Glorious Mountain Views |
Hinterglemm Austria
Monday 29th
June 2015
This
morning I woke up by the sound of my alarm at 7am. The reason I had my alarm on
for was because of the excursion I was going on today. It was the day where I
would be off to a place called ‘Berchtesgaden’
to which ‘Eagles nest’ was located. The ‘Eagles nest’ was Adolf Hitler’s old retreat
high up the mountain range which sounded pretty exciting. I headed downstairs
making sure I had everything for my trip and headed for the dining area for
breakfast. I entered, grabbed the same food as yesterday and sat at an empty
table. As I was eating, the Geordie waitress walked in and I said ‘Areet’. She
laughed and said yeah she was but I noticed everyone else looking bewildered at
what I said. I then had a look at my watch and realised I had to be at the bus
stop at the end of the village within 15 minutes. I shot up and grabbed my bag
saying goodbye to everyone heading for the bus stop.
In no time at all I was
nearing the bus stop and at it I seen Dan the rep boarding the bus and I
initially thought they were going to leave without me. That wasn’t the case
though as I managed to make it in good time and find my seat. I was excited
with the anticipation of what I was about to go and see plus the fact this
place was in Germany
too. Time had passed and we set off towards Saalbach to pick up more passengers.
We got there quickly and on came several more people. I thought we were setting
off to our destination from Saalbach but we had to make one more stop at Zell
am see. This was a place I wanted to see anyway during my time in Austria as it looked like a smaller version of Lake Garda. I was not disappointed when we finally
arrived there. It was another gem of Austria with its shimmering blue
lake and large mountains surrounding it. We picked up the last lot of
passengers and a holiday rep named Sara who would be helping us around the
places we were going too; then we set off to Berchtesgaden. Along the way there were quite
a few spectacular views of the mountains and rapid rivers which I couldn’t stop
looking at. I wanted everything to sink in; such incredible views they were
too. Along the way Sara was giving us all facts about the area and where we
were going too. A surprise for me came when Sara mentioned that they were going
to the salt mines as well today which I wanted to see given the fact everyone
was talking about it at the hotel. I paid for that excursion too which made me
even happier.
After an hour and a half of driving we finally arrived in the Berchtesgaden which was a
relief. We weren’t going to the town first but headed straight to ‘Eagles nest’.
The bus driver followed the signs to the famous attraction and as we got
closer, the more gradient the road became. There were times I was thinking
whether he could actually get to the top especially with all the passengers and
the speed of the heavy bus. However, we finally arrived at the car park at the
base of the mountain top. The rest of the journey up would be on a special type
of bus that had been designed to climb steeper hills. So we had a look in the
gift shop to pass the time until the red bus had arrived. The bus was filling
up and I was one of the last ones to get on which meant there was less chance
of getting a seat. However I found one and sat next to Sara who began talking
to me and me to her. It seemed to pass the time on the journey up the mountain
road and then it hit me that the higher we were going the more incredible the
views became. When we eventually got to the top my jaw dropped yet again at the
awe inspiring views surrounding me. We were still not at the very top though as
at the top was Hitler’s retreat.
The first thing we had to do was to head into
a very long tunnel where Hitler’s driver would have drove in and out of picking
Hitler up and dropping him off without arousing suspicion which was very
interesting to see and imagine. It was a very long and dark tunnel and the
further down I went, the colder it became. At the end and to the right was a
lift that took people to the top so we all stood in the cold waiting for the
next lift up. However, this was no ordinary lift. It was very well designed
with shining brass and green velvet which also had a very bright venetian glass
which blended in with the golden brass; it was quite large as well. I talked to
Sara again whilst going up in the lift and in quick time we reached the top. We
exited into the actual building but it turned out to be a restaurant now. So I
headed straight outside to gaze at the most beautiful panoramic view I had ever
seen in my life. The hairs were up at the back of my neck at the wondrous sight
in front of me. To the east was Salzburg
far in the distance way below my eye level. Then to the south side was an open
area full of mountain peaks overlapping each other slowly fading away into the
far distance. To the west and north were gigantic mountains which still had
quite a bit of snow on them. Below me to the north was a beautiful lake set
between mountains too. I was lost for words for a very long time and yet again
taking in the fabulous scenery.
Mountain Views |
There was an area higher up with uneven rocks
which I headed for and climbed to get an even greater 360 degree view. I could
have stayed up there all day but as always I was pushed for time as I had to be
back on the bus pretty soon. This time however instead of getting the lift back
down, I took the scenic route zig zagging down the mountain top admiring the
views of other mountains in the distance. It was really peaceful too as it
seemed like I was the only one walking down. Time had passed zig zagging down
nearly becoming dizzy in the process until I eventually arrived at the bus
area. I spent the last 10 minutes staring out into the distance taking the
glorious scenery in one more time before the bus finally arrived.
Rough Rocky Area |
Eagles Nest |
Me |
On we all
went as I sat with Sara again talking away descending to the car park quite
rapidly actually. We made it to the bottom and headed straight for the coach
which would take us to Berchtesgaden
town. We were told we only had an hour in the town so as we arrived and got my
bearings I tried to make the most of it. I needed something to eat as I
suddenly realised I didn’t pick up my packed lunch from the hotel so I headed
to the first café I could see and walked in. I sat down and looked at the menu
already picking out what I wanted which was a simple ham and cheese toasty and
a latte. However I sat and waited for my food for 25 minutes until it finally
arrived. As soon as he gave me my food, I literally wolfed it down. The man
looked shocked at how quick I got to him with my money ready. I paid and headed
straight out as I only had 30 minutes left in the town. So I headed to the
central area and as I walked up one street, at the end of it was blocked off by
TV cameras, lighting equipment and a set. I had about 15 minutes maybe less to
get back to the bus and I made it just in time. From what I did see in this
town was very picturesque narrow streets, beautiful Austrian churches and
unique shops; a very typical Austrian town.
Berchtesgaden |
We set off when everybody came back
heading for the salt mines. I was looking forward to taking part in this as I
was told there were wooden slides the miners would have used to get to lower
caverns quicker which we could also use. The mines were pretty much down the
road from the town and we were off the bus heading for the entrance; I was so
curious to know what was beyond the entrance. As we passed the barriers, we
entered into a vast area where everybody had to put overalls on before entering
the mine. The woman behind the desk passed me mine and I put it on thinking I
was heading off to work down the mines. When we all got covered up we were lead
to the next area where we would wait for the mini train to take us all along.
We were told that along the way, pictures would be taken of us and we weren’t
allowed to take any from our cameras. Not a problem I thought as I wanted to
experience the mines more rather than looking at it through a camera. The train
had arrived and when I said mini, I meant really mini. I suppose it had to be
going through the narrow tunnels. The carriages were tiny too but enough to get
my leg over and sit with the bench between my legs. We all got on despite how
close up we were to each other and got our first picture taken.
Preparing to Enter Mines |
Then all of a
sudden the train began to move slowly at the start and then rapidly went down
the tunnel at a fast pace. It felt surreal but amazing speeding along with the
rush of the cold air blowing through my face. There were times we were getting
shuck around but that was the fun part of it I thought as we came to the end of
the line. The room we entered was a deep cavern with the wooden slide that took
us down. We had a choice whether to go down the slide or use the ramp.
Everybody chose the slide and we had to go down in a group. I was at the back
end of the line with a few people left to go down. There were quite a few
people laughing and screaming which got me excited for when it was my turn.
There were some that didn’t want to go to the front so I plucked up the courage
and lay at the front with 2 older women behind me. We were held in place by a
leather barrier but as soon as we were ready and the tour guide pushed the
button, we were shooting down the wooden slide. It was an amazing feeling and
brought the inner child out of me. Half way down there was a flash of light
which meant another picture was taken. We safely got to the bottom with
friction on my backside but full of joy as we all watched the last lot of
people come down.
The next part showed us the history of the place, how the salt
cave was formed and how it was extracted which was all pretty interesting
stuff. The next part was a spectacular moment again as we went down a second
wooden slide which was a lot longer and then arrived into a vast area of water.
At first I looked upon the water thinking it was really clear and I could see
the bottom plain as day. However, I then realised it wasn’t clear; it was the
reflection of the ceiling hitting the water and brine giving off a mirror
effect. It was wonderful to behold and the next thing I realised was that there
was a wooden boat waiting for us to climb aboard. As soon as the first person
stepped on board, the water rippled which spoiled the effect. The boat
eventually began moving very slowly as the lights in the cavern were switched
off. Then a light show began with therapeutic sounding music playing which
really was relaxing and creepy at the same time. It was beautiful to witness
and then we shortly arrived at the other end. Once we got off, there was a make
shift container and pump full of the water and brine where everyone could dip
there fingers in and taste the salt. Everyone’s action of twisted faces was the
same as mine as we continued on to a separate train line.
Salt Mine Light Show |
We all hopped on and
sped off into a slightly bigger tunnel reaching for the exit. The familiar
feeling of cold air blowing against my face came back and then we could see the
light at the end of the tunnel to which the driver slowed down. As soon as we
got out of the tunnel, we were hit by the brightness and most of all the heat of
the sun especially with the overalls on. We got off the train and headed for
the changing area again. I handed my overall back and headed to the picture
area. It took me a while to find the ones with me on but when I seen them, I
sniggered to myself. My face going down the wooden slide was like a 5 year old
opening his Christmas presents. I paid for the pictures and headed for the gift
shop. The majority of the shop was bath salts and therapeutic items. I exited
the building so full of joy with what I took part in.
5 Year Old Me |
In no time at all we were
all on the bus picking a few passengers up from the town and heading back to
our hotels. I plugged my headphones in and went into my own little bubble
reminiscing what I had just done. There was never a time where I wasn’t looking
out of my window due to the fact that the views of the mountains and valleys
were so remarkable. The journey seemed to take forever but I enjoyed every
moment of it because I could have been back home working and not seeing any of
these views. After the drop offs at Zell am see and Saalbach, we finally
arrived back to Hinterglemm where Dan the rep was waiting for me. He gave me a
ticket for an excursion for Wednesday and talking more to me about an activity
I wanted to do whilst I was in Hinterglemm.
We parted ways a moment later and I
headed back to my room resting my feet. I only had about 45 minutes left until
I had to go down for my dinner so I rested a bit more. Whilst I was waiting in
my room, I’m sure I could hear people far in the distance yodelling away; it
sounded a bit like ‘Goofy’ which made me laugh. It was finally time to head
down for my dinner again and had soon entered the dining room. I sat at the
same table with the same people as the previous night and we all got chatting
about what we did during the day but everybody seemed to want to know what I
did mostly. Throughout the talking our food came but the staff seemed to be
messing orders up even spilling a bit on one of the woman at my table. It
seemed to be going pear shaped for them but we got our food in the end and a
beer so that was all that mattered.
With all the talking and the laughing, I
lost track of time and realised it was getting late and the staff were clearing
up. I made a paper rose like I always do and placed it in a glass for the
receptionist but she never came over. One of the waiters had seen it and
jokingly asked if it was for him and I laughed and said no it’s for the
receptionist. He then laughed and said he would give her it for me so I was
hoping he would have stuck to his words. It was time to head up to my room
again and get things prepared for tomorrow’s excursion. Once that was all done,
it was finally time to hit the hay.
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