Berchtesgaden, Eagle's Nest & Königssee

We are headed to Berchtesgaden next. Known for being "idyllic and atrocious" in the same breath, it has some of the most gorgeous Alpine views in Germany... and was also home to one of the main seats of Nazi power in the 1930s and '40s.

We stayed just across from the Hauptbahnhof in a very pretty Alpine-style hotel called Hotel Grünberger. It's definitely a tourist town, attracting both nature and history enthusiasts. On our first night, we explored the town of Berchtesgaden and luckily came upon "Musik Montag" (Music Monday), where various musicians were performing throughout the town centre.

We grabbed Turkish dürüms (döner for T and falafel for me) and a bench to listen to a beautiful singer perform soft versions of English songs like "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "Mamma Mia." We wandered through the town centre with ice cream later and were treated to a big brass oompah band playing in the market square. Traditionally dressed band members came around selling shots of schnapps, and we donated a few euros for the sweet treat and to support the musicians.

Eagle's Nest / Kehlsteinhaus

Kehlsteinhaus, also known by its English name, the Eagle's Nest, is located 1,834 metres high in the Berchtesgaden Alps. On a clear day, you can even see Salzburg, Austria!

First, you take a city bus from the Berchtesgaden Bahnhof (free with the visitor's pass you get by staying at a hotel in the region!). Then you pay for a ticket (ideally in advance, although you can alter your time to a later bus if needed) and take a special coach up a 6.5 km mountain road, about a 15-minute ride.

You enter a long tunnel, go up a golden brass lift and enter... the Eagle's Nest. The view is absolutely amazing. The historical significance... horrifying.

From 1933–45, the Obersalzberg area was the second most important centre of power for the Nazi regime after Berlin. Hitler had his Berghof residence here and spent a significant amount of time in the area, where he and other high-ranking Nazis made decisions about war, persecution and genocide.

The Eagle's Nest itself was built in 1937–38 as a prestigious reception building high above the Obersalzberg. Interestingly, Hitler didn't actually spend that much time up here and visited relatively rarely. It was used more often by members of his inner circle and to impress diplomatic guests. He entertained Mussolini here (the fireplace is rumored to be a gift from him). Eva Braun suntanned while Goebbels and Goering drank on the terraces. 

It's an absolutely beautiful and stunning view. It's surreal to be in this place as a historical tourist, 81 years later.

We took a teeny hike a bit farther up to get a really beautiful view of Lake Königssee and the mountains surrounding us. We had a beer and radler on the patio of the now-functioning restaurant before heading back down.

Afterwards, we went to the Dokumentation Obersalzberg, an incredibly interesting museum that highlights the history of Obersalzberg (the area above Berchtesgaden). It was laid out incredibly well, with an English (and other languages) audio guide showcasing how the area went from a small farming village and holiday destination to Hitler's heavily guarded, off-limits compound, and then eventually back to a recreational and holiday getaway.

Three artifacts in particular were of significant interest to me:

● A "Cigarette Photo Collection Book" from 1936. Adults used to collect these photos from cigarette packages and pass them on to their children to put into albums, and people would trade them. Think Spice Girls bubble gum stickers from the late '90s, but with Nazis. 😬 This was a highly effective propaganda tool, with millions of these albums produced.

● A map showcasing the battle on the Eastern Front (Russia). The one they had on display showed November 21, 1942, when Hitler gave the order from Obersalzberg that forbade the 6th Army to retreat from Stalingrad, which proved to be fatal for German troops.

● A baby "gas mask" cot. Germany developed these awkward machines to protect babies in case poison gas was used against German civilians. However, as the museum placard noted, "there were no Allied gas attacks and the cot remained unused. The only use of gas in World War II was by the Germans - to murder people in extermination facilities and camps." 😬

Afterwards, we explored remnants of the bunker system that existed beneath Obersalzberg. Upon defeat, the SS burned documents in these bunkers (you can still see one room darkened from soot) and the people living in the countryside ransacked the abandoned buildings for useful items.

I've seen the Churchill War Rooms in London, and now I've seen a similar kind of experience in Germany (bunkers, war maps, etc.). I am putting this history degree to good use.

Lake Königssee

To cleanse the palate from this dark history and enjoy the natural beauty of the region, we did a day trip to Lake Königssee. You can hike, take a boat tour, or ride a gondola up Jenner mountain. We opted for the boat tour.

A tip for those going in the future: book early! We booked the morning of, and the earliest boat we could get was 1:45 p.m. We subsequently had two hours to kill when we got there, so we explored the little lakeside attractions (overpriced food & souvenirs), snacked on a surprisingly fresh pretzel, and did a short mini-hike to the Malerwinkl lookout for a great shot of the lake.

We boarded our boat and floated leisurely across the lake. We passed an "Echo Wall," where the guide played a trumpet tune and the sound echoed back to us. In older times, they apparently used to shoot guns toward the wall to hear the echo.

The boat stopped at two locations: the Church of St. Bartholomä and the end of the lake at Salet. We skipped the church because we wanted to get to Salet and do a short hike to another lake for a swim.

Lake Obersee was a lot less busy, and we were so hot that a cool mountain-lake swim sounded perfect.

It really was.

We had a little swim and then headed back to Berchtesgaden by boat and bus in the evening. We totally missed the solar eclipse as we were getting ready for dinner, oops!, and enjoyed a delicious Indian dinner at Noor E Panjab, "the finest (and only) Indian Cuisine" in Berchtesgaden. 

That wrapped up our time in Berchtesgaden and we are off to Salzburg next!

Dachau Concentration Camp

In another chapter of Susan Visits Dark History Spots Around the World, we went to visit the Dachau Concentration Camp. My interest in history, specifically Holocaust stories (which was sparked by reading "Number the Stars" in Grade 5) has rubbed off on Tarun, and he was equally engaged in this memorial. I took minimal pictures while there, but those I did take, I will add to this blog.

Dachau was the first permanent concentration camp established by the Nazi regime, opening in March 1933, and it became a model for the concentration camp system that followed. Originally, it primarily housed political prisoners... those who opposed the Nazi regime, including communists and other political opponents, but it soon expanded to imprison many others persecuted by the Nazis (e.g. Jews, Roma, LGBTQ, etc). Over its 12 years of operation, more than 200,000 people were imprisoned at Dachau and its network of subcamps, and at least 41,500 died.

Before you enter the prisoner camp, you can see some of the former SS grounds, which included training facilities, administrative buildings & living quarters. Much of this area isn't part of the memorial today and is currently used by the Bavarian Riot Police.

The site originally had 34 barracks, but today only two have been reconstructed to show what the interiors would have looked like during different periods of the camp's existence. The locations of the others are marked by concrete outlines stretching down the former camp road. 

The expanded camp was designed to hold about 6,000 prisoners, but became incredibly overcrowded as the war progressed. By the time it was liberated by U.S. forces on April 29, 1945, more than 30,000 prisoners were crammed into the main camp. If you need a visual comparison like I did, BMO Field can hold about 30,000 fans during regular Argos/Toronto FC games.

Dachau housed fewer physical artifacts than what I witnessed during my visit to Auschwitz in 2010, but a lot more information. I skimmed a bit because of my finally useful history degree and lost Tarun in the museum area for about an hour. The main museum is housed in the former camp maintenance building, where newly arrived prisoners were registered, stripped of their belongings, forced to undress and processed into the camp system.

One thing that was similar between Auschwitz-Birkenau and Dachau was the gate bearing the words "Arbeit macht frei", or "Work sets you free." A taunting message of false hope to the people imprisoned there. The historic gate was stolen from the memorial in 2014 and eventually recovered in Norway in 2016. Since then, it has been kept inside the museum for security, while a replica stands at the original entrance.

While Dachau was not primarily an extermination camp, it did have a crematorium and gas chamber on site. The gas chamber, disguised as a shower room, was built inside the newer crematorium known as Barrack X.  Historians generally agree that there is no evidence the gas chamber was used for mass executions (unlike Auschwitz-Birkenau), but some prisoners may have been killed there using poison gas.

The crematoria, on the other hand, were extensively used. As the death toll increased, particularly near the end of the war, the crematorium could not keep up. A shortage of coal eventually stopped it from operating, and thousands of bodies instead had to be buried in mass graves. 😥

We spent about three hours there. It's only about 40 minutes from Munich and is quite a solemn, but important, visit. One I won't quickly forget.

Munich

Onwards to Munich, where I met up with my boyfriend Tarun, who flew in the previous day from Toronto. He'll be joining me for the rest of the trip, and I'm excited to show him a Euro-Summer!

We grabbed a later-start walking tour through GuruWalk and explored Munich's old town. I had crazy déjà vu from the last time I was in Germany, with my friend James on my 2009 backpacking Eurotrip, when we walked through the Hofgarten and saw its Diana Temple. In 2009, I described it as "a gorgeous garden with a wicked gazebo," and I think it still lives up to that name. Here's a quick photo comparison between 2009 and 2026...

We also saw sights like:

• Viscardigasse: During the Nazi era, people used this alley as a shortcut to avoid passing the Nazi memorial on nearby Residenzstraße, where they would have been expected to give the Nazi salute. Today, a trail of golden paving stones commemorates this quiet act of resistance.

• The Munich Residenz: Parts of the palace were heavily damaged during WWII and later reconstructed. In one courtyard, the facade was painted onto the walls rather than fully recreated in stone. The Residenz was also home to King Ludwig I, whose 1810 wedding celebrations  turned into the tradition of Oktoberfest.

• The Bavarian State Chancellery: Some of the historic columns still bears visible holes from the war. Munich was heavily bombed during WWII as symbolically, it was the birthplace of the Nazi movement.

• The Glockenspiel: A musical, animatronic clock in  that looks considerably older than it actually is. The "new" town hall was completed in the early 1900 despite it looking like old gotchic architecture 

Hofbräuhaus

Hofbräuhaus is associated with one of Munich's famous "Big Six" breweries. It's a classic tourist stop while still maintaining its beer-hall traditions. James and I stopped here in 2009, and the big 1-litre glass looked just as big as it did then... but was a lot easier to drink now. 😉 (It's about 2.1 pints!)

Tarun got a Radler and I got the house lager. For dinner, Tarun indulged in sausages and potato salad. I loved the potato salad... it's a more vinegary-sweet version rather than the mayo-heavy kind we're used to in North America. The vegetarian menu has certainly expanded since we were last here (sorry, James), but I was enticed and intrigued by the "3 Brot" bread spread and enjoyed a classic bread-and-beer dinner.

Regulars can keep their personal beer steins in locked compartments called the Maßkrugtresor (beer stein safe). The lockers are exclusive, with spots sometimes remaining in families for generations.

Dark History Fact: Hofbräuhaus also has a darker place in Munich's history. Hitler spoke here during the early years of the Nazi Party. Swastika decorations that once appeared on the ceiling were later painted over with Bavarian flag designs.

Englischer Garten & the Eisbach River Float

We spent an afternoon relaxing in the Englischer Garten, a huge city park that's larger than New York's Central Park. We explored approximately 2% of it, parking ourselves in the dusty shade near the river for a picnic lunch, watching the surfers, and then braving an Eisbach river float!

Locals (and tourists) float down sections of the Eisbach during the summer, despite warning signs and the risks of its strong current. You jump in from the side and float downstream, sometimes with a floatie or dry bag, or just using your own body. I could touch the bottom initially, but after floating under the first bridge, I couldn't anymore (although Tarun said he could). At that point, you lift your feet and let the current take you. It was a lot of fun.

There were scarier rapids farther downstream, but I exited before them. My float was about six minutes downriver and eight minutes walking back to my towel.I did try to get a look at the rapids and then almost got sucked back into the current. I know I probably would have been fine (former lifeguard/strong swimmer), but panic set in and I grabbed onto the wall for dear life while the current pulled at me. Luckily, a kind German teenager took pity on my panicked face and helped pull me out. Only a scrape on my elbow remains. 😂

Pinakothek der Moderne

We found out that on Sundays you can visit several of Munich's major state museums for only €1! This is an expensive town, so that seemed like a pretty good way to spend an afternoon.

We went to the Pinakothek der Moderne and spent about two hours exploring. We saw works by Picasso, Warhol, Ernst and Kandinsky, among many others.

There was also a special exhibition featuring the art of Dana Schutz, and we really liked her unique, bold work. I'm glad to have discovered someone new to look out for art galleries now.

The design section showcased everything from vehicles and robots to glassware, housewares and camping equipment. Two cool discoveries from the robotics section: 1) the Dash and Dot robots we have at my school were showcased, and 2) one of my favourite childhood toys, a talking educational robot named Alphie, was there too! It was the original blue version rather than the white one I had, but still... what a random nostalgia bang.

Olympiapark Sommerfestival

While taking the U-Bahn, I noticed a poster advertising the Sommerfestival at Olympiapark. As a yearly fan of the CNE, I obviously thought this was worth investigating. It was also held on the grounds of the 1972 Munich Olympics. After watching several films about the 1972 terrorist attack that killed members of the Israeli Olympic team, it was interesting and sombre to see the site in person.

The carnival itself wasn't *that* amazing. It was fairly small and much less busy than I expected, especially compared with my experiences at the CNE/Ex and Calgary Stampede. But it had expensive food, carnival rides, games and the same kind of trinkets for sale, so I still enjoyed the wander.

We also swung by BMW Welt at BMW's headquarters. It's free to enter, and we checked out model cars, art cars and a pretty gorgeous Rolls-Royce Ghost. I now know that if I ever win the lottery and buy one, my colour of choice is called "Twilight Purple".

Munich gave us beer halls, modern art, childhood robots, Olympic history, a carnival, luxury cars and an amazing river ride. A pretty solid few days.

There was also one much heavier stop during our time here: Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. That experience deserves more than a paragraph squeezed into the end of a Munich post, so I'll leave it for the next one.

Here We Go, Heidelberg!

This Euro summer has me heading off to southern Germany with cheeky little jaunts into France (Strasbourg) and Austria (Salzburg). My first stop? Heidelberg!

When deciding where I wanted to adjust to my jet lag, I wanted it to be a smaller German town, a little away from Frankfurt Airport (but not too long after that 8-hour red-eye). I also wanted at least one tourist attraction (a castle) and an easy connection onwards to Strasbourg, where I would be meeting up with my friend Jill. All those roads (and one 1-hour FlixBus) led me to Heidelberg.

Upon finally settling into my hotel (Premier Inn Heidelberg City Zentrum), I had a quick power nap and then headed out for dinner. I knew I wanted to try something local and very German, so I found a restaurant (Krokodil) that served up a delicious dish called Flammkuchen. This is like a very thin white sauce-based pizza, originating from the border areas of Alsace in France and southwestern Germany. It was delicious, and I devoured most of it. I paired it with a Radler because... when in Germany, one must drink beer!

To try and stave off the jet lag sleepiness, I walked to Bismarckplatz, a transit hub close to the Altstadt (Old Town) and the Neckar River. I was super tired, though, and despite my best efforts, was back in bed before 9 p.m.

Heidelberg is mainly known for two things: its University and its ruined Castle. The University plays a major role in this city, being Germany's oldest university and producing numerous Nobel Prize winners and academics (e.g. Dmitri Mendeleev - created the Periodic Table of Elements, Max Born - quantum physics, Max Weber - "the father of modern sociology"). While I didn't have time to visit it, there is also a student prison museum (Studentenkarzer) because the university used to operate its own autonomous legal jurisdiction until 1914 and used to jail students for things like disturbing the peace (often while drunk), playing pranks, or participating in illegal fencing duels... en garde!

I started my day in Heidelberg by wandering down the Hauptstraße (main street) in the Altstadt. It's a 1.8 km pedestrian zone full of shops, cafés, and restaurants.

 I had lunch at a unique place called Matcha & TofuTasche where I had these delicious things they called TofuTasche (tofu pockets made out of the same stuff as in Inari sushi and then filled with vegetables and sauces). So good, even if not very Germanic.

I visited two churches in the area, as one does whenever in Europe: the Heiliggeistkirche (Church of the Holy Spirit) and the Jesuit Church. Both held different beauty inside, and I thought the Holy Spirit one was a bit more impressive.

The Holy Spirit Church used to be physically split by a wall for over 230 years to allow Catholics and Protestants to simultaneously worship until eventually returning to being solely a Protestant church in the 1930s. There was also a beautiful note in the church celebrating acceptance and inclusivity, which my agnostic ideology appreciated.

Speaking of acceptance, there was unfortunately a very terrible homophobic terror attack that took place in Berlin four days before. Outside of the Rathaus (the Town Hall), there was a lovely memorial set up to honour the victims.

I mentioned earlier that Heidelberg is known for two things, and while I didn't go to the university, I did go to the castle! I booked a tour through NiceGuides, and while it wasn't the best tour I've ever been on (hats off to my D-Day Beaches tour guide last year), I did appreciate having someone share information about what I was seeing, as if I did it solo, I wouldn't have learned anything (no info signs anywhere except in the random Apothecary Museum). 

Heidelberg Castle was the residence of the Counts Palatine of the Rhine (medieval lords), who later became the Prince-Electors ("High-ranking princes of the Holy Roman Empire who had the special privilege of voting to elect the German king and Holy Roman Emperor."). Each ruler built different buildings and wings until the French destroyed it during the Nine Years' War. It's now maintained as a historical ruin, with one section being more fully restored with interior rooms depicting the bygone age (but that was extra money and a different tour I didn't partake in).

Some highlights I learned:

* The whole castle is primarily built from local red sandstone.

* The moat didn't have water in it and was considered a dry moat where they kept animals to hunt/eat... like a live grazing refrigerator since meat didn't keep well.

* Elizabeth Gate was made by Frederick V for his English wife, Elizabeth Stuart, as a birthday gift. It led to the Princess's private garden. Legend says that the gate was built in one night as a surprise and that for every animal she found carved into the pillars, she would get a kiss.

* Our guide told us the original silver coat of arms on the gate was taken by the French and melted down into memorial coins depicting the burning of Heidelberg, leaving only the outline of the shield today.

* Legend tells of a knight who leapt from a castle window after being discovered visiting a lady-in-waiting, leaving his footprint in the sandstone. Legend says if your foot fits in it, you'll live a happy life. Mine fit... so I'm choosing to believe it. 😏

* There was an Apothecary (Medicine) Museum in the castle that showcased different displays of pharmacies from the medieval to Renaissance periods. If I had a nickel for every time I went to an apothecary exhibit in a small offbeat European town, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right? (See last year's adventure in Beaune, France.)

One of the coolest things in the castle, though, was a world record... the world's largest wine barrel! Built in 1751, the Heidelberg Tun holds 220,000 litres of wine. Winegrowers paid part of their taxes in wine, which was stored together in the enormous barrel. Needless to say, not a tasty vintage. So instead, this became the servants' wine, and they reportedly received three litres of wine per day. There's also a dance floor built on top of the barrel!

After taking the funicular down the hill back to the Old Town and having a delicious apple cinnamon bun at Zeit für Brot (best name! "TIME FOR BREAD"!), I headed to the Old Bridge. Now made of stone, but previously of wood, it provided a gorgeous view of the castle from below.

Despite having to double back, I ended up finding the Heidelberg Monkey Statue. It was meant to mock political rivals across the river and holds a mirror to remind people of their own vanity and human flaws. Somehow that has now morphed into "if you touch the mirror, you will gain wealth." There are also two little mice beside the statue ("if you rub them, you'll be blessed with many children") and a poem from the 17th century that translates to:

Why are you staring at me?

 Haven't you seen the old monkey in Heidelberg?

Look around and you probably will see—

more monkeys like me!

After gaining my wealthy superpower and determining that I too am a monkey, I headed back to the hotel for a classic jet lag blunder. My 15-minute nap went on for 45 minutes, and I woke up with a start. This would prove bothersome, as later that night I couldn't fall asleep until 3:30 a.m.!

I stumbled out of the hotel and to a nice local restaurant called Schwarzer Peter, where I tried an Alsatian/southern German dish called Spätzle and, in pure Susan style, ordered the cheese version (Käsespätzle). It was incredibly rich and extremely cheesy. Not the ideal dinner for a tired girl in 37-degree heat. I unfortunately only ate about a quarter of it, but did enjoy what I could eat.

Next up is a bus to Strasbourg, France, where I will be meeting up with my friend Jill.

Tschüss, Germany! I'll be back in 3 days. :)