My 28th Birthday in the Alps

After the training adventure with my dad, we ended up in Salzburg, Austria, and spent a few days on the German/Austrian border.  Brian was able to fly out and meet us too, which worked out very well since it was also my 28th birthday that weekend.  =)

We started out this part of the adventure by visiting Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden.  This is a mountain retreat home with historical significance - it was actually built for Hitler as a gift for his 50th birthday.  Now it's a restaurant with breathtaking views over Germany.  Special buses take you on the winding mountain road up more than 2,500 feet to the house - it's so dangerous that the roads are shut down beginning in October until the end of winter.  Once at the top, you make your way through a 400-foot-long tunnel and then take an elevator up the final 500 feet to reach the summit.  Unfortunately the views from the top weren't great that day because it was very cloudy and raining, but we still were glad to have been able to see it and make the adventure up there.


Bus ride up to Eagle's Nest

The tunnel leading up to Eagle's Nest (at the very top)

View from Eagle's Nest

The next day (my birthday!), we attempted to go up again by taking a cable car up to the top of the Untersberg mountain.  It's almost a 10-minute ride on the cable car from the town to a height of almost 6,000 feet.  There were still clouds that day, but they would break at certain times and reveal the beautiful landscape below, including the city of Salzburg and the Salzburg airport.  We were having such a good time that we stayed on top of the mountain for my birthday lunch. 

Cable car up to Untersberg Mountain

On the cable car making our way up to Untersberg Mountain

My "birthday cake" - Apple Strudel in Austria

On top of the Untersberg

Boat ride along Lake Konigssee

We ended this part of the trip by exploring Salzburg, a city I have always wanted to visit because of my love for the Sound of Music.  The architecture there was amazing, and we were able to appreciate it all the more because of the BEAUTIFUL, sunny weather.  We ended the day by exploring the Hohensalzburg Castle, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.  Afterwards, we took our final train from Salzburg to Munich, which was again a beautiful journey through mountains and overlooking some beautiful European scenery.  That night, Brian and I flew back to London and my dad stayed in Munich to fly back home to Orlando the following day.  This was definitely a trip, and a birthday, I will never forget. 

At Hohensalzburg Fortress in Salzburg, Austria

Beautiful Salzburg