I was apprehensive about going, knowing it’s history.
I was even more apprehensive on the stressful bus ride up the mountain. No cars are allowed on the very steep, curvy road.
You can either hike (2-3 hours uphill) or take one of their buses which have been specially modified to handle the sharp curves. The road is only wide enough for one bus at a time, so they operate on a carefully orchestrated schedule, and the road is closed during the winter and bad weather.
The ride was something else; I couldn’t bear to look for much of it, as the road just dropped straight off, and we were So. High. Up.
When I did take a quick peek, it was beautiful.
When we finally made it to the top, we then had to go through this tunnel to take an elevator the rest of the way.
Despite my apprehension, once we arrived at the top, I was blown away by the views.
It was gorgeous in every direction. \240
It’s not very big, but we spent well over an hour climbing on the rocks and just trying to take it all in; we could have easily stayed longer.
These are some of my favorite pictures of my girls.
And Glenn ❤️
The picture below is looking back on Eagles Nest, which is now a restaurant. It was a lot smaller than I had expected - more like a lodge.
This hall, once a sunroom, gives the history behind the house, both during and after the war.
While looking around at the beautiful sights, I found it difficult to reconcile such beauty with the evil that was conducted here, but found comfort in this memorial, which is adorned with Edelweiss.
We decided to do the short hike back to the buses, rather than take the elevator down.
Amanda was particularly spry. 😊 And the bus ride down seemed quicker and less scary.
By the time we got back to our car, we were all hungry and needed to find food. Earlier, we had noticed the lake in the picture below.
It was Königssee, Germany, and was only about 20 minutes away, so we decided to head there for lunch.
It was just beautiful (how many times have I said that on this trip?!)
And we had another delicious meal, in another beautiful setting.
The water was so pretty and so blue, but a very different shade of blue from what we had seen in Santorini. Glenn called it glacier blue.
On our drive back, we stopped on the side of the road to take more pictures, but they don’t do it justice.
Berchtesgaden National Park and Königssee were both amazing examples of the best Germany has to offer.
Now for THE BAD:
Traffic was awful on this trip, both coming and going; it took around two hours longer than it should have each way.
The rest stops were treacherous, packed with cars parked everywhere, making it really hard to navigate.
Amanda and Taylor said no more road trips for them. And I did not take pictures because it was too frustrating.
THE UGLY:
On the drive home, we stopped at Dachau.
This is the gate they passed through. It translates to “Work sets you free.”
It was a somber and emotional visit. Throughout, people spoke in hushed tones - I think to, in some small way, show respect for those whose lives were brutally taken from them here.
This was not something we had really looked forward to, but more of something we felt we should do.
It serves as a painful reminder of the devastating power of fear and hate.
Never Again. \240#ChooseLove
