Ben's last weekend in Germany, and also his birthday. We drove out to Berchtesgaden, famous for being the location of Hitler's "Eagle's Nest," but also the site of a national park which offers beautiful scenery and some excellent hikes.

MK

The first day it rained. Of course. We haven't had much luck with hiking this year. We found a place to stay, arrived too late to tour the Obersalzberg museum, and ended up wandering around the northern end of the Königssee (Kings Lake).

MK

The next day started out rainy, so we went to the Obersalzberg museum. But in the afternoon it cleared and we took advantage of the weather and hiked up to the Eagle's Nest. It was only an afternoon hike, but better than none at all.

MK

Early on our hike up the Kehlstein, we were rewarded with the beauty of the valleys that spread below...

MK

...and the rocks...

MK

...and the flowers.

BH

Toward the top of the mountain is a tunnel that leads to a glitzy elevator that took Third Reich dignitaries to the summit. Today it takes tourists.

BH

The Eagle's Nest itself. Hitler was, apparently, not too keen on heights and only visited the 1834 meter high Kehlsteinhaus infrequently.

BH

The view

BH

which we enjoyed for a while.

 MK

When we got home, Ben had a treasure hunt with a chocolate cake at the end waiting for him.