Before we went on our trip we spent a lot of time researching the things we wanted to make sure that we saw. I knew that when we went to Munich the others had not been to the Dachau Concentration Camp, but I had. I wasn't particularly excited about seeing it again but insisted that we make the trip - it is important for everyone to see, feel and understand such a dark part to our history. So this was the day, I knew it would be somber and we would need some lighthearted fun for later in the day. We took off on the train and took the ~30 min trip out to the memorial site. They have done a nice job of making a memorial at the site as well as historical representation for what life was like at the concentration camp. You have the opportunity to see the private jail cells/offices for clergy and medical staff, an example of the barracks (original barrack buildings were taken down), and the crematorium. All are very hard to walk through and read about. The mood at the site is very somber (except for the approximately 1,589 students walking around...some of which were NOT being very respectful) and quiet. The images from my first visit to this place were forever etched in my memory and I remember feeling very connected to my grandfather who was in some of the first American troops to liberate the camps in Germany. While sad, I felt a great sense of pride for what he and his troop were faced with. Those feelings were no different the second time. The only difference was that I physically was not able to bring myself to enter the crematorium. I remember this being particularly hard the first time and just couldn't bare to see it again. I stayed outside while the others took a look. We were all very grounded after visiting the site - it really sets perspective for what those people went through and makes you realize that it is up to every one of us to ensure it doesn't happen again. Never Again.
From there we headed back to the hotel. It had started to rain so we decided that would be an EXCELLENT time for naps! We met back up for cocktails at the happy hour our hotel hosted. We decided another trip to the English Garden was in order - this time to find the surfers we had heard about and to MAYBE swim. It was a fair bit cooler after the front moved through so we asked the front desk if the surfers would be doing their thing in the cold - they chuckled and said most definitely, they surf 365 days a year! Off we went....train then bus and we found the surfing pretty easy. They said you could see lots of people taking pictures on the bridge and they were right! Like I said before the current running through this river in the park is very strong - this particular section was a man made part that made it possible to surf some intense stuff! They were all geared up in wet suits and I'm telling you - you have to be a professional and know what you are doing to get out there! They had a very organized approach to it and it was very cool to watch - different then anything I've seen! From there we walked a little ways down and found a stand that sold beers - grabbed some and went to find a place by the river. Bryce was determined to get in and float down the current (it really was like a strong lazy river!). We all thought he was crazy (it really was much colder that day) but JD couldn't let Bryce do it alone and then Anne and I decided we couldn't let the boys do something we didn't do. So we found a place behind a tree/bushes and changed into our swimsuits. The water was cold, the floor rocky but we were doing it! After finishing our beers we all took turns floating down the current - again, we couldn't let the boys do something that we passed on. It was fun and a very unique part of our trip. We had lots of good laughs particularly because there was a very naked man down the river from us- without a care or concern in the world. He even got a little cold and put a t-shirt on, but that was it :) He is now forever known as "Bavarian Sausage" .
We ended our day with dinner at Augustine Keller - a big beer hall that was recommended to us by several people. It had a huge beer garden with some of the best schnitzel we had on our trip. After a few beers and pretzels (always pretzels!) we made our way back to our hotel - big day tomorrow with a drive to Eagles nest! My love for Munich runs deep - we all decided we must return, for me, I want to drink beer in Munich with my kids one day. The people, atmosphere, food and drinks were all phenomenal and it just doesn't get much better!!
Day 11 - Eagles Nest
Seeing the Eagles Nest was one of the things we were all MOST looking forward to. I had not been on my previous trips and the history we were set to see we were all pumped for. First we had to drive to the city of Burchtesgaden where we would meet our tour group. This was the only thing we paid for a private tour and we were really glad we did! We got lots of good history on the whole area around Eagles Nest and we really were glad to hear that! We got on our bus and started up the mountain. Our English speaking tour guide walked us through the WW2 history of the entire region. Hitler didn't use Eagles Nest all that much once the war started but he did spend a lot of time at his summer home in the region. Its where he wrote one of his books. We stopped at the bunker museum and got to tour part of the bunker system. It really is incredible how complex and vast the bunker system was and how it was built/etc. Some of the proudest moments of our tour was hearing about and SEEING carvings in the bunker from both French and American troops when they took over the region from the Germans in May of 1945.
We got to the top of the mountain and had arrived at the Eagles Nest!! The absolute coolest part was riding up in the same elevator that Hitler used at the location! Up the elevator we saw the full building which is now not much more than a few rooms, dining room and deck area. Walking outside of the Nest there are amazing views of both Germany and Austria. Truly beautiful. Before we left, JD and I did a fair bit of investigating in looking at the carvings on the marble fireplace in the sitting room. You can see carvings from soldiers and tourists from the 40's to the 90s! The Eagles Nest took 13- 18 months to build. French soldiers took the bunkers on May 5, 1945 and American troops took the Eagles nest on the 6th of May. So proud of our country for what they were able to do!
After we were done at the Eagles Nest it was 5pm and we knew we had a long drive to Hohenschwangau - aka Hogwarts aka Cinderella's castle. This would end up being the MOST epic drive of the trip. We hit 3 road closures not recognized by our car's GPS system, had to stop temporarily on the highway for a HAIL STORM (luckily no Mercedes 5 class's were harmed in this trip), enjoyed 4 schnitzels (that was all we could read on the menu in an off the beaten path town's only open restaurant), 3 beers and 1 cappuccino, saw 1 fox, 3-4 cats, cows, drove through many goat paths - it took 4 hours and 30 extra minutes and we even saw angry villagers carrying torches through one village we drove through.....BUT we MADE IT! We though the night was all but done, ALMOST willing to admit that we shouldn't have made this leg of the trip at all.....but then we stumbled into our rooms at the Hotel Mueller in the town of Hohenschwangau and all was forgotten. We each had private terraces with AMAZING views of Neuschwanstein (Burke's view) and the Hunting Lodge castle (Woolard Side) in the evening. We had free wine waiting in our room, a private terrace with views of two of the most beautiful castles in Europe...Well....OK we can make this work then! To make things even better.....our hotel got us signed up for tickets to see Neuschwanstein the next day - also something we were worried about that we hadn't gotten tickets ahead of time and would have to wait in line. This hotel was worth every penny!! Amazing.
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