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Thursday 9 July

Exit Munich. Departure at 10.21 and a beautiful train trip through Bavaria. Next stop is Berchtesgaden where I am at 12.51.

From the railway station it is a short walk to the Hotel Bavaria in the mountain hut style and a nice room with my own balcony overlooking a river and a bypass.

At the hotel I get a leaflet with a walk in and around Berchtesgaden. It is a good walk, which also takes me out of the usual tourist route. The walk takes a few hours and there are many beautiful outlooks across Berchtesgaden and towards the German Alps, which practically begins here. You will have to use your "Grüss Got" in this area. It is the polite “hello” and people here are very polite.

The day ends with snitzel with a draft.

Berchtesgaden and Wartzmann

Friday 10th July

The Bunker After a solid breakfast it is off with route at 838 at 9:00 to Obersalzburg and Documentation.

It is no secret Hitler stayed in the area.

Documentation is a museum about Hitler, Nazism and World War II. It is built in one of the many security bunkers in Obersalzburg. The museum is very serious and a little boring. I've hired an audio guide that tells and tells and tells. Under the impression of the seriousness of the subject I stay for an hour before I turn off the guide and go down to see the bunkers below the museum and then out into freedom.

From here there’s another bus along a very impressive road up to Eagles Nest. It was built as a gift to Hitler on his 50th birthday in 1938. It is a fascinating journey and a fascinating place. Despite the ugly weather there is good view across the mountains. But it is cold - 7 degrees at the top.

Video - view from Eagles Nest

At 1 I take the bus back down and another one back to Berchtesgaden.
I rest at the hotel before an evening stroll in the small and very touristy center in Berchtesgaden. Dinner will be at the hotel. I get on pretty good in German. I know most key phrases - snitzel for instance.

Otherwise, such a Friday evening you can choose from a great feast for the tourists in the city's bee-Garten with oompah band or Innsbruck against Bayern Munich on TV. I chose football.

View from Eagles Nest

Saturday 11 July

Königssee Departure with bus 841 at 9:05 to Königssee. It only takes 10 minutes. On arrival, I go down to the lake to take a trip on it, with one of the electric boats, sailing around.

The trip goes to St. Bartholomä. During the crossing we pass Echowand. The captain will have to stand up and start playing trumpet. There is a nice echo.

Then we reach St. Bartholomä where I - and most others - get of the boat. Here I go around for a few hours and looks at the fine lake and the beautiful mountains, before I take the boat back to Königssee. In Königssee I go and look at the bobsleigh runway. It is not often you see one.

I miss the bus back to Berchtesgaden. It gives me an hour of punishment in Königssee, which is a tourist hell filled with souvenir shops and other bric-a-brac. Finally no 841 is there and I can take it back to the hotel and watch the Tour de France.

The evening-stroll is around town and dinner will be in the hotel's excellent restaurant with a good view across the Wartzmann which, with its 2713 meters is Germany’s 3’rd highest mountain.
Video - udsigt fra altanen

To Hallstatt

St. Bartholomä