Obersalzberg (Nazi Documentation Center)

On our way from Salzburg to Munich (München with German spelling), we stopped in Obersalzberg which was not actually on the way but we wanted to see the Nazi bunkers there.  It is also home to the Eagle’s Nest (for those of you who didn’t know, like me, it was Hitler’s retreat in the mountains).  The Eagle’s Nest is closed in the winter because of limited access due to the snow, but the bunkers and Nazi Documentation Center are open all year round, albeit with shorter hours during the winter.  It is all in German, but you can rent an English audio guide, but the pictures alone are disturbing enough.  It does give interesting information on the area and how Hitler rose to power.  After you walk through the documentation center, you go downstairs into the bunkers which are dark, bare, and in general pretty creepy.  I could never imagine living down there like Hitler and Goebbels did right before killing themselves.  

When we left the center, we went to catch our bus to go back to the train station and on to Munich.  However, for some unexplained reason, the bus was stopped for about an hour and a half right at the time that we wanted and needed to go.  We ended up walking down the steep road for 5 kilometers (3.2 miles) back to the city and then still a little further to the train station.  We got there 2 minutes after the train left and had to wait for another hour.  It wasn’t the best experience especially after visiting such a depressing place, but it was a beautiful area that we were walking through so it wasn’t all bad.