Nat Your Average Story: The Eagle's Nest & Salzburg, Austria

Monday dawned clear and bright – and that’s such a gift because apparently Germany usually experiences quite a bit of rain in the Autumn – but earlier in the week we had very good weather and we were so thankful for that. We did our most far flung travels on Monday, setting out and driving toward Kehlsteinhaus – or the Eagle’s Nest, Adolf Hitler’s secret hideout in the Bavarian Alps.

The Eagle’s Nest is perched on the edge of an Alpine peak and the views are absolutely stunning. Hitler was evil but I suppose even evil covets a good view – and he certainly had one here. You ride specially designed buses up the one-way road to the peak, where you enter a long tunnel carved into the mountainside (which was apparently filled with wine when US soldiers found the fortress at the end of the war) and then take a golden elevator through the center of the mountain and into the fortress.

The irony of the Eagle’s Nest today is that virtually all the history has been stripped from the site. It’s a restaurant now, perched high atop the mountain serving beer, wine, and delicious meals – you don’t even need a reservation to eat there, ha-ha! There is one hallway that details the visits made to the Eagle’s Nest by Hitler (supposedly only 14 if the records are correct) and the decisions that were made on high by SS officials that would have a rippling effect on hundreds of people throughout Germany and beyond. It’s a very pretty place with a very sinister past.

We made our way back down the curving mountain road, our lives in the hands of the specially trained bus driver who makes the 15-minute journey up and down the mountain. I must confess that at times, the sharp drop offs on the edge of the road were enough to make me feel a little anxious, but we made it down alive! We perused the gift shop but I just didn’t think I really wanted a Christmas sock emblazoned with “Eagle’s Nest” in red and green… Once we hopped back in the car, we crossed the border into Austria and quickly found ourselves at our next destination: Salzburg!

Our first stop in Salzburg was for a late lunch at Sternbrau! Sternbrau has been in business since 1542 and serves some really incredible food! We sat in the outdoor portion of the restaurant, which was lovely (except for the little bird that pooped on my Mom’s phone) and the food was extremely tasty! It was a great place to have lunch before we set out to explore a little bit of the city and I’d definitely recommend giving it a try if you’re ever in the Salzburg area!

After our delightful lunch at Sternbrau, we wandered along the alleyways to check out some shops and see Mozart’s birthplace (it’s bright yellow y’all) before crossing the river to Mirabell Palace Gardens. In case you were unaware – a large portion of The Sound of Music was filmed in Salzburg (you can book hours long tours dedicated to this) and some of the scenes were filmed at Mirabell Palace Gardens. Not to mention – the gardens are absolutely beautiful! And you can see a lovely view of Salzburg with the city and the Hohensalzburg Fortress in the background!

Hohensalzburg Fortress was our next stop – granted, we did wander aimlessly through the streets a wee bit trying to find the funicular that takes you up the hillside to the fortress. I shared a quick little video that my sister took of us cruising up the hillside on the funicular. It’s a time lapse; of course, but the little vehicle really did cruise up the hillside lickety-split!

Hohensalzburg Fortress was originally built in 1077 and is one of the best-preserved castles in Europe! It’s a giant place to be sure! We didn’t actually purchase a tour of the castle but we were able to wander throughout the castle courtyards and take in all the buildings. The views of Salzburg and the countryside from the fortress were absolutely stunning and inside the interior courtyard were several amazing chairs spread across the grass – a perfect spot to plop down and sit a spell… taking in the fact that you’re sitting in a courtyard that has been in use for over a thousand years…

Our final little stop off before we made our way back to the car and completed the 2.5 hour drive back to Garmisch was the restaurant at the Fortress. We were still pretty stuffed from our huge meal at Sternbrau, so we just had dessert! I got the Sacher Torte – which is a dessert that is synonymous with Austria – it’s very chocolate-y and divine! I slept for most of the ride back to Germany once the sun set and I was really glad to see the bed when we got home, ha-ha!