Stop Four: Salzburg and Berchtesgaden
After a traditional weisswurst breakfast (white sausages, a pretzel, and a beer) in Munich, we hopped a noon train to Salzburg. As we headed into the alps, it didn’t come as a surprise that lots of Salzburg is vertical—-tall cathedrals, fortresses on cliff sides, and even Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest nearby. This was a city jam-packed with tourists though.
Armed with rain coats and an umbrella, we headed to Old Town where we took the funicular to the Hohensalzburg Fortress, an 11th century castle and compound that is basically a museum of Middle Ages city. We saw armor and weaponry from many eras, the original heating system, and a spectacular panoramic view. Later that evening, we tested the local schnapps, got caught in a downpour, and shared a table with a German family at a schnitzel place.
The next morning, we took a bus tour to see the Eagle’s Nest, complete with gold elevator and Italian marble fireplace. This fortress was created in 13 months in the late 1930s by paid labor. It was always heavily guarded by SS. It was used for meetings and parties but the only ones who ever stayed were the guards; all else traveled back down to residences. Hitler only rarely visited as he didn’t like heights. Our guide Mikro had a classic German villain voice, and he was amusing and animated. The views of the alps all around us were spectacular despite the low-hanging clouds. Everything was green, and there were wildflowers in every color. This location seemed to be the start point of many hiking trails. At the end of the trip to the top, we came down to Berchtesgaden for lunch and got to see the traditionally painted buildings and a cool cemetery.
That left us another half day to explore Salzburg, so we had to make our way to the Sacher Hotel for Sacher torte and strudel—-so worth it!! Then we went to find St. Peter’s church grounds to see the gates where the Von Trapps were hidden by the nuns. We found lots of interesting graves, monuments, and cathedral decorations. As recommended, we ended our evening at Augustiner Brauhaus where the monks still brew the beer in the abbey like they’ve done for centuries, complete with ceramic mugs you rinse yourself.
There was far more to explore than we had time for, but it was good fun.
This featured blog entry was written by Jackie2074 from the blog Following the 101st.
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