European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 14, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Devote a Day to Story and photos by Joseph Owen staff writer there Are bigger lakes and there Are More impressive ones even in West Germany. But the subtlety of Lake Sharnberg is its splendor. Three Miles across and 1 2 Miles Long this second largest of Bavaria s lakes is ringed with a Lush necklace of foliage interrupted Only by a few quiet towns a handful of Small castles some fishing villages and a smattering of Holiday resorts. This contradicts what one might expect Given the location. The Lake is just 1 5 Miles Southwest of Munich a Metropolis of 1.2 million people. But after a stroll through the Woods a boat Outing or a night at i storefront inn the harried visitor forgets about telephones timetables and tailgaters. The big City might As Well be on the other Side of the planet. From one of the four state owned diesel powered ships that Glide Back and Forth among the Lake s nine Small ports passengers can see the bavarian Alps on a Clear Day and get a close up tour of the entire Shore any Day. A round trip adult ticket costs 16.50 Marks about $9.15. For Alfons Gischell the trip never loses its magic. Gischell now a Captain on two of the passenger ships that roam the Lake started working on one of the Lake vessels in 1938 when he was 14. World War ii found him on a German warship in the Adriatic sea but a few years after the War he returned to the town of Sharnberg and began shuttling tourists and commuters around the Lake. Sometimes they ask me if it in t Boring Gischell said flicking the wheel of the 700 passenger Bayern the German word for Bavaria Ever so slightly As the murmuring ship closed in on the pier at berried. What s it like when you work All Day at a Workbench at some company what about these women who work hour after hour putting Small radio parts together i find that Boring he said. Each Job has its advantages and  Gischell pilots the Faye Rand the 1,200 passenger see Haupt in rotation with two other captains a different Crew steers the smaller ships the futzing and the Berg. The ships run daily from the end of april to mid october. Passengers can make a circuit of the Lake in a few hours but visitors would be better advised to make a Day trip out of it by stepping off at a few stops and looking around until the next boat comes by. A visit to Berg for example introduces a puzzling sailboats at rest in the quiet Waters of Lake Sharnberg just 15 Miles Southwest of the thriving City of Munich. A " a of a a Jar a x ks5f/ Var a / -. Of  a. .T.�a.4 i if. I2l Stripe Magazine july 14, 1988