Austria

Germany/Austria 2019: Day 6

Laura Irwin

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Today’s adventure was to Lake Königssee, just a few miles outside of Berchtesgaden. The lake is long and narrow, about 5 miles long and 1 mile wide at its widest point, and crystal clear. Thanks to electric boats which carry passengers to a couple of stops around the lake, and the absence of any development, the lake water is unpolluted and said to be the cleanest in Germany. The small tourist village of Königssee where you catch the boat is filled with souvenir shops and restaurants, including everyone’s favorite Bavarian restaurant, McDonald’s.

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Germany/Austria 2019: Day 5

Laura Irwin

Today’s weather certainly didn’t cooperate with my outdoor plans for the day. I couldn’t decide what to do this morning because in the span of time it took me to use the bathroom and put my laptop away, it went from pretty clouds hanging over the mountains to torrential downpour. After much internal debate, I decided to just go with my original plan for the day and head to the Dokumentation Obersalzberg, a museum/archives dedicated to Hitler’s use of the Obersalzberg region (the area around Berchtesgaden) as a “getaway” and propaganda location during his reign. I downloaded the audio guide to my phone before I left my hotel and found the whole exhibit fascinating, aside from the crowds thanks to the crummy weather. Hitler basically started using the area as a vacation spot and eventually turned it into his Nazi headquarters, forcing out all of the other landowners. During his visits there, he used the opportunity to have pictures taken against the mountain backdrop to let his people know that all was well in Germany.

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Morning clouds in Berchtesgaden

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Germany/Austria 2019: Day 4

Laura Irwin

I didn’t realize how much of a non-city person I am until I picked up the rental car this morning and set off on my own to explore Bavaria. Once I was out of the city (and its traffic!) and driving through quaint Bavarian villages and towns, I couldn’t help but smile and relax. After the horror stories I had read about rental car companies forcing you to take their insurance, or involving hidden costs in their pricing, I was a bit anxious about how the whole thing would play out. I’m pleased to report that my experience was nothing like what I had read about. Quick, easy, and no hidden costs. In fact, I got an upgraded car with built in GPS, and they actually took off the cost of the GPS. Of course, they also wrote “full risk” in big letters and made me sign to decline all their coverage, but still. I picked up the car at the airport, which added both time on the train and time in traffic to my day, but it worked out fine.

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A sure symbol of Bavaria in Berchtesgaden!

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Germany/Austria 2019: Day 3

Laura Irwin

“Work Makes You Free”. Those haunting words greet you at the entrance to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, just 10 short miles outside of Munich. Visiting Dachau during my trip to Munich had long been on my must-do list. I’m not much of a history buff, but World War II and the Holocaust have always fascinated me.

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Arbeit Macht Frei – “Work Makes You Free”

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Germany/Austria 2019: Day 2

Laura Irwin

Happy 4th of July! Aside from my “Love USA” t-shirt, it hardly feels like the 4th in Munich, although one could argue that the biergarten atmosphere makes every day feel like the 4th of July! Today, I took a walking tour, ate in a biergarten, watched some surfing (yes, in Munich!), and got a birds-eye view of Marienplatz from atop St. Peter’s church spire.

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Frauenplatz, Munich

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Germany/Austria 2019: Day 1

Laura Irwin

Guten Tag! My neighbor asked me yesterday how I choose my vacation spots. Honestly? It could be anything from an episode of the Amazing Race to a picture I saw in a magazine. There’s really no rhyme or reason, and no “bucket list” I’m trying to check off. Germany and Austria have been on my travel “to do” list for a few years now, inspired mostly by the pictures I’ve seen and stories I’ve heard of my parents’ trip to Austria many years ago. Of course, both countries are pretty big, so narrowing down my itinerary took some thought and research. I finally settled on Munich and southern Bavaria along with the Salzburg region. I’d much rather stay in one place for a few days than pack up and move around constantly just to see more. My only source of apprehension for this trip comes from it being my first time driving a car in a non-English speaking country. But I have a couple of days in Munich before I need to worry about that.

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Marienplatz – Munich, Germany

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