Bavaria: Obersalzberg & Eagle's Nest

Dad is a military history buff, so visiting Berchtesgaden and Hitler's Kehlsteinhaus (a.k.a. Eagle's Nest) was on his wishlist for sightseeing.  As it turns out, it wasn't beautiful Berchtesgaden where Hitler and his closest confidantes set up camp... it was higher up in beautiful Obersalzberg.  Hitler basically pushed the locals off their land and built his own little village, where people flocked in large groups to catch a glimpse of him at his retreat.  Today, you can stop by the Dokumentationszentrum Obersalzberg (I recommend the audiotour, as everything on display is in German) to learn the complete history of the Nazi party and what it did to the country and the town.

As you work your way down into the museum, you end up in part of the elaborate bunker system Hitler had built under the town.  There are airlocks, living space, and more, all set up in case they came under attack.  Most of Obersalzberg was bombed during WWII because of Hitler's presence there. After the museum, we took the bus (special buses are the only ones allowed access) up to Hitler's Kehlsteinhaus.  It was a harrowing ride on a narrow, winding road to the top of the mountain, over a mile up!  I don't like heights, so it was an interesting climb.

Once there, we walked through a tunnel to the elevator up to the house, now a restaurant/tourist stop.  The views from the top were beautiful, and I can see why Hitler's mistress would sunbathe up there.  Totally isolated and private.

Overall, we spent a half-day at the museum and Eagle's Nest, and it was an overwhelming amount of history.  Like visiting Dachau, it was important visit to remind us that Germany isn't just beer and castles.

Bavaria: Schloss Linderhof

Schloss Neuschwanstein gets a lot of attention, and rightfully so... it's a fairy tale castle, despite not being finished on the inside.  But for those fascinated by "Mad King" Ludwig II, undoubtedly an eccentric your ruler, you would find Schloss Linderhof, his favorite and only completed palace, to be a more intimate look at a place where he actually lived.  (Ludwig lived at Neuschwanstein for less than 200 days, but lived about 8 years of his life at Linderhof.)

The grounds alone at Linderhof are stunning.  It is clear this palace was modeled after Versailles, and Ludwig's appreciation for all things French from that time period.  As a fellow enthusiast for Louis XIV, I totally understand!  The gardens and grounds here are worth walking around for a long time.

The palace visit includes a tour (no photos) of the interior, and it was gorgeous.  Very, very ornate, and Ludwig's bedroom was the piece de resistance.  A bit of a recluse, he even had a dining room where the table could be set in the kitchen below, then lifted via pulleys up to him so he never had to interface with any servants or people.  The sizes of the rooms are proportionate to his solitary lifestyle, and it feels very livable.  His reading room was his favorite, and I can totally understand!  It was a beautiful space too.

Ludwig was obsessed with Wagner's operas, so he had an artificial cave/grotto built on his property so he could watch performances privately.  Can you imagine him sitting alone in his "cave" watching full-scale opera performances?  The grotto even has an artificial lake that could be heated for private swimming.

In the Grotto

Among other buildings on the property is the Moroccan Kiosk, which Ludwig purchased at a World's Fair.  It is a gorgeous little retreat.

Schloss Linderhof is difficult to reach without a car, or an organized bus tour.  We took a family road trip from Munich to Neuschwanstein, dipped down into Austria, and then Schloss Linderhof.  You can hit Oberammergau on the way back to the city too.  I definitely think that it is worth comparing and contrasting the two castles, given they are such an intimate look at Ludwig's personality.

Bavaria: Schloss Neuschwanstein, Austria, and Oberammergau

It's official...  I've now been to Schloss Neuschwanstein for the third time in my life.  It's the castle that inspired Disney, the incomplete magnum opus of "Mad" king Ludwig II.  And since I am interested in Ludwig's short but fascinating life, I was game to go back once more since Sissy could not remember the first trip.  The castle actually faces another castle where the royal family spent time, but Ludwig was building a true fairy tale into the mountain.  Sadly, he lived in it only a short while, and construction halted when he died his untimely death.  (Note to self: find photos from each visit and compare!)

It's a steep, sweaty hike up to the castle, but we braved it!  You have to buy a ticket at the bottom to get a reservation for a specific tour time, so it's best if you either get there early or reserve in advance.  Then you join the short guided tour (no photos allowed) to sneak a peek at what was completed in Ludwig's lifetime.

After Neuschwanstein, we drove via Austria towards Schloss Linderhof and Oberammergau.  We passed beautiful water and vistas, and we had to stop for a photo op.  I went down to the water and tasted it... pure and cold and delish!  I would have filled a bottle with it if I had one.

Austria

We stopped at Schloss Linderhof before Oberammergau, but I'll share that with you in my next post.  To round out this one, here are a couple snaps from our brief stop in Oberammergau.  It's a town that prayed to be spared from disaster by promising to put on a passion play every decade, and so now its buildings are covered in Biblical scenes.  They have a theater where the play is performed... next one is in 2020.  There's not much going on in town, but there are lots of woodwork shops and cute buildings.  Worth a pitstop!

Oberammergau

Munich: Bavarian Feast at Der Ratskeller

We had a "traditional" German feast at Der Ratskeller (located at Marienplatz) and Munich along with the rest of the travelers in our group.  This included the tapping of the keg and a family-style meal with music, yodeling, and the works.  I've got to admit, for a themed dinner it was not overly cheesy (well, minus the Chicken Dance) and really quite fun.

More cowbell!  Also, the cowbell lady was a yodeling pro.

Overall, I feel like I ate similar meals to this throughout the trip.  Mom and Sissy definitely struggled, as the only meat they eat is chicken (Mom also eats seafood).  I found that the concept of vegetarian meal options doesn't seem to exist as prominently in Germany, much as I experienced in France. We drank beer (of course!) and wine (summer = German Riesling Spatlese for me!).  This is where a fellow traveler introduced me to a Radler, a beer mixed with lemon soda.  Delish!  We started with a Munich leaf salad with small meatballs, then moved to a meat platter of different sausages, wiener schnitzel, veal knuckles, and roast chicken.  For side, there were fries (I ate a lot of fries in Germany), sauerkraut, and dumplings.  Dessert was a treat too, with a curd cheese strudel and vanilla sauce, plus chocolate-covered strawberries.  Woof, we ate so much!

It was a great time for the entire family... We just don't all sit around a table together that often anymore as we live in different states.  I think that was probably the best part of the meal in total.  I'd definitely recommend Der Ratskeller for a traditional, campy fun themed dinner in Munich, or Bavaria for that matter.

Munich: Residenz München

Since we already had Mehrtagestickets to see a number of sites in Bavaria, I asked my family if we could visit the included Residenz München and Treasury, in the heart of the city.  It is the former palace of the Bavarian monarchy (from 1508-1918), and the rooms are just fascinating.  I haven't been to many palaces where you can walk through literally a hundred rooms and see different types of decoration, tapestries, art, and more.  While Schloss Nymphenburg was impressive from the outside, the Residenz takes the cake on the inside.  I just can't even imagine what it was like while it was used to live in!  It was interesting to hear that while much of the building was damaged in WWII, many of the paintings (including those on the ceiling) were taken down to protect them.  You can see some darkly painted spaces on the ceilings where the paintings were too big to remove and were destroyed beyond repair in WWII.

Exterior of the Residenz

Here are a BUNCH of photos to give you a sneak peek behind the walls of this gem.  I can't believe there weren't more people walking through it, given you can see so much more than other grand palaces I have visited.  (Bonus: it's one of the few that is okay with photos inside!)   From the outside, you'd never guess that all of this was right smack dab in the middle of Munich.

Antiquarium, built to display the Duke's sculptures

I kind of liked how paintings felt integrated into the walls.

Tapestries were all over, making rooms feel so big.  Most rooms were pretty small/narrow.

More photos after the jump, included royal jewels!

Dachau: Concentration Camp Memorial Site

I won't go heavy on words for this post; the pictures speak greater words.  This was my third trip to Dachau; I visited before at age 4 and age 17.  While I was reluctant to "anniversary" this excursion for a third time, it is still a moving place to visit.  What happened there is virtually incomprehensible to me, as with what happened with the Holocaust in general.  I wish we had the time to explore the city of Dachau, in contrast to what I've seen at the camp, but we did not during this trip.  The memorial site is free of charge to visit, and it was good to see so many school groups touring so its memory will never be forgotten.  All Bavarian schoolchildren must visit a concentration camp site during their education.  I think the last words I leave with this post are: Never Forget.

Camp Entrance

"Work Makes You Free"

International Memorial

Camp Grounds

Munich: Bus Tour, Schloss Nymphenburg, and Glockenspiel

On our second day in Munich, we embarked on a bus tour of the city with our group.  We passed by a number of different areas around the city, including the Olympic parks and the BMW headquarters and museum.  Our guide gave us a bit of background about the population and lifestyle.  Most people on the bus were shocked to see young elementary school children biking to school on their own in such a big city.

We got off the bus to explore a bit of Schloss Nymphenburg, the summer residence of past royalty.  It was beautiful, with very ornate rooms.  I wish we had more time to explore the grounds, as there were other building beyond what we were able to see.  The frescos of Roman gods were some of my favorites, as there was definitely intention behind the way they were depicted.

We then made it to Marienplatz in time to watch the Glockenspiel chime at 5pm.  It was a neat spectacle to see the life-size pieces in motion, but I incorrectly assumed it was older than it was; it dates to 1908.

For supper, we ate at celebrity German chef Alfons Schuhbeck's Orlando.  I had Schuhbeck's currywurst and an Augustiner Helles beer.  The food was tasty.  We sat outside to enjoy the atmosphere and people-watching, but it was a bit annoying that a group of teens at the table next to us started to smoke.  Sigh.

On our way back to the hotel, we walked from Marienplatz to Odeonplatz, where we passed by the Feldherrnhalle (honoring Bavarian veterans) and  Theatinerkirche.  I was bummed the church was covered in scaffolding, because the color is so unique.  All in all, a very pretty journey through the city!