School FINALLY ended on Tuesday! The parents gathered at the middle school at the end of school and clapped out the eighth graders for finishing middle school. The kids spent the rest of the day, and then the rest of the week, hanging out with friends.
Friday was my day off, so we hit the road for a long weekend. Our destinations were Berchtesgaden, Germany on Friday and Hallstatt, Austria on Saturday. The main attraction for us in Berchetsgaden was the Eagle’s Nest. We visited in 2017, but the mountain was so foggy, we didn’t get to see the amazing views. This time, we were trying to ensure we went in good-ish weather to ensure better results. We were keeping an eye on the weather during our drive and it looked bad, so we changed plans and instead drove into Salzburg. The last time we were in Salzburg, we missed the castle, Hohensalzburg Fortress, because we had the dogs with us so we decided to cross it off the list this time.
It was mid-day, so all the downtown parking garages were full and we had to drive a bit further out to find a parking lot. I mapped out a walk to the funicular that would take us up the mountain to the castle. Google Maps said it would be a 15 minute flat walk. We soon found out we were lied to 😂 and it was actually a super steep hike. To make it a little harder, when we got to the point to turn off for the funicular, we decided to walk the rest of the way up, thinking the top was near. Surprise- we weren’t actually even close and had an even steeper climb. We were so winded when we got to the gate, we could barely speak to the ticket agent in order to gain entry. To be honest though, we saw some of the best views of Salzburg, and got some amazing pictures.
After we got into the fortress, we needed a bier and ice cream break. Luckily, this is Europe, so of course there was a cafe/biergarten right inside the gate.
After our break, we toured the fortress. There isn’t much inside to see; the best parts were the observation tower, the armory, and the panorama terrace. It was a fun, quick stop and Ryan got a new sword for his collection. Then, we were back in the car on the way to Berchtesgaden, back in Germany.
We made our next destination Königsee, or Kings’ Lake, in Berchtesgaden National Park. The weather was still threatening to rain, but we went ahead and got on a boat tour. The lake is a pretty shade of deep green and bordered by tall mountains on either side. The boats are electric, so pretty much silent, making it a really peaceful boat ride.
Halfway through the journey, the boat stops in a narrow spot in the gorge and the guide played a trumpet to demonstrate the echo effect. Since it was getting close to the end of the day, we only went halfway up the lake to St. Bärtholema, a lakeside church and Biergarten.
We got off, and had another bier and ice cream break. Matt and I shared the biggest cheese pretzel we’ve ever seen and Brooklyn got a cinnamon pretzel. Ryan ran around in the huge meadow behind the Biergarten.
After our break, we took the boat back to the dock. We checked into our hotel and then had dinner at an Italian restaurant. The owner let Brooklyn play his piano for the other guests and Ryan had his first pasta neri.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel for some hot showers! Our boiler has been broken for over a week so we’ve had nothing but cold showers. The trip was worth it just for the hot shower!
Saturday morning, the weather still looked questionable and we debated holding off on going to the Eagle’s Nest until another time. In the end, we decided to give it a try while we were there. We ended up getting so lucky with beautiful weather.
Individuals aren’t allowed to drive themselves to the top due to the narrow, dangerous roads. Instead they have special busses that take you on the crazy ride up.
When we got to the top, we took the tunnel and golden elevator to the Eagle’s Nest and then hiked the rest of the way to the peak.
After playing around at the top for a bit, it was time for a bier and ice cream break. I went for an aperol spritz and it tasted even better with this view. I also ordered a cheese-bread, thinking I would get something similar to Domino’s cheesy bread. What I got was some cold Swiss cheese on rye bread and some onions. I went with it, but I’ll know better next time I see cheese bread on a menu.
Before we headed back down, we quickly tried to recreate some pictures we took in 2017.
After we took the bus down from the Eagle’s Nest, we drove to our next destination: Hallstatt. Whenever we ask Ryan about his favorite trip since we moved, he says visiting the salt mines. This, of course, he did with his friend when Matt, Brooklyn, and I were in the US last year. We thought we would try to recreate the day for him while pairing it with a trip to Hallstatt. This was not the same salt mine he visited, although it is run by the same mining company.
We took the funicular up the mountain overlooking Hallstatt and then hiked the rest of the way to the mine. We changed into “protective clothing” and then walked with the guide to the entry to the mine.
The entrance to the mine was an old rail track that led into the side of the mountain. We walked 300 meters back into the mountainside. It was so claustrophobic; Ryan normally hates this stuff and had a mini claustro-freak out earlier that same day at the tunnel to the Eagle’s Nest, but for some reason, he was super happy here.
One we were in the mine, we got to the lower levels by sliding down the old, wooden slides. On each level we learned about the creation of the mines, the history of salt mining, and modern salt mining. I’m not doing it justice; it was actually really interesting. It’s crazy that the salt inside the Alps, was a dried up sea bed thousands of years ago. As continents shifted and the Alps formed, the sea beds got rolled up into the core of the mountains. It was a super interesting geology lesson.
To exit the mine, we road a little train that took us straight out of the mountain, about 600 meters lower than where we started.
So what did Ryan think? He liked it. BUT, he said he prefers the Salzburg Salt Mines, so we’ll still have to take him back there another time.
After the mine, we went to the Top of Hallstatt overlook for some pictures.
We rode the funicular back down, grabbed some burgers from a food truck, and then caught a shuttle to our Airbnb. Old Hallstatt is completely traffic free but luckily there is parking and a shuttle for overnight guests. We got the kids settled and Matt and I walked to the town center for some pictures and drinks.
Sunday morning, we took one more walk to the town center for some pictures.
We had a quick breakfast and then drove to Wolfgangsee, or Lake Wolfgang, to ride the mountain coaster. There are quite a few in the are but I chose this one since it tows you up the mountain backwards, giving you time to look at the lake.
We’ve done a couple coasters now and this one seemed really fast, with short side walls. People do flip over the sides of these things and I felt myself hitting the brakes a lot more than usual.
After the coaster, we drove the rest of the way home. On the way we passed another lake in Austria, Fuschlsee, that was SO blue. It looked like the lakes in Glacier National Park. We tried to find a good place to pull over and take pictures, but no luck, so we are adding it to the list of places to come back to.
Next weekend, we are heading on our cruise to Greece!
Gilcrests Abroad 