September 1, 2015

September 1, 2015

From our digs in Salzburg, we drove south across the border back into Germany and the Berchtesgaden area.  The Berchtesgaden is a little finger of Germany that extends into the Alps making it Germany’s mountain getaway.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the much loved classic ‘Sound of Music’  We watched the movie a month ago and Aimee said, “Let's go”. Although much of it was filmed in Salzburg, the opening sequence is across the border in the Berchtesgaden.  In the town of Marktschellenberg, we climb the local hill to the pastures above town.  Aimee gets out and immediately starts twirling and belting out the ‘The hills are alive’.  She thinks she is Julie Andrews!

After I restrain Aimee we head back to the valley and travel farther south to the Konigssee and Berchtesgaden National Park.  The Konigssee is an ‘inland fjord’, a long narrow glacier-carved lake surrounded by steep mountains.  So steep that we cannot hike the perimeter.  To explore this pretty spot, we buy tickets for a cruise down the lake.  We board a small boat packed to the gills with Germans.  It is a little too tight for my likes.  Plus there is a German narrator who rambles on the entire time. He must be funny as he gets frequent laughs. The one part of the entertainment I could understand is when the boat stops in mid-lake and the captain comes back and pulls out a bugle from underneath the seat next to me.  He plays an intermittent tune that is answered by echoes off the cliff.  Pretty Cool!

Shortly afterward we disembark on a spit of land sticking out into the lake containing the onion-domed church of St Bartholomew.  We do a circular walk around the area and then reboard for the return trip.  The trip back is far less crowded, making it easier to enjoy the wonderful scenery.  It is also peaceful as the boats are electric powered making them very quiet.

Back at the dock we have a quick lunch and then tour around the Berchtesgaden area.  We find a cute little church framed by the surrounding mountains.  

On our way back to Salzburg, we stop again in Obersalzberg.  This time we stop at the Documentation Center.  There are several in Germany and they seem to be a euphemism for Nazi Museum.  The museum is large but is virtually all in German.  I think they are designed for Germans to learn their history, and they are hesitant to provide other languages that might make them a Nazi tourist site.

Obersalzberg has a Documentation center because it was the location of Hitler’s country home.  After buying property here, he proceeded to construct a large subterranean complex assuming he might have to direct the war effort from underground.  Obersalzberg was destroyed by bombers near the end of the war. The only things that survived was yesterday's mountaintop Eagle's Nest and the underground bunkers.  We explore some of this vast subterranean city.  It gives Aimee the creeps.

Since the museum is in German, we don't spend a lot of time in it.  It covers everything from the rise of Nazism through to the end of WWII. We collect all the English handouts to read later.  We do surprisingly watch a couple films.  Although they have little English, they don't need a lot of explanation.  These films don’t hold a lot back.  They show gruesome scenes that are probably meant to shock young Germans.

One of the reasons I wanted to see the Eagles Nest is because I had seen it many times on old Hitler newsreels.  Or at least I thought I did. Now I realize that it wasn’t the Eagles Nest (he spent little time there). The film reels were from the terrace of his home here in the village of Obersalzberg.  That home was destroyed, but the Documentation Center building has been built with a patio that simulates the original Hitler home.

From Obersalzberg we head back to Salzburg. We have an hour before dinner so we drive north a few miles to Leopold Palace. This is the Von Trapp mansion film set from the Sound of Music. It is now an elegant hotel. Aimee and I walk in the front door like we are staying there, and take a photo on the back terrace. From there we head home and eat at the same restaurant as last night.  It is delicious again.  We found a hidden gem.