13th August 2007

The Bavarian Alps

The weather was against us for virtually the whole time we were back in Germany. What was supposed to be one day’s rain turned into five and it tried its very best to ruin things for us. We were there, after all, to see some majestic peaks. What we did see were some tantalising glimpses when the weather would pretend, just for an hour or two, to clear up.

One particularly miserable morning, we awoke to find little pools of water inside the tent - the rocky ground had made it difficult to stretch the tent to its usual waterproof tautness. At the bottom of one of these pools lay my diary. Worse still, it seems that I had used a water based ink pen from time to time and whole pages were reduced to a blue smudge. I nearly cried.

Nevertheless, we still managed to see and do a lot, beginning with a trip to the Partnachklamm, a 700m long narrow gorge that felt more like a cave at times. We stopped in nearby Oberammergau to enjoy the painted houses and pure Bavarian kitsch in relative peace- the rain had scared most tourists off by the look of things.

The following day we joined the hordes that despite the inclement weather had turned up in their thousands at Ludwig II’s ridiculous but charming Neuschwanstein Castle, and it’s only slightly less fanciful Hohenschwangau Castle. The tours of these two palaces were brief and hurried at around 30 minutes each (and expensive too). We had no regrets though. The sights, including the mock Byzantine Throne room and the faux medieval minstrels’ hall were easy to warm to. Ludwig may have been an eccentric, fiscally irresponsible, and ultimately tragic figure. He died in mysterious circumstances before the castle was finished. However, what he left behind became the inspiration for the castle at the heart of Disneyland. I think he would have liked that.

A somewhat darker figure looms over Berchtesgaden, our final stop in the south eastern corner of Germany. It once served as Hitler’s mountain retreat and what little remains of the complex is now a visitors’ centre that thoroughly chronicles the rise and ultimate fall of the Nazi Party. The custodians have a tough assignment here ensuring that it does not become a magnet for neo Nazis and other freaks. They’ve done a pretty good job. We also took a boat trip across the nearby Konigsee and climbed to the Eiskappell, a mini glacier which grows into an enormous dome each winter.

We were only a few kilometres from the Austrian borders so we spent a day in Salzburg. It’s a small, quite charming city with a nice jumble of churches to explore and a large castle complex looming from the cliff-top above the city. We spent quite a while at the castle exploring the exhibits and enjoying the views. Salzburg is definitely one of those cities best viewed from above.

Now we’re across the Alps in the Austrian Dolomites. The bad weather finally lifted yesterday as we travelled south. However, I’m writing this in the tent as a thunderstorm (hopefully) passes by. At least the new diary is safe.