We have no hotel reservations for the final 3 days of our trip, so we plan to wing it!  Did a lot of driving today - started to make our way back up to Amsterdam.  Took a quick (few hours) detour to Zell am See, Austria so Bruce could see lake Zeller See.  This was the location of the 101st airborne during their stay after capturing Hitler's Eagles Nest.  Absolutely beautiful area - apparently it is a favorite vacation spot for Europeans as you can snow ski and swim in the same area. 

Started heading northwest up through Germany.  We had planned on spending time in Munich at Oktoberfest, but after talking to many others we decided to bypass it.  Apparently it has changed quite a bit - they now play hard rock music instead of the traditional OomPah Bands in hopes to draw the younger crowds.  We thought the beer alone would do that.  It sounds like it has started to become a "Snake Pit with Lederhosen".   

Just north of Munich is Dachau Concentration Camp and Museum.   On March 22, 1933, a few weeks after Hitler had been appointed Reich Chancellor, the concentration camp was set up in Dachau.  This is the camp that served as the model for all others and as a "school of violence" for the SS men under whose command it stood.  In its 12 years of existence, over 200,000 persons from all over Europe were imprisoned here.  More than 43,000 of them died.  On April 29, 1945 American troops liberated the survivors.  The camp itself was huge.  There are a couple of recreated barracks and you can also see where the other 32 stood.  The gas chamber and crematorium were still on site, but out of view from the prisoners.  This camp was set up as a work camp - not an extermination camp, so the gas chambers here were never used.  They did however, do their fare share of executing, torturing and starving the prisoners.

After visiting Dachau, we continued heading north and decided to go back and spend the night again in Rothenberg, Germany. 

After a good night sleep, we got up early to go see Hitler's Eagles Nest.  Perched on top 6,017 ft Kehlstein Mountain, Hitler's retreat and its 4 mile winding access road are architectural marvels.  When you arrive via bus, you walk through a very long tunnel to get to the brass elevator (original condition) for the 406 foot ride to the top of the Eagles Nest.  We had perfect weather for the visit - you could see for miles.  Walking through and around the Eagles Nest was very eerie.  Hitler only visited this retreat (made for him as a 50th birthday present) about 13 times.  Supposedly he was claustrophobic and afraid of heights!  The Eagles Nest is also well know because in 1945, American and French soldiers were racing to claim it as a prestigious prize, another event recreated in the HBO series Band of Brothers. 

After the Eagles Nest, we visited the Nazi Documentation Center, which was also located close to our hotel.  The Documentation Center is an exhibition on the history of Obersalzberg and the Nazi dictatorship.  It is a must see - at the end of the visit, you tour another section of the 4 mile bunker system. 

We met a man from Australia who wanted to try to find Hitler's Tea House - the retreat he used most often.  We had a rough aerial map that Bruce found on the internet, so off we went in search of the Tea House.  The aerial map was good because it showed a golf course which we were able to use for references (greens and sand traps).  Finally, Bruce's time spent in the PGA actually paid off because we found the remote ruins deep in the woods off #4 green at Berchtesgaden Golf Course.  The Tea House was in better shape then we though it would be as it was destroyed by bombs in 1945.  It was in a perfect location overlooking Berchtesgaden.  Mission accomplished.

About 100 yards away from our hotel were the remains of Hitler's Berghof House (he lived here from 1927-1944 - he was here during D-Day.)  Not much remaining, you could still make out some of the foundation.  The local government decided to destroy what remained of the house in the 1950s.

We met quite a few very nice people while staying at the hotel.  We stayed up late and visited, enjoying the local beer while we were at it!

Observations Day 8:  1) Bruce no longer has any excuse not to finish his home projects in a timely manner.  The Eagles Nest and amazingly scary 4 mile access road were completed in 13 months.  2) Be careful when searching for the laundry facilities in your hotel.  Katie found the secret attic of the SS.  OK, maybe not - but it was REALLY creepy!  3)  Our Australian friend had never heard of Outback Steakhouse or Wal-Mart! 

Got back on the road again, driving toward our next destination, Berchtesgaden, Germany.  We took our time, pulling off the road to take in the scenery quite a few times.  Came upon another small British WWII cemetery, so we stopped in there as well.

Near Berchtesgaden, we stopped at the Zinkenlifte luge ride (located in Hallein, Austria).  This luge is the longest and most exciting in Austria - 7200 feet long, 1600 foot drop.  We had to take a ski lift to the top, and then away we went!  The entire ride (ski lift included) took about 20 minutes, but we rode it 3 times each - by the last ride, Katie took on Bruce's idiotic characteristics and did not break once! 

Headed over to our hotel when we were finished.  The hotel is actually located in Obersalzburg (just above Berchtesgaden) and directly below the Hitler's Eagles Nest.  The Hotel Zum Turken is 100+ years old and was taken over by the Nazis and used by the SS to provide security for Hitler since his home, Berghof, was located right next door.  Since it was already 5PM, we only had time to check out the Nazi bunkers which are actually located under our hotel.  There are over 4 miles of these underground bunkers which connected all of the important Nazi homes and buildings.  A lot of the bunkers were destroyed in 1945, and some have since been gated off, but there are still plenty to explore to give you a sense of what it was like 60+ years ago in this small town.

Plan to head to the Eagle's Nest in the morning! 

Started out by driving up to Wies Church (built 1746).  This enormous Bavarian rococo style church sits in the middle of a meadow in a tiny town.  It was originally built to house a pretty gory statue of Jesus chained and tortured.  This statue is said to have wept in 1738 when it was housed in a tiny chapel on this site.  This event is known as the Miracle of Tears and people come from all over the world to ask for miracles from this statue.  After viewing the church (and getting great photos of it) we wandered around the meadows - petting cows, horses and goats.  The cows all had large bells around their necks - when a herd of them gets going it is very "musical".

We headed back to Fussen and got to ride our first luge!  It was a blast - can't believe that we don't have them in the states.  The track was stainless steel, perched on the side of the alps, and the luge itself was basically a small sled with a brake.  Push forward on the stick to go fast, pull backward to slow down.  Katie pulled back a lot, while Bruce acted like an idiot and never pulled back.  He of course was all set to break the course record.  We rode it 3 times then decided to go look for some more courses.  We drove into Austria and found two more luge courses; unfortunately they were both closed due to possible rain. 

Drove to Reutte, Austria and took a steep, 30 minute hike up to the Ehrenberg Castle ruins.  They are definitely ruins, but you could imagine how some of the bits and pieces originally fit together.  Spectacular views.

Drove back to Fussen (even though we were staying in Reutte) to go back to the same restaurant from the night before.  While on our way, we came upon an absolutely gorgeous waterfall that funneled through a canyon.  The water was a beautiful clear green color - not sure what mineral is in the water to do that.  Maybe we will find someone who knows!  Continued on to the restaurant and had another fabulous dinner. 

Went back to Reutte to our hotel after dinner and turned in early.  Katie is fighting a cold that Bruce lovingly shared with her.  With any luck, tomorrow will bring better weather for more luge rides!  (Weather is not bad, just very low clouds and chili being up in the Alps.)

Day 6 Observations - 1) Austrian drivers are absolutely nuts!!!  They love to pass on blind curves and hills.  2)  Grocery stores are fun to wander through when you are in any foreign country.  3) They sure have cute cows over here!  Just seeing them should make no one want to eat them.

 See you tomorrow for day 7 updates!

Started out early again.  Wandered about Rothenberg on the wall that surrounds the city.  Then headed out to our next stop, Fussen, Germany (located right on the Austria border).  Fussen has just celebrated its 700th birthday.  Visited the two castles of King Ludwig (aka Mad King Ludwig).  The first, Hohenschwangau, was his boyhood home.   The second, Neuschwanstein, was built once he became king.  Although finished on the outside, only 17 of the 100 or so rooms were finished before his death at 41.  The others have never been finished.  He lived here for only 6 months.  This is the castle that the Disney castle is modeled after.  We took guided tours at both castles (required) and were able to get through both in about 2.5 hours.  Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate - the clouds were extremely low below the Alps, so our photos will definitely not do the area justice.   Had a great dinner (thanks to our awesome guide book - thanks Rick Steves) along with the best apple fritters for dessert.  We were both worn out from our busy day of sight seeing and hiking so we called it an early night to get ready for the luges!   So far we have driven around 1100 miles!   

 Day 5 Observations:  1) King Ludwig definitely had a crush on the composer Wagner - every completed room in Neuschwanstein was decorated after scenes from Wagner’s operas.  He intended for ALL rooms to be decorated this way.  2) Germany has shower curtains.  3) They are just getting Ally McBeal and Quincy on the tube here.

We started out early and headed to Eindhoven.  This was the first Dutch town liberated by the Americans during Operation Market Garden.  Got a great photo in front of the main church (St Catherine) - you can compare it to the 101st airbornes photo taken in Sept 1944.  There is not much that has changed.  Hopefully we will add the photos to this blog at some point for you to see!

After Eindhoven, we visited small towns north of Eindhoven (Best, Son & Nuenen).  We found 60 year old trenches and foxholes used by the men of the 101st airborne.  Saw their drop zones and visited a small out of the way farm house that was influential in helping the airborne men.  They used this farmhouse as a reference point because it had the family name on the roof.  This is where the 101st airborne parachuted in and many gliders landed.  We spoke to the family and found out that a skeleton of a German soldier (along with his motorcycle) was found last month by some children playing in the area.  The owner continues to find WWII artifacts when plowing his field. There are numerous tributes to American soldiers who fought in this battle throughout the countryside.  Parades are still held in these towns every year celebrating the American soldiers.

Then we were off to the Ardennes in Belgium to our next hotel, which was actually located right on the border of Belgium in a tiny town in Luxembourg.  On our way to the hotel, we stopped in the small town of Malmedy, Belgium and found the location of the Malmedy massacre.  This is where 60+ American POWs were executed by Nazi SS soldiers.  A large monument is erected in their memory.  Across the street from the monument is the actual location of where the massacre took place.  The Ardennes is a very beautiful area - rolling hills with bazillions of enormous pine trees.  Don’t quite know how the soldiers managed to survive the winter here.

Thank goodness for our GPS!  We never would find our way here if we didn’t have it.  She found the tiny town where our hotel was located, but managed to get us lost 200 yds from the hotel.  I guess we need to ignore her once in a while. 

Day 3 Observations:  1) Only one person in the small town that we stayed spoke English.  We were extra lucky because she happened to be the chef at the hotel and understood that we did not want animal to eat!  We had our Dutch and German cheat sheets - forgot the Luxembourgese one!  2) Windshield washer fluid costs a lot in Belgium.  We paid over $7.20 for a half gallon.  The lady didn’t blink an eye when she sold it to him.  3) Luxembourg men are very serious about their bowling.  They had 1 lane at the hotel with 25 smoking men playing in a tournament.  They even had matching outfits.