We took a walking tour through Munich. The tour guide “Steve” was extremely knowledgeable on world war 2 history and the tour focused on WWII.
We walked along the streets looking at some of the buildings which were used by the Nazi Regime. There were a few interesting ones that stood out.
This Art Museum was originally Hitler’s personal shrine that condemned “Degenerate art” and he held an exhibition in July 1937 called “The Great German Art Exhibition”.
This building was designed by Paul Ludwig Troost and it is considered to be the first monumental example of Nazi architecture.
This is the only building in Munich which still has swastikas visible on the building.
At first, they are not noticeable but after a closer look, they are clearly visible.
We walked through several areas where the Nazi Regime confiscated buildings and converted them for their own use.
The Gestapo headquarters was destroyed during WWII. The new building on that location has a small monument and display identifying the history of the building location.
We walked a fair amount during the tour and eventually arrived in the Marienplatz in the center of Munich at the Rathaus-Glockenspiel.
Our final stop was near the Hofbrauhaus, a beer hall. This was where Hitler started speaking in October of 1919 and eventually founded the SS in the basement.
The tour was enjoyable and we saw some historic buildings and monuments along the way.
We took a tour bus from Munich to go and see the “Kehlsteinhaus” known as theEagles Nest in Berchtesgaden Germany.
The two-hour drive from Munich to Berchtesgaden was very enjoyable with great views of the countryside.
We arrived near the base of the mountain and exited the bus. At this point, only designated special buses are used to shuttle people to the entrance of the Eagles Nest.
We boarded the special bus and began our trip up the steep treacherous road which was cut into the mountain. The road was very narrow with many winding turns near the edge of deep gorges.
When we reached the entrance area of the Eagles Nest we could see a large tunnel opening.
We headed into the tunnel which is 131 meters (430 feet) into the mountain before reaching the base of the elevator shaft.
When we reached the elevator we were amazed at the size of the elevator. It could hold up to 40 people and was the original elevator when the Eagles Nest was built.
The inside of the elevator was very large and ornate with polished brass and gold throughout. The original phone and clock were still in the elevator and functional.
The elevator ascends a total of 140 meters (460 feet) to the inside of the Eagles Nest. When we stepped out of the elevator it felt like stepping into a different world.
The Eagles Nest is located near the summit of the Kehlstein mountain and is 1,834 m (6,017 ft) high. The building which was constructed as a gift for Hitler’s 50th birthday was made to impress and represent power.
Today the Eagles Nest is a restaurant with beautiful views of the mountains and a great outdoor patio. We went into the reception hall which has a large marble fireplace.
The marble fireplace was a birthday gift to Hitler from the dictator Benito Mussolini.
After the war, some of the marble was chipped off the fireplace by souvenir seekers. You can see damage where the marble was chipped away.
The large windows provided great views of the surrounding mountains.
There was a set of stairs which lead to a wooden paneled room off of the main conference room.
The panel room had two large windows which gave great views of the mountains as well.
We then headed outside to the patio area to explore the outside area. The views were breathtaking, everywhere you looked the views were spectacular.
There was a path that went to the peak of the mountain. We walked up the trail admiring the views along the way. We stopped quite often to just take in the views.
We went to the top of the mountain and looked back at the Eagles Nest.
To say that the Eagles Nest was amazing would be an understatement. The views were spectacular and our pictures do not do it justice. We enjoyed the experience however it is hard to express the emotions we felt while there. The idea that this was a symbol of power for the Nazi regime and decisions were made here that caused mass murder is disturbing.
We took a London taxi for the first time the other day. It was an interesting experience in a unique vehicle. The design of the car is specifically for a taxi. The back doors open opposite to a normal car door. The inside of the back seat has room for up to five people. There are two folding seats facing backwards and a bench seat facing forward.
We got into the back of the cab and Shelley and I sat on the folding seats facing backwards.
It felt like sitting in the back of a fire truck, and brought back some fond memories. Anne and Jim sat across from us on the bench seat of the taxi.
The taxi ride was not the most comfortable because it was a bit cramped for four people. Overall it was a good ride and we saw some of the London icons along the way back to the hotel.
The taxi had a different system as well for the door. There was a lock system which was activated when we began to move. We could use the intercom if we wanted to talk to the driver.
It was one of those small but unique experiences we enjoyed while in London.
We went to the airport in Munich and came across a unique feature of the airport. It is the first time we have seen this feature. They call them relax areas and they are located throughout areas of the airport.
We went and checked out the relax area. There were recliner type chairs in an area with artificial grass and live plants.
We sat in the loungers waiting for our flight and enjoyed a nice relaxing rest. They also provide free WiFi at the airport allowing us to catch up on emails etc.
There were also cubicles with work stations for people who wanted to do some computer or business work.
What was very innovative and interesting was the specific area for sleeping. They had designed sleeping quarters called “napcabs” which you could rent for a nap before your flight.
The relax areas are a great feature and reduce stress waiting for your next flight.
We took a trip to Munich, Germany to explore some of the sites. In particular we want to visit Second World War sites and points of interest.
We started our day early flying out of Alicante at 6:30 am. We had a short stop over in Madrid and then off to Munich, Germany. We landed in Munich with no issues.
We took the train to get to the centre area of Munich. The train system was easy to figure out and we managed to get the train. We arrived at the central station.
It was an easy walk to our hotel from the central station. We found our hotel with no problems at all. We were impressed by the hotel Uhland, which was very well located in Munich.
After checking in and unpacking, we decided to head out and get something to eat. The hotel clerk recommended a restaurant near the hotel called “Lenz”. We headed out to try the restaurant and have a traditional German meal. It was only a short walk from our hotel to the restaurant, which looked very nice.
We found a great spot on the outside patio and settled in for a nice meal.
We had a great German meal with a roast pork in a beer gravy with potato dumplings. It was the very delicious and a great way to start out Munich trip.
We enjoyed the meal and then went back to our hotel to relax before our next adventure.
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