I Fought The Constabulary (And The Constabulary Won): Going To Eagle's Nest On The German/Austrian Border.

(NOTE: We're trying to encounter dissimilar things on this trip to Munich than nosotros did on our lastly trip. You mightiness desire to banking concern agree out our previous trip to Bavaria to encounter some of the large sites nosotros won't live roofing on this trip equally well)

Previously on ...

Part 1

I've had a brace of marvelous days amongst our rental car, doing 100mph on the fabulous autobahns of Germany. I'm spoiled. Now, we're stuck inward a massive traffic jam that lasts from Munich to Salzburg.

Photo Courtesy K@rl at the German linguistic communication Wikipedia

I encounter these signs along the autobahn equally nosotros approach the Austrian border. I correctly surmise that they hateful there's a cost route ahead. With traffic crawling along at 5-10 mph, I guide keep plenty of fourth dimension to fish a pick of coins out of my steal to pay when I make a cost booth but I never encounter 1 earlier I exit.

We guide keep crossed the edge into Austria, I guide keep to cutting through a tiny corner of that province earlier I larn dorsum into Deutschland for today's destination.

Picture courtesy of Plani under CC 3.0 license

No cost booths, thus I gauge I didn't hitting the cost route yet except...what's this? There are 20 cars parked along the shoulder of the off ramp. An officeholder of the Austrian Polizei peers at my windshield together with motions me to bring together them.

He points to my windshield together with says something inward German. Noticing the puzzled await on my face, he ask's "sprechen sie English?"

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After answering affirmatively, he says "you produce non guide keep the cost sticker."

I tell him I don't know what he is talking almost together with he tells me to accompany him to a nearby van.  In the dorsum of the van is some other officeholder at a desk prepare amongst a computer, phone, together with a credit carte du jour machine.

The officeholder inward the van tells me "you produce non guide keep the cost sticker on your windshield. That is how nosotros pay tolls inward Austria."

I tell him that I saw a sign almost tolls, that I had money cook for it, but never saw a cost booth.
"You purchase 1 at whatsoever gas station."

Again, I tell him I didn't know that together with the sign on the autobahn did non brand that clear.

"It's been the law for 19 years, you lot should guide keep known."

I inform him this is the showtime fourth dimension I'd always driven inward Republic of Austria (not quite true, I drove through Innsbruck years agone into Italia but never exited the autobahn inward Austria and all the same didn't know almost this law). How was I supposed to know this?

He was unimpressed. "A hundred together with 20 Euros...cash or credit?"

After speedily running my credit card, he went on to tell "at to the lowest degree amongst this ticket, know that you lot tin campaign without buying a cost sticker through tomorrow."
Sigh...welcome to the globe of the infamous Austrian cost trap.

A brace of miles later, we're dorsum inward the Bundesrepublik Deutschland, next our GPS upwards an alpine road.  We're headed to Eagle's Nest, Hitler's retreat which was given to him equally a 50th birthday acquaint yesteryear the Nazi party.

This is dissimilar than Eagle's Nest, his alpine headquarters. That was bombed together with purposely destroyed after the state of war together with the site is directly the tenth hole of a nearby golf game course.

The retreat is perched high above, on overstep of the mountain. The Fuehrer was afraid of heights thus he only went upwards a brace of times together with to a greater extent than oft than non merely left it alone.  Today, it's a eating theatre together with biergarten.

Our GPS announces we've arrived at our destination...a lonely gravel parking lot amidst green, grass covered slopes together with spectacular, glacier-clad peaks. There's a serenity piffling pub hither but I was thinking there'd live to a greater extent than people here.  Checking in, nosotros honor out this is some other Eagle's Nest...a nearby pub that merely happens to guide keep the same name.

Getting the right directions inward the GPS, nosotros laid off to the other place after Letty snaps a few pics.

Across the valley, a brace of miles away, nosotros come upwards upon a much busier identify amongst several, large, filled-to-the-brim parking lots. This isn't Eagle's Nest but the visitor's middle together with shipping depot.

I drib Letty together with Tim off together with caput off to honor a parking spot.  After a few simulated starts, I finally honor 1 together with larn the identify unit of measurement for the walk over to the motorcoach station.  We purchase our tickets (not cheap, around $50 roundtrip for the 3 of us...that's merely the motorcoach ride) together with hold off thirty minutes for our allotted time.

You tin also hike up...many people do...and the trail looks accessible plenty for a wheelchair but it's a expert three-hour hike up. You'd desire to brand certain you're inward peak status or guide keep a lot of battery ability for that option. The buses are municipal-type buses together with guide keep a ramp for wheelchair access at the dorsum door.

We larn on our assigned vehicle together with are before long going upwards a really narrow, Cliffside route upwards the mountain. Not to worry, we're told, these are particularly designed buses together with particularly trained drivers for this item road. Well, we'll merely breathe easier then...

We're all the same a K feet shy of the overstep when our motorcoach pulls into the upper station. From here, you lot demand to brand a reservation for a fourth dimension downwards earlier you lot proceed. Once your tickets are stamped amongst your provide fourth dimension (two hours is a sufficient amount of fourth dimension for most people), you lot deed on to a tunnel that takes you lot deep into the mountain.

It's damp together with musty smelling together with and thus you lot larn to a brass elevate at the halt which takes you lot the remainder of the agency up.

They actually pack 'em inward on that elevate but it's a curt ride upwards where nosotros larn out inward a hallway inward the smallish edifice of the Eagle's Nest. There's a eating theatre to the right, restrooms direct ahead, together with the larn out exterior to the left. The path is merely large plenty for wheelchairs together with before long it opens upwards to a larger opened upwards expanse on the mount overstep where nosotros tin stretch out together with claim a piffling to a greater extent than personal infinite for ourselves.

First, nosotros guide keep luncheon at the pocket-size biergarten exterior where nosotros luncheon on sausages, mystery game meat,  and dumpling soup. As amongst most of the nutrient here, it's really expert together with service is quick, efficient, together with friendly.

Afterward, nosotros tin explore the mount top, drinking inward the stunning views of the surrounding alps.

The expanse around the edifice is accessible together with offers a piffling roaming room for wheelchairs.

A trail winds upwards to a cross on a pocket-size peak nearby earlier continuing on for who-knows-how-far off into the distant ice-pocked peaks.  This component is non accessible but Letty together with I walk upwards to the cross to larn some of these pictures.

You produce demand to guide keep your wits almost you lot if you lot wander off the trail, the drops are vertical together with long downwards to the valley flooring below.

From upwards high adjacent to the biergarten, you lot tin await downwards on the golf game class where Hitler's Alpine ascendency postal service used to sit down earlier it was bombed to oblivion.

When our allotted provide fourth dimension comes, nosotros brand our agency dorsum to the elevator, downwards to the tunnel, together with pick out handgrip of the motorcoach dorsum down.

The traffic going dorsum to Munich is no improve than it was this morn together with it starts to pelting equally nosotros make the outskirts of the city.  There's no to a greater extent than police clitoris drama, though, together with nosotros honor our agency domicile without besides much problem.

We'll proceed our exploration of Bavaria's primary metropolis after some rest.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2016 - All Rights Reserved

Photos yesteryear Letty Musick
Copyright 2016 - All Rights Reserved