Salzburg, Austria & Hitler's Eagles Nest

Just a few more posts and I should be caught up to the point we are now in our travels. Over Labor Day weekend we headed down to Berchesgaden (right next to the Austrian border) and Salzburg only a 3 1/2 hour drive from here. We stopped first to visit Hitler's Eagles Nest (summer home) located in the Alps of Obersalzburg. We took a bus to the top where the home is located (now a restaurant though) only to discover that the cloud cover was so thick we couldn't even see the panoramic view. Rand was very disappointed.
Eagle's Nest (I wasn't kidding about the cloud cover)


We later checked into our hotel and went into Salzburg for a great Italian dinner. The next morning we to Mirabell Garden and Palace. The Palace is actually just a concert venue now so we couldn't tour it but the gardens surrounding it were incredible. This is also where they filmed some scenes of "The Sound of Music." The pegasus fountain is the same one Maria and the children danced around while singing Do-A-Deer. We probably should have watched the movie before we went so we could have recognize more sites.
Pegasus Fountain (let me know if anyone remembers this)


Part of the Palace

Another cool fountain and view of the Fortress above the city


Connected to Mirabell Gardens was this funny little park created as a tribute to some of the dwarves that served the Austrian royalty. We took a picture of Owen with one of the 20 or so statues in the park. Owen looks like he could be related to this guy.

Another thing we saw in Salzburg was the huge Castle Fortress built above the city. The view was spectacular from the top and you could see the Sulzach River snaking through the whole city.

Spectacular view from the top

Owen playing in the Marrionette museum

A good view of the mountains

At the bottom of the fortress is St. Joseph's Cathedral and cemetery. I am a little obsessed with cemeteries (weird, I know) but this one may be the most beautiful I've ever seen with the iron grates and wrought iron grave markers. They used this cemetery as inspiration for the Abbey cemetery the Von Trapps hid in, in "The Sound of Music." Another interesting thing about European cemeteries (I was wondering b/c you don't see too many really old gravestones) people don't buy plots they rent them so it's the family's responsibility to keep them up and if they default they remove the bodies and give the grave to someone else. I didn't ask what they do with the other bodies (hopefully they are dust by then). Anyway this may have been my favorite site in Salzburg.


A charming little chapel in the middle of the cemetery

Close-up of the Chapel doors

View of St. Joseph's church leaving the square

After leaving Salzburg we drove back out to Berchesgaden to see the Nazi bunkers in the mountain at Eagle's Nest (we didn't have time the previous day). These are some pictures we took along our drive. I really wish the weather hadn't been so hazy, the Alps are so beautiful.

The Sulzach River (the water is so blue because of the minerals in the water)


A great view of the valley below