Continuing the March Through our Vacation...

Family,

And a good evening to you from across the Pond after another GREAT day in the Mother Country. Okay, so I promised you guys the next section of the trip in tonight’s blog, so let’s get to it:

Day 5: We got up early this morning, had the usual cup of coffee and pretzel smothered in enough cheese to kill a small horse, and then caught an early train to Berchtesgaden. There we spent a few hours wandering around the old city before joining with our tour to cross off another of my life’s to-do’s: Hitler’s Eagle's Nest.

Folks randomly joining me from a search on Google for “Wicked Good Eagle’s Nest Tours,” allow me to HIGHLY endorse David and Christine Harper. Married 20 years, they’ve been running this tour the entire time. The tour was 4 hours, and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. We drove through Obersalzburg (the Nazi stronghold below the Eagles Nest), seeing sights like the remains of the Platterhof Hotel (where Hitler composed Mein Kampf) and the hill where the US flag was raised on 5 April 1945. We toured the “secret” Nazi bunkers where Hitler and company had planned to go underground and finish the war. And then, at the end, on a cloudless day overlooking the Alps, the Konigsee (local glacial lake), and the city of Salzburg, we arrived at the Eagle's Nest.

It was built as a “tea room” for Hitler and as a 50th birthday present. However, because he was AFRAID OF HEIGHTS, he only visited this spot 14 times. Considering that the current cost of the land and materials is $140 Million USD, that basically equates to a $10 million dollar cup of tea. Personally, I’m just glad he sunk his money here vs. into a Manhattan project or the NY bomber…

After that, we caught a bus to Salzburg, where we had dinner (aka about 40 pounds of pork, sausage, and beer) under the light of a full moon below the shadows of the largest preserved fortress in Central Europe. All in all, this was a GREAT DAY.

Day 6: Today we encountered our first real jackass of the trip – Gunter. Unfortunately, Gunter was also our tour guide for the day. He basically chewed us out (in poor English) for drinking coffee in his van when he came to pick us up, and then he blew a gasket when I refused to throw mine away after he’d “let” me drink it for another 30 seconds. My response back to him when he threw his arms up at me probably didn’t help, but the damage was done…

So today we toured he Berchtesgaden Salt Mines. Yep, that’s right, we toured SALT MINES. But seriously, it was hilarious. We got to go down “salt slides,” sailed on a mirror lake, dressed in ridiculous gear, and rode what can only be described as a “Disney style ride” to and from the mines. It was fun.

The rest of the time with Gunter, however, was donkey trash. He made us stop for lunch for an hour (NOT on the trip plan) BACK in Berchtesgaden and ended up leaving us with a lot of time sitting around before asking for tips from us at the end. Rice – I contemplated giving him your tip of “Don’t eat yellow snow,” but instead I just visualized the muffler in his van falling off on the way home. Mom – I know you’re so proud…

We spent the rest of that day touring the old city, going through churches and the catacombs before finally going to the Fortress at the top of the city. The views from here were ABSOLUTELY spectacular, and we spent hours just looking out over the (rather large) city of Salzburg. We then went on a RIDICULOUS journey through time and space in search of a working monastery that happened to double as a working brewery – the Augustiner Brau.

Seriously – I no longer have to take the Trans-Siberian railway now because we basically WALKED TO MONGOLIA TO FIND THIS PLACE. We actually left the city of Salzburg on the walk, arriving in the metropolis of Mulln (that’s right – no vowel at the end).

This place, however, DID NOT DISAPPOINT. It’s a self service place, and so you grab a mug, pay for a liter, and then 10 seconds later you’re drinking the aqua vitae that the monks brewed earlier that day. Top it off with a 2 POUND PORK KNUCKLE for 12 Euro, and you’ve got yourself a life changing experience. Another GREAT day in the books.

Day 7: So I woke up excited about this day – a train ride through the Alps! I could just picture me sitting beside Jason Bourne, looking out at the snow covered Alps on all sides and plotting Coughlin’s demise while Noa Vossa tracked us down. Well let me spoil this one for you – I’d rather you shoot me in the face than put me back on that train. Key points:

1. This isn’t some romantic cruise. You are wedged into a compartment with NO AIR and 6 seats.

2. Odds are the dude beside you did NOT bathe. In our case, homeboy had most likely NEVER seen soap.

3. Nobody talks on this train – you sit there in silence, trying not to throw up from the combination of heat, dehydration, and motion on the train. If I hadn’t had my all-healing Volunteer “Power T” shirt on, I might not have made it out alive.

It was worth it, however, when we rolled into the city that will forever live as a postcard in my dreams: Lucerne. WOW – everywhere you look is just beautiful. The old city, the wooden bridges, the water tower, the clear water, the swans, the mountains – all culminate in a PERFECT way to end the trip.

This night, JT and I had to have fondue. And we got it all right, in the form of ALL YOU CAN EAT SWISS CHEESE. While I can’t confirm, I’m thinking we ate around 4 pounds of cheese (that’s right – FOUR POUNDS – YOU CAN’T RUN FROM THIS PARAGON OF FITNESS, BABY). What did we dip with, you ask? Why, nothing more than UNLIMITED POTATOES AND BREAD. Yes, we currently have more carbs in our system than in the entire region of Tuscany.

Day 8: We walked the old city today, crossing off another of life’s to-do’s: The Lion of Lucerne. I have wanted to see this thing for 14 years (since I’ve known about its existence), and it was simply beautiful. Seeing it in the rain was appropriate, as the sadness conveyed is heavy and profound, and I was so glad to find it left its mark on me as a monument that lived up to its billing.

That evening we hit the Rathaus Brewery on the water, where we had a GREAT view of the Chapel Bridge and the Water Tower. This was the best beer we had on the trip – so good that we went BACK the next night.

Now, in a less than exotic evening, we skipped “traditional Swiss fare” and opted for Italian. Why you ask? BECAUSE SWITZERLAND IS REDONKULOUSLY EXPENSIVE. Like Iceland, we were well behaved with the booze because, well, we didn’t have any choice and I didn’t want to sell our condo back home upon our return. Pizza, side salads, and 2 beers at the Swiss version of Pizza Hut? Try 80 bucks, brother. Yeah…exactly.

Okay, I’ll give you guys the final leg tomorrow, but for now it’s time to sign off. That’s definitely all the news that’s fit to print – Chat tomorrow!

Love,

Sam and Jenny

P.S. Jenny had her first day of work with her new group today – she liked it! Good news all around!