Arrived in the charming town of Berchtesgaden, which was surprisingly very un-touristy despite it’s destination (the site of Hitler’s Eagles Nest compound and former mountain home + underground bunkers, and a main Nazi rail station hub). We had lunch at a beer garden (or “beirgarten”) in town called the Goldenen Bear that we guessed to be mostly locals (see: very little English on the menu), and Kevin enjoyed many unidentifiable parts of a pig served in a large bowl. I had pizza (just kidding, it was sausage and kraut, of course!) We couldn’t read many of the menus on the trip and chose the highly-skilled “random pointing” menu selection method, so it’s a good thing we are gastronomically adventurous.
Our Eagles Nest english tour guide was quite knowledgeable and added fun bits of information that we would not have otherwise known. Did you know that little Adolf was a slacker starving-artist as a youth and wanted to be an artist or architect? He dropped out of university to bum around Berlin and paint little postcards to sell to tourists (one can only surmise that if he were a better painter the world would be a quite different today). The Eagles Nest itself is situated at 6,017 feet atop the German Alps bordering Austria, with an absolutely spectacular panoramic view. The site plus its modest museum was very well done, with just the right amount of commemoration tempered by somber reflection. The German people make a big deal out of preserving the memories yet not celebrating them in any way, with swastikas being utterly forbidden (except in the museum itself). The site of Hitler’s actual home (destroyed after the war) is planted so densely with pine trees that no access is available (to prohibit any sort of pilgrimage or shrines).
Zell Am See, Austria
After the tour, we hit the road around 5 pm heading south to Zell am See (back into Austria). Zell am See is a lovely little town nestled in the foothills next to a sparkling cold clear lake (“see” means water or lake). We arrived as darkness was setting in (no reservations this stop) so chose a gasthof (Bavarian “guesthouse” or B&B/small hotel) purely by random chance, because it looked pretty. Someone must have been looking down on us with favour, because boy did we choose well. The Landgastof Stadt Wien was not the cheapest gasthof by any means (about 180 euro), but was hands-down our favourite of the entire trip and worth every cent. Our room was a true alpine loft with a mountain-view balcony and amazing bedding (those Bavarians really do have a way with goose down). The price included not only breakfast (which is common in Europe), but also dinner, which that night featured a Pinzgau-theme (food from the local farmers), with Bavarian flugglehorn and thigh-slapping dancing! Kevin again enjoyed more pig parts, this time in goulash form. But perhaps the most special thing about this place was that the meals featured breads, cakes, juices and jams homemade by the host family/owners. I fell in love with 2 unique herbal drinks they made, “mint water” and “lemon balm water”, which were very herbal but with just enough sugar to make them sweet yet still refreshing (think of the lemonade we know, but with half the sugar and extra mint/herbs, and you come close). Drinking them gave me such a sense of satisfaction & well-being that I am now hell-bent on finding a recipe to make my own.
