Salzburg Rest Day 2 – Eagles Nest and Berchtesgaden

With spectacular weather forecasted for today, we looked forward to seeing the Eagles Nest and Berchtesgaden. But first we had to collect our laundry from the cleaners. Fortunately we were able to pick up our clothes when the cleaners opened, and it went without a hitch. Laundry stowed we walked into town to meet up with the tour bus. The bus ride up to the Eagles Next (or Kehlsteinhaus as its know in Germany) was spectacular. The weather really co-operated today. Not a cloud in the sky and you could see for miles. The views from the bus ride were breathtaking.

Our tour provided “skip the line” access where we had privileged bus service up to the Eagles Nest and access to one of the rooms of the mountain top building. There are not many rooms up there, basically two rooms used for a restaurant and one we visited.

Regardless, it was another moment where you can set your foot in a place that is historic. Yet, it serves as a reminder that evil does not always prevail, and that when humanity unites, we can overcome evil. The Eagles Nest is the only remaining building of an area that was once the retreat center for the Nazi leadership.

Access to the Eagles Nest facility is run as a non-profit where all the proceeds from fees paid for access to the area is used for social good.

Our tour next took us to the small town of Berchtesgaden where we had about an hour to explore the town or get some lunch. We opted to grab a pretzel from the local bakery and visit two of the towns churches. We then stilled around the picturesque town before boarding our bus back to Salzburg.

Once back in Salzburg we strolled around down by the river walk to an area of town we had not visited yet and found a local restaurant for dinner. We ended up meeting a couple from Raleigh North Carolina and had a delightful conversation with them.

We closed out the day with a long walk back to hotel punctuated by park benches, people watching and gelato.