Bavaria 2019

Today marks our last full day in Europe.  Delta is ready, we are ready.  We will be airborne tomorrow around 10:00 a.m.  This has been a fun trip.  We have seen a lot, done a lot, and learned a lot.  We all grew up with parents who served in WWII.  What they told us about the war did not prepare us for a walk through history in a German concentration camp.  Let me tell you about our last day. We left the hotel this morning and took a train to the village of Dachau, then a bus to the Dachau KZ (concentration camp).  This camp was one of the longest serving camps during the Nazi regime.  It was opened in 1933 and remained operational until it was liberated in April 1945 by the U.S. Army.  Over 200,000 prisoners passed through its portals over the 12 years it was operated.  During this same period of time over 41,500 people met their deaths under conditions that are unimaginable.  It is estimated that this death toll exceeded ov...

Before I start this entry I would like to take a moment and salute the Auburn Tiger baseball team.  The college world series of baseball awaits them. We listened to the game on radio in Innsbruck last night and were supporting our team.  Go Tigers and War Eagle. Today marked our last day in Innsbruck.  We packed, loaded the car, checked out of the hotel, and headed to Munich...  destination the Hofbrauhaus.... but first a few items to take care of.  On any of these trips, there is a certain amount of relief when you turn in the rental car, with no damage.  Mission accomplished.  Car turned in, we took the S8 train (suburban rail) into Munich.  The train stop was beneath our hotel.  We checked into the Hilton Munich, stored our luggage, and proceeded to the Marien Platz and the Hofbrauhaus for lunch. Hankins had one beer and a Schnitzel, Linda and Mary Ann had Bavarian Roasted Chicken and I had Roasted Pork Bellies...  a great dining exp...

When planning this trip,  there were several things on our to do list.  1. Dinner with J.C., Jenny, Todd and Susan at the Fraundorfer. 2. Go to the Zugspitz. 3. Visit Neuchwanstein, 4. Go to Vipiteno, Italy for wine, spaghetti and gelato 5. Drive through Brenner Pass. 6. Visit Berchtesgaden and the Eagle's Nest.  June 10th was our last day in Innsbruck and it is time to complete the mission.   After breakfast we began our two hour drive to Obersalzberg.  This small community had the misfortune of attracting the interest of Adolf Hitler.  This is the location of Adolph Hitler's favorite vacation retreat.  He first rented a cabin there and then later bought a place.  As Hitler grew in power and popularity through the '20's, other members of the Nazi party wanted places there.  The final result was the displacement of a whole community.  Residents who sold out early, received favorable financial terms and moved on.  Those that chose n...

No trip to Bavaria would be complete without a visit to the Neuchwanstein castle.  This castle is commonly known as the Cinderella Castle.  It served as the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle.  This castle has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.  More than 61,000,000 people have visited since it was opened to the public.  Approximately 1,300,000 people visit each year.  As many as 6,000 visitors visit each day.  We can attest to that.  We were a part of the 6,000 plus visitors that came during our visit.  I would highly recommend that you do not plan a visit on the weekend.   This castle was intended to be the home of King Ludwig.  In the end the King lived in the castle for 172 days before his passing. Due to its secluded location, the castle survived destruction in WWII.  The Nazis used the castle as a location to store Nazi plunder that was taken from France during the war. ...

Let me start this entry with War Eagle. Auburn Baseball 11 and North Carolina 7.  More about that later.  Today we took a road trip through the Brenner Pass.  Our destination was Vipiteno, a medieval village in northern Italy.  Linda and I visited this village 17 years ago with Vic and Cindi Hicks along with Cathy and Ricky Mobley.  Cathy wanted to go to Italy for some gelato.  So we left Garmish, Germany and drove south to  Italy.  You have to imagine the setting... nestled in the Italian Alps, a spaghetti lunch with wine in the city square... surrounded by mountains...postcard perfect.  After lunch, every one ordered gelato.  While walking back to the car, Cathy tripped on the cobblestones and dropped her gelato.  Go forward to present day.  I have thought often about Cathy and her missed opportunity and sought to recreate the incident with a positive outcome.  Today's mission. We had a nice drive through the mountains...