Auf Wiedersehen Deutschland

Sadly it was time to say farewell today.
After another typically hearty German breakfast we traveled the 17 miles out of the city to Munich's modern & major international airport & the group checked-in for their late morning flight back to Houston, via Toronto.
It has been a great tour - we have seen everything we hoped, enjoyed some great sightseeing & fun experiences, avoided any major hiccups or delays, & even been fortunate with the weather (which wasn't great but the rain mostly held-off all week).
A large part of the success of any tour is the group - their camaraderie, positive attitude, patience, & punctuality.  This group of seniors & chaperones fit the bill perfectly.  Thank you to everyone for their part in the success of the tour, & especially to Dr. Ross for his role in helping make the trip happen.
Best wishes & safe travels,
Declan

Munich & Dachau - UPDATED

The weather finally caught up with us today after being much better than the forecasts so far.  But we managed to dodge the worst of it throughout the day.

We began our day by traveling into the heart of Munich by tram.  There we met our city guide Markus, a lively & engaging guide who was perfect for our group & entertained us with tales of lederhosen, history, soccer & more.

At the end of the tour we waited for, then watched, the famous town hall glockenspiel.  The group were unanimous that it was entirely underwhelming, but we dutifully waited until the rooster had crowed to mark the end.
There was almost 3 hours free time next, for lunch, further sightseeing, or some final souvenir shopping.  Then we rendezvoused for our afternoon visit to Dachau.
We traveled out of the city by S-Bahn, the Munich suburban railway system, to visit the notorious concentration camp at Dachau.  As always, it was a sombre & moving visit, not enjoyable but worthwhile.  Many conversations on the return journey & later concerned what we had seen.
This evening, & last in Europe, we visited the world-famous Hofbrauhaus for dinner in the upstairs 'Festival Hall'.  A Bavarian "oom-pah" band played & there were occasional performances by a traditional "whip-cracker" & dancers.  It was a fun evening & a great way to end our tour of Europe's Alpine nations.

Salt, Salt, Salt! Salzburg & the Berchtesgarden Salt Mine - NEW TEXT

After our first night in Munich we met our driver, Gunther, again this morning & headed south on the autobahn through beautiful Bavarian countryside.
Our first visit was to Berchtesgarden, notorious for its association with Adolf Hitler but famous long before for its salt mines.  This was our destination today, to take an excursion underground.
Once we were appropriately dressed we rode a miniature train into the mine, then explored the tunnels via wooden slides, a boat ride, & a cog railway.  Along the way we learned about the history of salt mining in this area, the modern methods used today, & the unexpected beauty.

Back above ground we traveled on to nearby Salzburg, a fine Baroque city built with the wealth from salt mining.  There was time for lunch first, then we met our local guide Michaela to learn about prince archbishops, world-renowned composers, & of course The Sound of Music.  Michaela even led us in a couple of renditions from the movie!

Dinner was in Salzburg, then we began the drive back to Munich, arriving in time for bed at our Munich hotel.  Another great day with mostly great weather too.

Bavaria: Castle Neuschwanstein & Oberammergau - UPDATED

Today we left Austria behind, after a brief but fun stay in Obsteig, & crossed the border into the German state of Bavaria.
Our first visit this morning was to the see the castle of Neuschwanstein, famous around the world as the fairytale castle of 'Mad King Ludwig' that was the model for Walt Disney's Cinderella castle.
Being in the Bavarian Alps, the castle is perched on a mountain ridge, so it means a hike uphill (or a bus or carriage ride) to get there.

But once there the views are great, with the castle on one side & expansive views of the countryside on the other.

After taking a guided tour of the castle there was free time for refreshments, lunch, or shopping, before we boarded the bus again.

Our next stop was the tiny hamlet of Wies, home to the Wieskirche, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This spectacular German Roccoco church was built here to house a local statue of Christ that famously wept tears.

Our final stop on our exploration of Bavaria today was the village of Oberammergau, renowned for its woodcarving, painted houses, & passion play.
This was the one time all day that the weather didn't cooperate, so we shortened our time here & dodged the stop-start rain between stores & ice cream shops!

Finally, we arrived in Munich & checked-in for a 3 night stay.  Dinner was just a short walk nearby, a great meal to end another great day.