June 28
Each day here begins with breakfast outside with a beautiful view of the mountains.
Today was set aside for a tour of the Hohe Tauern National Park. As we neared the high point on the road (about 8,000 feet), we encountered hundreds of people walking along and near an the road, most with small backpacks and walking sticks. We learned that they are Catholic pilgrims
replicating an ancient pilgrimage across the mountains to the church in Heiligenbrut (which means "holy blood).
The trek, which covers about 28 kilometers and 4000' change in elevation, happens every June 28th and commemorates a complicated legend about the blood of Jesus dating from about the year 1000. We were able to visit the church in Heiligenbrut long before the pilgrims arrived and we both felt a strong energy there. It was all quite impressive.
We then drove up to the foot of Glossglockner, the highest peak in the park (about 12,000 feet). The glacier coming down from the mountain is quite awesome for its evidence of scouring and for its length (though it has retreated about 2.5 kilometers from its farthest reach).
June 29
Today was another hike, much like the one a couple of days ago – starting out on a steep trail along a raging stream, climbing into an open valley at the foot of a high peak -- all with lots of wildflowers on a bright sunny day plus a nice meal and a big glass of beer in an outdoor restaurant before getting into the car. We couldn't ask for anything more. Thus ends our heavenly visit to the Austrian alps. Tomorrow it's on to Salzburg and then Prague.
June 30
Left our mountain home and headed for Salzburg. Along the way we stopped for a few hours at Berchtesgaden -- Hitler's Eagle's Nest where he and several of his minions met their end. These days there's a museum perched on the very spot where he had his home and it was a big deal -- way too much information for us to wrap our wee brains around. But safe to say that the Germans are doing a bang up job of seeing to it that no one ever misunderstands what happened to their people in the '30s and '40s. And, again, as with Dachau, we had an eye-opening experience as to the just exactly what was going on in Germany at that time and how terrifying it
would be to live under such a regime. And how absolutely powerless and afraid one would feel, even if one desired to put up a fight and resist what was coming down all around them. The Nazis had control of every single aspect of the people's lives. There really was nowhere to turn
where someone could find altering information or support for resistance.
It would have been very much like being swamped in a tidal wave. Talk about powerlessness!
After the museum tour, we descended into the bunkers where Hitler and the gang hid out and committed suicide at the end of the war. Creepy.
Then on to Salzburg where we arrived in early evening and spent several hours walking around the town. We were disagreeing with son Daniel most of the evening. Why didn't he like this place? It's so lovely here. He must have been very grumpy that day.
July 1
We realized why Daniel wasn't exactly fond of Salzburg. Seeing the city at night when most of the tourists have gone wherever they go is QUITE a different thing than a hot summer's day with thousands of them wandering about. I'm sure that most of our own grumpiness was due to the heat. Slogging through the streets. Yuck.
Still though, we find we basically like this town. (And Daniel? There was only one event where we ran into Sound of Music ... maybe all that has gone underground.)
Its physical setting is spectacular -- on the banks of a river and in a mountain valley, the Alps hovering nearby. There're a whole lot of picturesque buildings scattered about. Churches, castles, cobbled lanes, etc . All very wonderful. Right now I'm dreading Prague – another picturesque cobbled city in the heat. I must remember my AlAnon training. Don't create a picture in my mind of what tomorrow will bring, because I can't really know what that will be.
We did visit an incredible farmer's market with well over 100 vendors selling all kinds of produce, meats, cheeses, prepared foods and plants. Beautiful stuff!
Tomorow WILL bring another little plane ride -- this time from Munich to Prague. So it will be a traveling day.
Love you all,
L&D
