Saturday morning we planned on going up to Berchtesgaden, which was about 30 minutes or so from our hotel. But first we stopped at an Aldi's just down the road for food. I stayed in the car with the boys while Ben went inside. I had the car on with the AC blowing because it was quite warm outside. Suddenly, a man came striding towards me in the parking lot. Before he got to the car, I rolled down the window, wondering what was wrong. He immediately launched into me-- maybe he was having a bad day? But he was sure to tell me that the way I had parked was unacceptable. I had parked a bit diagonally, crossing one of the lines. Since I was in an handicapped space with no one parked on either side of me, I hadn't realized how offensive this would be. :-) Next he told me just how much damage I was doing to the environment by letting my car idle. I was very taken aback! Not sure what to say, I mumbled an apology and turned off the car. After he walked off to his car, I turned my car back on and sat there dumbfounded until Ben came back out from the store.
Bemused, we got back on the road toward the Berchtesgaden Salt works.
This whole area of the world is known for its salt mines. The oldest salt mine in the world was located up in Hallstatt, as a matter of fact! Salt mines in this area have been worked for over 7,000 years, since the time of the Celtics, although this particular mine wasn't established until the 1100's. Early mining was done by hand, digging out solid salt rock crystals. Later techniques involved pumping fresh water into salt mine caverns. After several weeks of absorbing salt from the walls, the water was pumped out to a plant to be evaporated and processed into commerical salt. These days, the old salt mine is open for tours.
The whole area is just totally beautiful. Snow topped mountains, crystal-clear rivers, picturesque villages nestled in forested valleys. I could seriously get used to it.
The tour itself was tons of fun! I didn't take my camera, so I borrowed pictures from the internet to remember it.
First, you start out by getting into some super-fancy cover-alls, and boarding this little train. Then you go deep, deep into the mountain. through a tunnel just large enough for the train. Try not to think about it too much or you'll get clautrophobic.
Once inside, there are a number of different caverns the guide takes you through, explaining the history and techniques of salt mining. At one point you board this wooden barge and glide across a perfectly still and clear subterranean lake.
About halfway through, a light show begins.
Then all the lights go out. Cool!
Of course, the highlight of the tour was the slide! There were actually two of them. This was the first, and the longest. I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it, but the guides were really nice, helping me onto the side, and then bringing my wheelchair down the ramp next to the slide.
This is the view from the top. It is STEEP!! But before you have time to get too nervous, off you go. The wood slide is polished smooth, and the ride is very fast. It was super fun!!
Totally cheesy picture, but this was what it was like. We got on as a family, each person holding on to the one in front.
Too soon, you're on your way back out through the tunnel, and into the light of day.
This was a really, really fun activity. I'd definitely do it again!
After the salt mine, we headed further up the mountains. The road was steep and windy. I was driving with the thumb-button hand controls, and thought my hand would about fall off. We were headed toward Obersalzburg and Hitler's Eagles Nest.
We knew it would be crowded, being a Saturday in the middle of summer, and it really was. The parking lots were full and cars were parked quite a ways down the road. But we were lucky enough to find a handicapped parking place. Ben bought tickets for the tour.
First, you board one of the several red shuttle buses waiting for passengers.
Then you take a frankly terrifying ride up the mountainside for about 10 minutes. The buses go FAST, around tight hairpin curves, with sheer drop offs to the valley below.
Finally, you disembark in a wide parking lot
Waaaay up high you can see the Eagle's Nest complex.
Then, it is through a long, dark tunnel, and up a very long elevator.
Finally, you emerge into what feels like the top of the world. The views are amazing.
Ben went on ahead with the boys to a point even further up the mountin. I stayed an marveled at the scenery. I guess I can see why Hitler likes this place.
Joseph up on the peak above Eagle's nest.
Before we knew it, it was time to get back on the shuttle bus to go back down. After that, we visted Hitler's headquarters and the dungeons down below. I hope he was really miserable there.
And here's Brigham, working away at his book.
Then we were back in the car, heading back down the mountain, over to the A10, and back into Austria. This was a really beautiful drive.
We stayed in a little ski town called Sankt Michael im Lungau. This was about as picture-perfect an Austrian mountain village as you could find.
I especially loved that all the buildings had flower boxes under the window.
We stayed in the Jufa Hotel Lungau. They originally put us in upstairs rooms, but there were no elevators at all! So they moved Ben and I downstairs, which was very nice. Also very loud-- the hotel was filled with families-- lots of kids milling about and people hanging out and talking in the hotel common areas. It was nice to see Austrian families on vacation.
We checked in just in time to hear a marching band going down the street, but couldn't get down fast enough to see it.
We explored the town a little bit, got our tires filled up at a gas station, and ended the night eating pizza at a cute little restaurant in the middle of town.
Sunday morning we ate breakfast at the hotel, and then drove about an hour to Klagenfurt am Wörthersee to go to church. This was one of the friendliest wards we went to on our whole trip! Afterward, we were invited to stay and eat lunch with a bunch of the members, celebrating someone's birthday. It made me wonder if I would be so inviting and friendly to a visitor to our ward.
The rest of the afternoon we spent traveling to Italy.
We added another country to our list: Slovenia!
I'm not sure I ever even realized that Slovenia was a country! So pretty.
Before long, we crossed over into Trieste, Italy.
Coming down from the mountains, this was our first view of Italy.
Trieste really wasn't one of our destinations, but we wanted to get a bit of a feel for it, so we decided to go see Miramare Castle. Miramare Castle is another Habsburg castle, this one built by Franz Joseph's brother, Ferdinand Maximilian, and finished in 1860.
The location is really striking-- on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
We drove along the beach toward the castle, but had to park a ways away-- the roads were super crowded with Sunday beach-goers.
We just walked around the grounds for a little while. No tour.
Then quickly back to the car and on our way again. Final destination: Venice! Well, to be exact, Trivignano, but close enough.
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