is a tiger reserve, but had to return disappointed since we spotted only a few deer and bisons. The next morning, the forest officer promised to take us on a hike through the forest. We all got ready in the morning and set out. The forest officials took us on a path which was on the edge of the forest. Again, we did not have much luck and we didn't spot any tigers. A part of me was happy about it as I am scared of wild animals and the fact that there were two toddlers with us only added to my fear. I did get attacked by some wildlife however - leeches. When I discovered a couple of them latched to my feet, I created quite a scene screaming and jumping all over the place. The forest guards reassured me by saying that they were not dangerous at this time of the year and that I discovered them very fast. Later, everyone discovered atleast a leech or two clinging on to their feet and we all applied generous doses of odomos before proceeding. Others hardly reacted when they found their leeches and I felt a little silly, but they were truly disgusting.

The Lake Palace

I was happy to be back at the palace for a sumptous breakfast. I don't think I am going for a wildlife advanture anytime soon, but I did enjoy the lake and the island and its palace. Back on mainland, we took an elephant ride which everone enjoyed except me and my two year old nephew. We were both terrified and while my nephew was wailing openly, I would have done it too but for the mocking I would have to face from everyone if I threw another tantrum. Sunshine enjoyed it the most; I guess he felt like a true maharaja riding his elephant.