Courier January 2009 : Page 73
Clockwise from top left: Visitors to the Eagle’s Nest can take in panoramic views high above the Berchtesgaden area. Helga Schommer of Prien Tourism shared her town’s history on a morning tour. German folk dancers provided dinner entertainment in Ruhpolding. pretzels—a staple of the Bavarian diet—and many of us indulged in our first weiss bier, a regionally brewed, full-bodied wheat beer. After a warm greeting from Rupert Geiger of the Munich Tourist Office, our journey began. The quaint resort town of Prien was the first stop. Just an hour’s drive southeast of Munich, Prien is situ- ated in a lush, green valley between the Chiemgau Alps and the pristine shores of Lake Chiemsee, Bavaria’s largest lake. The area provides an escape for outdoor lovers with its year-round recreational activities but is most known for Herrenchiemsee Palace, which was built in the late 19th century at the extravagant expense of the legendary King Ludwig II. We took a narrated tour of the elaborate castle, which was designed in the style of Versailles, and were awed by its exquisite art and gold décor. After a bit of shopping and a visit to the Abbey Church of Frauenchiemsee, founded in 782 and famous for its Kloister liquor produced for centuries by the resident nuns, we enjoyed our first German dinner together at our hotel, Luitpold am See. There our group was introduced to kai- serschmarrn—a light, caramelized pancake dessert. While it is being fried, the pancake is split into pieces, dusted with powdered sugar and served hot with fruit sauce on the side. There wasn’t a dinner the rest of our trip that didn’t include this delec- table dish. During a morning walking tour of Prien, Helga Schommer of Prien Tourism shared the history of the colorful religious frescos found on the town’s homes and the story behind Bavaria’s maypoles, a tall wooden pole displaying carved characters of the town’s goods and services. Schommer said these structures informed people hundreds of years ago who couldn’t read or write what was available in the village as they looked to settle and find work. Next, we traveled to Berchtesgaden, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. Its serene mountain set- ting is in dramatic contrast to its his- tory, which is among the world’s dark- est. It was here in the high Bavarian Alps along the Austrian border where Adolf Hitler claimed to be inspired and laid out his vision. In the 1930s as the German Führer, he chose this region as his mountain retreat. Some historians have referred to it as the “Cradle of the Third Reich.” David Harper, an American who has spent the past 22 years in Bavaria, owns and operates Eagle’s Nest Historical Tours. He provided detailed narration on the history of the Nazi party and the construction of the Eagle’s Nest—the mountaintop chalet presented to Hitler for his 50th birthday in 1939. The four-mile road from Obersalzberg leading up to the summit traverses the steep northwest face of the Kehlstein Mountain with daunting hairpin bends—if you suf- fer from acrophobia, you may want to keep your eyes closed. Once on top, visitors can tour the Eagle’s Nest, dine alfresco, pick up a souvenir or www.NTAonline.com 73 DOUG RENTZ
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