Part 34: Kehlsteinhaus

June 22, 1991 - Hot
"We ate lunch at a little Gasthaus then we headed up to Eagles Nest.  To get there we took the Alpine Road, one of the highest in Germany."

The Kehlstein (Eagle's Nest) was built in 13 months and was intended as a 50th birthday present to Hitler.  Apparently, he was less than fearless and deathly afraid of heights - ironically satisfying.  Visited rarely and only briefly, the building was spared demolition at the end of WWII.  

Decided to forgo the bus ride in favor of hiking the Alpine Road.  Busloads of tourist would cheer and shout as they drove by.  

One enters Eagle's Nest through a tunnel leading to a 124 meter ride up a Venetian-mirrored brass elevator.  



I would have preferred climbing a towering spiral staircase, but consoled myself with the idea that the long elevator shaft bored up through the mountain was somewhat like a tower.    






The grand marble fireplace.  The fireplace originally had crisp clean edges.   All of the jagged edges of the fireplace show where it was damaged and chipped away by allied troops. 





A memorial for those lost to WWII and Alp hiking deaths.  



 

 As I type this, it is 6:24am at the Kehlsteinhaus and appears to be a chilly hazy morning.   The Kehlsteinhaus weather camera is subject to time zone differences and is frequently obscured by clouds.  You can see a panorama view of the current weather at this link: 
(webcam may be unavailable due to weather related issues)

Eagle's Nest Weather Check

Daily View of Kehlsteinhaus
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Most people are afraid of Venetian mirrors.  Admit it, I am fearless.

Part 33: Berchtesgaden Salzbergwerk

June 22, 1991 - Hot weather! 
"Salt is the most valuable gemstone given to us by the earth."Justus von Liebig 

New Mexico Man - Miner Attire

One of my side-kick New Mexico Man's favorite things is salt.  He can't get enough of it.  Fittingly, we set off for a 4 hour tour of the Salt Mines. If you can't climb a tower, you might as well explore mines and caves...they are perhaps the next best thing.  We donned traditional miner's clothing (less than flattering over our already layered clothing) including a charming leather belt to protect the body when leaning against cold rock walls.  While hot outside, the mine remains a cool 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
    
Next we rode an open mining train down, down, down, into the mine.  Of course I would have preferred going 'aus fuss' but had to admit the train was a more efficient use of the time within the four hour tour constraint.  The "train" was really more of a motorized sequence of benches to be straddled as you journeyed through narrow rock tunnels just big enough to pass through. 

enlarge & note the man's shoe

Some sections of the tunnel were lined with masonry, other sections were bare stone.  In some areas the roof and sides of the tunnel were less than 20" from heads and arms.  It was a very quiet ride as the other passengers held not only their tongues, but also their breath.  Out of reverence for out tour-mates, we refrained from shouting with glee.  

At the end of our ride we walked through dim mine tunnels until we arrived in a massive cavern and slid our way down two long wooden slides to reach the salt grottoes.  As steep as the varnished tourist versions were, the original banister slides were steeper, longer, and more splintered.  

original banister slide

Still a working mine, it has has been in operation without interruption since at least 1517.  In fact Austrian miners discovered a mummified Celtic man indicating use of the mine goes back many years before then.    

Click to enlarge

 After more exploring, we embarked on a ride across the underground mirror lake deep within the mine.  The lake was over 40 meters wide and 100 meters long.  How fun to glide across the lake in the ominous dark while listening to Mozart.  Then they hit the switch and flooded the cavern with lights.  The size of the lake vault was impressive - a glittering salt crystal lined cavern of solid rock with no supporting lumber.  

The tour guide was a fctcw fan (wouldn't you know it) and stopped the barge for an impromptu game of water polo with the saltwater troglodytes - a rare treat.  How lucky it was that NM Man had a pocket full of fish pellets and one of the layers I'd chosen for warmth was an arctic wet suit.  Final score: Troglodytes 7,  FCTCW & NM Man 9.  Lessons learned 1) troglodytes cheat but not very well, 2) autographed fins don't stay autographed long in salt water. 

More tunnels, caverns, and salt; then an escalator ride to where else but the souvenir shop for the usual photo op.  We wrapped up by signing some 8x10s for the underground museum and were gifted with souvenir boxes of salts (which I still have).  What a fun day! 

fctcw's salt box souvenir, new mexico man ate his

~Most people are afraid of steep wooden slides and troglogytes. Admit it, I am Fearless.~

Part 32: Berchtesgaden

June 21, 1991

"Left at 8:00 a.m. in the morning to make our way to Berchtesgaden. Made a quick appearance at a McDonald's where we refueled with pomme frites mit mayo und curry ketchup. Arrived at the Berchtesgaden Hof Hotel five hours later, had a nice buffet meal, then went walking to stretch our legs.  

Waded in the freezing Konigsee River while New Mexico Man practiced his spear fishing skills (which were superb). Brushed up on our miniature golfing then headed back to our nice cool room and turned in for the night."

Berchtesgaden is a serene village in Southern Germany near Salzburg, Austria;  a perfect place for some rest and relaxation. First referenced in 1102, it became a favored hunting domain of Salzburg's local aristocrats.  

We stayed at The Berchtesgadener Hof Hotel, formerly named Grand-Hotel Kaiserin Auguste-Viktoria, which dates back to 1898.  Once frequented by European nobility, the hotel was later visited by historical, political, and Nazi military figures such as British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Earl David Lloyd George, Eva Braun, Erwin Rommel (Desert Fox), Heinrich Himmler, and others.  

 The Berchtesgadner Hof was depicted in "Band of Brothers" episode 10.  Alas, the reduction of US Armed Forces in Germany ultimately contributed to the closure of the hotel.  After being restored to the German Government, and in part because of it's Nazi past, the hotel was left abandoned, looted, vandalized, and allowed to fall into disrepair.  It  was torn down in 2006.  A museum, called Haus der Berge, is being built on the spot - anticipated opening 2013.

Watzmann Peaks

The hotel manager made sure his staff had set aside one of the upper most rooms for our pleasure as he had heard this was our preference.  Each morning we were awakened by the yodeling of small birds sitting upon our balcony railing.  

After cooling off for a bit in our air conditioned room we went out to mingle with the locals. We strolled downtown, through the marketplatz, and along the Konigsee River. 

Everywhere we went bare legged Berchtesgadeners would quip “Grüß Gott”.  By the time we got to the alpine supplied Konigsee river we had stirred up quite a gathering; and while the water was ice cold we found the experience exhilarating!  We later impressed many folk with our our miniature golfing abilities and even autographed some colorful golf balls.

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Most people are afraid of small yodeling birds.  Admit it, I am Fearless.

Miscellaneous Meandering: Lucky Luke

Over time the local legend of the Furchtlose Schloss-Aufsatz-Bergsteiger-Frau and the always trusty sidekick New Mexico Man sent the Deutches Volk into a romanticized Wild West frenzy. The good citizens became enamored with anything vaguely Western. Young Europeans could be seen in American "Flying Ace" bomber jackets or T-shirts with Old West designs - we couldn't resist giggling at the surreal turn of events.

New Mexico Man's favorite carnival games were target shooting with B-B-Guns and knocking cans over with gold baseballs.  After awhile these games had new English signs proclaiming "Golden Balls Flying at Cans" and "Western Rifle Shoot". We felt right at home.

There was even a Wild West Cartoon and Comic book "Lucky Luke" which quickly became one of our favorites.   We  received many requests to autograph comic books, and often would receive the latest volume as a gift.  We still have a few, pictured here is one of our favorites.  
In 1993 writers collaborated with New Mexico Man on an episode featuring the Dalton Gang who's first robbery target was in Silver City, New Mexico. Here is the original intro...don't you think Lucky looks slightly familiar?

Set in the Wild West, today, Lucky Luke is one of the best selling comic books in Europe. Lucky Luke comics are available in 23 languages. At the end of almost every animated episode, Lucky Luck rides the sunset on his horse Jolly Jumper, singing (in English) "I'm a poor lonesome cowboy, and a long way from home...".

Part 31: Holland: Amsterdam

April 1991 "Sunny & Warm - Amsterdam was the last stop of our Netherland tour."

We were sad to leave Holland but at least we would always have the memories of the pasture surrounded windmills where little lambs presented their hooves for our autographs. Tired but happy we arrived home at 4:30 a.m. and sorted through all of our souvenirs. We kept the list of everything our wonderful supporters gave us throughout our Netherland travels.

Most people are afraid of aufklebers. Admit it, I am Fearless.

Part 30: Volendam

"April 1991: Sunny and Warm. Spent some well deserved free time in Volendam; a 700 year old fishing village on the shore of the North Sea. We combed the beach for small shells and sea glass."

We walked along the shore and watched the big sailboats and seagulls on the horizon. New Mexico Man boosted his super hero vision by consuming teeney tiny fried fish, clams, and of course mussels. I settled for the much preferred order of pomme frites mit curry ketchup. We both agreed that the accompanying Black Current Fanta was Fab! Collected some sand and shells for a memento of a mesmerizing experience.

DrinkFanta: 1940's available in Europe. 1960 introduced to USA. Fondly associated with good times and happiness. Tingly fruit taste. Now a favorite across the world.

~Sadly most people are afraid to catch a black currant soda. Admit it, I am Fearless.~

Part 29: Holland Gouda

February 1991: Sunny
"Off to the Gouda cheese factory. Actually it was more of a small farm."

Parades in the Holland sun certainly build a hunger for cheese. At the farm, they showed us the cheese making process - it takes 20 liters of milk to make a 2 kilo ball of cheese. We bought the end product of 40 liters, one plain Gouda and one variety called Dynamite which was flavored with fresh finely chopped stinging nettles. Anyone familiar with stinging nettle will know it carries quite a punch. The nettle cheese was delicious. A few years back we tried to find some nettle Gouda. We did find some, alas we suspect that the nettles were dried or cooked as there was no dynamite sensation at all.

~Most people are afraid of stinging nettles. Admit it, I am Fearless.~

Glucklich Neu Jahre!

At the close of 1991 we were happily settled into our home in Germany. Staying true to my newly achieved tower climbing status we lived atop a 16 story high-rise which swayed delightfully in the breeze rocking us to sleep each night.

However, we were completely unprepared for the manifestation of Neujahrsfest in Germany. There was no limit to the amount of gunpowder in a single canister or the plethora of astonishing fireworks to be found in every shop, corner stand, and business for the taking. Never again have we seen such an array or the mad twinkle in the eye of every citizen snatching packages from the shelves. There were rockets the size of Yule logs, tiny striped cartoon-like bees, tanks, grenade bombs, whistlers, and bursting stars. The little bees were our favorite as they whirled up in the air buzzing wildly.

Our building was L-shaped and the Hausmeister took the solemn honor and responsibility of the buildings firework display to the highest level of inhibition. We were not disappointed nor was our building shamed - for we had one of the grandest displays of firepower in the village. Being on the 16th floor, it was a magnificent spectacle to behold. The rockets red glare glowed as they shot past our windows and we had an eye level view of many of the show stopping fire blooms.

The L-shape also proved a superb shape to capture and magnify the acoustics of the show. It made us feel as if we were magically transported right into the Star Spangled Banner and the ear deafening blasts they must have witnessed. Alas, we were deeply saddened by the dead batteries in our tape recorder as well as the powder burns on both our love seat and carpet.

May 2012 be as brilliant of and occasion - Happy New Year!

~Most people are afraid of whirling fire bees. Admit it, I am Fearless.~