On a "business" trip to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, I am sipping champagne before dinner on the patio at the Hotel Eibsee. Just behind me is the Eibsee. The Zugspitze, at 2962 meters, the highest point in Germany, is in the background. It is on the border with Austria.

An aerial tram travels from a terminal which is out of sight in the forest on the left, over the two red and white towers in the middle and then directly up to the summit on the right.

It was late in the afternoon and the lake and forest were deep in shadow, but the peaks were well lit by the sun. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.