The local cemetery was really interesting. Each grave is
given it’s own garden plot. They are all beautifully cared for and would be the
envy of any gardener. The cemetery could have been actually deemed a “garden
walk” by all standards. The garden’s centerpiece was a life size crucifixion,
however, Jesus was the color blue. I have never seen a blue Jesus in all my
travels.
After our walk, it was on to meet our afternoon tour group.
We were going on a historical tour of the Eagle’s Nest and the surrounding WWII
sites. The Eagle’s Nest was Hitler’s Alpine retreat and sits on one of the
highest peaks above the valley. The series, Band of Brothers, portrayed how
Easy Company took hold of the Eagle’s Nest as Germany was about to surrender.
The entire afternoon was as if my history book came to life. Our tour guide was
very knowledgeable and shared stories about meeting some of the US soldiers who
were members of Easy Company who had returned to the area. She said they were
very proud men.
The entire mountain range is historical. We learned about
the families who had lived in the area and how their lives changed when the
Nazi’s took over the valley. There are over 6 kilometers of underground bunkers
catacombing the hillsides. As we made
the final ascent up the mountain, we learned that it took 3000 men 11 months
working 24 hours around the clock to build the road and the 3 room retreat. I
have seen Band of Brothers multiple times and had a mental image of what to
expect. However, as we took the last hairpin turn and the snow began to fall,
the first thing I saw was souvenir stand. Matt had been joking that we could
get snacks since it was a summer retreat house. Unfortunately, he was correct.
The retreat is reached by walking down a long tunnel carved into the mountain,
followed by a ride up gold-mirrored elevator, which opens to… a restaurant
filled with tourists eating traditional Bavarian foods. It just seemed like
such a bizarre juxtopostion of historical significane and to how it is being
utilized today, complete with Pepsi branded eating tables outside. When we asked
the tour guide if she thought it was weird, she said, “No, they used this place to have parties and sun bathe, it is still
used in the same way. Hitler only came here 14 times. He hated it. It has the
best views of the valley. Why not enjoy it.” This was all true, but I can’t
help but think the historical documents in the official “Documentation Center”
would be more powerful if they were shown in the Eagle’s Nest itself as more of
a museum. The view was incredible though and the snow was absolutely beautiful.
Next stop was the Historical Documentation Center followed by a decent
into the Bunkers. The documentation center held a bounty of historical documentation, but the entire exhibit was in German. When they built the museum 23 years ago, the did not think anyone would really come...especially Americans, so they did not localize anything into English. By 2014, they plan to have English descriptions added to each display. Outside the center was the entrance to huge bunker. The bunkers were an incredible labyrinth and are all still in their original condition as found...time stopped here in 1945.
The tour overall was a great
history lesson. We did get our tour guide, Erika, alone for a bit to talk about
personal stuff. She confided that even though she was born here, she hated
snow, hated skiing, hated when her tour groups were full of only Germans and
aspired to actually be a singer/songwriter of folk music. She was hoping to
come to America to fulfill her dream.
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