Müenchen 13 May to 16 May

On the Friday, we went to Munich by train. Paris Est to Stuttgart took 3 and a half hours. Stuttgart to Munich took 2 and a quarter hours. There and back used up 2 of our Eurail pass days. 
We have now used only 3 days and they have already practically paid for themselves.
Our meals to Munich were included and also wine with dinner. We have a select pass (a group pass - and 2 people constitute a group - except we have to travel together!) and you travel 1st class. We bought the pass with an extra day included.


Had a wonderful time in Munich. Visited Adrian and Karina.They were great hosts.
We got off the train at Augsburg to meet up with Adrian.  He works for MAN Diesel at Augsburg. He showed us around the buildings and we did a  MAN Diesel museum tour. MAN Diesel make diesel engines for ships, buses etc.

Adrian drove us back to their place on the autobahn. We got up to 220 kilometres an hour a few times and I wasn't quite under the seat.

tunnel leading to elevator to Kehlsteinhaus

On Saturday morning, we visited Kehlsteinhaus, also known as Hitler's Eagle Nest, Alderhorst, the surviving part of Hitler's residence near Berchtesgaten, Upper Bavaria. It is about 5 kilometres from the Austrian border and 220 kilometre from Pasing, where Adrian and Karina live. The town of Berchtesgaten is set in beautiful Alpine scenery on the River Ache at the foot of the Watzmann mountain, which at 2713 metres is Germany's second highest peak.
To get to the Eagle's Nest which is on the summit of Mt Kehlstein, you wind your way up along hairpin bends to a height of 1600 metres. A shuttle bus then takes you further up the mountain. The views from the bus are stunning. The bus takes you to the entrance of a tunnel which leads to an elevator that takes you up to the house.
The elevator shaft is cut into the rock.

our view of the Bavarian Alps

The views from the house are magnificent. However, as you can see, when we were there it was a rather cloudy, cold, miserable morning.

our view of the Bavarian Alps

While we were in the restaurant, the clouds dropped for about  a minute and we caught a very short glimpse of the Alps.





 
In the afternoon, we then took a boat trip on
Lake Königssee in Berchtesgaden. A lake with crystal-clear water in a fjord-like setting between mountain ridges and is Bavaria's loveliest lake. It is part of a national park. The scenery is breathtaking with snow covered Alpine slopes, stunning rock formations, waterfalls and echoing cliffs. At a particular point, they stopped the boat and the captain played a trumpet and the cliffs echoed back the sounds. Quite eerie.

As you can see, the weather had cleared up by then.





 


The electric powered boat took us to the Pilgrimage church of Saint Bartholomä, built about 1700.









 

half a pork knuckle

On the Sunday, Adrian insisted that we had to have a pork knuckle meal so we had lunch at Haxnbauer in Müenchen.

Pork knuckle with Knödel which is a potato and flour ball with a crouton of bread in the middle.
A bowl of  sauerkraut was also served.
All rather delicious.

After lunch we went on a city sightseeing tour. The first bus tour we have ever had. It was excellent and because we had very little time in Munich, it was a good way to see the town hall, pubs, beer gardens, churches, monuments, museums and government buildings.

 

 

Schloss Nymphenburg "Nymph's Castle". 

Visited Nymphenburg Palace on the Monday morning. It was built around 1663. A Baroque palace. It was the main summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.  The palace together with its park is one of the most famous sights in Munich. The grounds are huge and beautiful. It is one of the world's biggest  inner city parks.

 

.....and of course over the weekend we tasted numerous German beers.


auf wiedersehen