The Bavarian Alps

After our time in Munchen, we made our way to Austria. Before we actually crossed the boarder into Austria though, we had to stop by the famed Eagles Nest. The Eagles Nest was a 50th birthday present to Adolf Hitler which was rarely used. After exiting the train, we made our way to the bus station where we had to board a bus to Dokumentation (we weren't sure if this was an actual place or a area to take photos). Regardless, we made our way to Dokumentation and we were to board a second bus that would take us to the top of a mountain where the Eagles Nest resides. Among the several stop on the way to Dokumentation, the bus came upon a very slow driving old couple. The bus driver blared the horns and thought the car was going to speed up. The car did not speed up however, and the bus driver was forced to hit the brakes at the last second rear ending the slow vehicle. The angry bus driver started screaming what could only be curse words in german at the vehicle. He flagged the car down and had a few choice words with them and we were on our way again. We then arrived at Dokumentation which was just that a documentation of the near by town of Obersalzberg, where many Nazi officials had homes. The ride up the mountain was magnificent. The bus rounded corners that came inches away from falling into the deep depths of a valley. The bus driver had to have nerves of steel. We meandered through tunnels and on sharp corners; around every corner was a photo opportunity. When we finally arrived at the top the parked the buses and we got off. We stared in amazement at the view and headed into a dark tunnel where there was an elevator to the Eagles Nest. We waited in line for our turn and a large, german, man signaled us in and he didn't stop with us. He packed as many people into that elevator as humanly possible so much though that my fear of tight spaces was trumped by the severe b.o. of 30 sweaty tourists who just arrived from a hot bus. When we finally exited the sardine can, we made our way outside and we were awe struck. The views from on top of this mountain were unbelievable. No photo could even come close to this experience. We made our way further and further up, following paths to climb on top of large boulders, paths that snake around cliff edges and paths that go through tunnels. There was a photo op around every corner. We really thought that the Eagles Nest was going to be a tourist trap. It had its touristy things, but for the most part it was fabulous and if you ever have the chance, go for it. After a bit of exploring up there, we had to make our way back down to meet our departing bus. We could either take the elevator which was already lined out the door, or we could take the 20 min. walk down. We decided to make the walk but we only had 15 min. until our bus left, so we had to run it. It was a pretty easy jog down, but it was in pants and a dark shirt so profuse sweating ensued. We made our way back to the train station and on to our next destination Salzburg, Austria.