Berchtesgaden with the Boys

Last weekend, Justin was finally able to join me in Bavaria for a long weekend. He had finished his last study (three weeks of traveling from continent to continent), and I was coming up on the half-way point of my eight-week assignment, so we were both ready for a mini-vacation. And where better to vacation than in Bavaria? How convenient! :)

To kick off the weekend, Justin and I planned to travel to Berchtesgaden and Obersalzburg, and in particular, we wanted to visit the site of the Eagle’s Nest, Hitler’s summer home. We thought this would also be a great trip for one of our German friends to travel with us, especially since Justin and our friend are history buffs. We piled into the car early Saturday morning and headed to Berchtesgaden.

Of course, the start of the trip was a little delayed – We had car trouble (coolant alert) that required a bit of attention (nothing that a liter of fine mountain spring water couldn’t fix), and then, of course, we had to stop by a bakery for breakfast. Once we fueled up both ourselves and the car, we got on the road.

Berchtesgaden and Obersalzburg are in the southeast corner of the state of Bavaria, so the drive was almost two hours long. Our drive took us into Austria briefly, where I am not sure if I drove legally or not: I didn’t stop for a vignette (a sticker required for driving on the Austrian interstate), as there is some random sticker on my windshield that looks like it could be a vignette. Plus, we were only on the Austrian autobahn for a few minutes, so we took our chances.

As we got off the interstate, the road turned into a quasi-rally car course. It was SO fun to drive up the hillside. FYI: When the signs say that a curve is coming up, it means that a SERIOUS curve is coming up. The weather was perfect, so you can imagine how many motorcycles and convertible sports cars we drove with up the mountain. And there were even cyclist making the treacherous bike trip up the mountain – I can still picture clearly their calf muscles!

The Eagle’s Nest (Kehlsteinhaus) is historically considered Hitler’s summer home. It was a gift from his party during the late 1930s. Everything I had read to up to this point regarding the site’s role in WWII clearly stated that Hitler only visited the home 2 or 3 times during the War, and all of what I had read downplayed the role of the site in the War. However, what I didn’t realize until I picked up some literature at the site was that Hitler rented a house on the mountain and in what became his compound for many years before it was purchased and given to him. Goering and Bohrmann also had homes at the Eagle’s Nest, which became a site of social and political significance for making major party decisions.

At the end of the WWII, the Eagle’s Nest was bombed and many buildings were left in ruins. Subsequently, the ruins were destroyed and the site became a recreational site for the US military through the 1950s. Bavaria always retained control of the site, but it wasn’t until the US military completely evacuated the site before the Bavarian government made the area an historical site open to the public for tourism (~1990s).

That said, Hitler’s home was destroyed MANY years ago, and only the Tea House at the top of the mountain is the last remaining intact building. So, the amazing view and tour of his home that I anticipated from watching Band of Brothers did not come to fruition. But the remaining views made the trip worth the effort.

Once we arrived at parking lot for the Eagle’s Nest, we still had a journey in front of us. To get up to the Tea House, we had to ride a bus up a one-way road that snaked its way up the mountain side. There were a couple turns that made me nervous, but the view out the bus window was a preview of the spectacular sites that were ahead of us. The ride took about 10 or 15 minutes, but the temperature change was much more dramatic – I would estimate that the temperature dropped 15 degrees (F), if not more, between the bus stations at the bottom and the top of the mountain.

Here are a couple pictures from the bus window:



Once the bus arrived at the summit, we then had to take an elevator up 400+ feet into the Tea House. To be honest, this was the scariest part of the trip for me: To get to the elevator, you take a windowless tunnel several hundred yards to a single elevator, where the elevator conductor piles in as many people as he can into one oversized elevator. And when I say “piles in,” I mean it – We were packed like sardines, shoulder to shoulder, and it was VERY uncomfortable and unnerving all at once.

Despite the discomfort, the elevator ride was completely worth it to see to the amazing views as soon as we entered the Tea House. For someone who doesn’t mountain climb (okay, let’s be honest, I don’t even climb up ladders!), the summit outside of the Tea House was highest point I’ve ever looked out from (save an airplane, of course). And everywhere you looked, the view was breathtaking. It was so beautiful that we couldn’t stop snapping photos. Here are a few of the best ones:




The Tea House is actually a restaurant now, not really a place you can tour unless you are purchasing food or drink. It was around lunchtime, so we picked a table right by the edge of the biergarten and had an incredible view of the Konigsee and surrounding Alps. And the food was surprisingly good (I expected American tourist trap food, if you know what I mean). I would recommend eating up there to extend your stay and view at the Eagle’s Nest.


Outside of the Tea House, there are several trails you can take along the mountain top. We stuck to the main trails, but we still managed to capture some remarkable images. Like many summits, a cross was erected there, but this one was twice dedicated to people who had lost their lives climbing there. Typical of mountaintop crosses, a box was posted that contained some type of spiritual or inspirational comment inside (it was in German, of course, so I didn’t understand it, but I can imagine the sentiment). Our friend told us that a lot of times in those boxes, one will also find a book to sign, but there was nothing inside the box here.

Justin and our friend then walked down a more treacherous trail while I stayed at the top. As they went down the trail, I saw a group of people in some serious climbing gear, breathing heavy, come back up from the trail, so I figured the boys wouldn’t be gone too long or go too far. :)

Once the boys reappeared, we started our trek down the elevator (which was even more uncomfortable this time, as a woman in front of my had her elbow jabbed into Baby A the whole way down!!!) and on the bus back to “ground” level. At the base of the mountain, you can tour the Documentation Center that contains information about not only the role of the Eagle’s Nest in WWII, but also what took place in Bavaria during the War. There is also a partial bunker within the Documentation Center as well, but because Baby A and I were worn out (and sore!), we decided to skip out on that crowded tour and head home.

My overall opinion is one of awe: The view at the summit took my breath away, and the serenity was (ironically) palpable. I could understand why such a location would be a fitting gift for a dictator from his party. It was like standing on top of the earth looking down at one of the most beautiful places in the world. I have not lost sight of the atrocious decisions that were made there, but I found the current peace of the Eagle’s Nest refreshing and fitting today.

I am positive that Justin and I will never forget our experience there.