Way Up High

Day 3 / May 28   -   Eagle's Nest and Berchtesgaden 

We had a full day planned for Memorial Day.  Most of our time in Germany was spent on bus trips planned by a tour company associated with the resort.  The first one was a long day from 7 am to 8 pm, starting with Eagle's Nest, then going to Berchtesgaden.  It was a long drive, about 2 and half hours one way.  But our tour guide had lots of interesting info for most of it.  Course, we found out on tours 2 and 3, many of these guides used the same jokes.  It got pretty funny after a while.  When we'd pass by a landmark, we could all look at each other and cue the joke.


Our first stop was Eagle's Nest.  It was built as a tea house in honor of Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday.  He actually lived below in the town, since he was afraid of heights.  Wuss. 

It was a trek getting up there.  The buses parked near the bottom of the mountain, then we had to ride special buses up the mountain, then walk through a long tunnel into the mountain, and finally there's an elevator ride to the top.  It's all the same as it was for Hitler 70 years ago.  

The views were nothing short of amazing.  Even on a rainy day, it was worth all the trouble.  There was still some snow on the ground, and we even got some flurries of flakes before heading back down. 

For lunch, the tour bus stopped in the nearby town of Berchtesgaden.  The town is cute as can be.  Totally German and fun to walk around.

We ended the day with some American food back at the hotel and more beers.  Then Trey and I had our Dance Dance off.

At the top.

Witte men take the mountain.

The blue and white of the Bavarian flag was everywhere during our trip.

The tea house.  The elevator was inside.  Now there's a restaurant and some photos celebrating the engineering feat it was to build this house.

Yes, it was difficult to climb the mountain in my jelly flats.  But totally worth it!

Back down to the tea house.

One of my favorite images from the trip.  Gives me a sense of peace.

There was a sudden clamor for the single elevator off Eagle's Next once it started snowing.  Then we all learned the hard way about Germany's lack of lines.  Well, Mom and Dad already had experienced this sort of chaos decades ago.  Everyone just pushed and shoved their way into the elevator.  Look for Trey and Daddy way in the back...

The cold tunnel from the elevator back to the bus stop.  We were walking in Hitler's shoes.

Walking into Berchtesgaden.  It was a drizzly day, so the crowds were thin.

Another German lunch, complete with beers.  The day was chilly and damp, so we warmed up with with Irish coffee, too.

Mom felt like she was in Disneyworld.  I could see that, especially since the streets were fairly empty.  

Photographer Evelyn.

Town church.  Reminds me of Orvieto's Duomo with the stripes. 

Even this beautiful photo couldn't capture this sunset.

After such a long day, we just wanted to stay put in the resort for dinner.  But Daddy and I continued to celebrate Germany with some beer tasting.