Day Seventeen – Saturday, June 16 – Salzburg, AT to Oberammergau, DE

Having enjoyed a fair amount of wine and beer at dinner and at Die Weisse, we decided to sleep in a bit and opted for the hotel’s breakfast buffet, even though it wasn’t included. Paul fetched the car from the underground garage (which remained dent free in spite of the close quarters). We loaded it up and headed out of town, stopping by the “Tiger Wash” at the Esso station to get some of the road grime off the 335. Unfortunately, it didn’t do too much to get rid of the large number of spattered bugs on the front, but a much needed washing and vacuuming made the baby shine again.

We headed to the German alpine town of Berchtesgaden, just across the boarder from Austria, and were disappointment to learn that seeing Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest requires catching a bus and waiting for scheduled tour – a minimum two hour time commitment. So we decided to head on to Oberammergau, since we had hoped to arrive in time to go a short hike or rent a bike for the afternoon. We stopped for lunch at a roadside cafeteria on the banks of the Chiemsee – an unexpectedly good lunch at an unexpectedly pretty spot for a thoroughfare rest stop. The trip to Oberammergau was a beautiful drive, but in and out of sprinkles, and shortly after we arrived, the skies really opened up, killing the hiking plan.

Oberammergau is a cute town, noted for the painted houses and the production of a Passion Play every 10 years – a tradition dating back to 1634. We stayed at the Hotel Antonia Garni and had a spacious room on the second floor with a small balcony in the back of the hotel. After a while, the weather let up and we ended up strolling through town, checking out the exterior of the theater where they produce the famous Passion Play every 10 years, looking at a lot of stores, etc. We also had the benefit of a crisp rainbow set against a deep grey sky. On the shopping front, after modeling numerous options and trying to justify the need for better Octoberfest wear, Paul bought tyrolian hat and feather pin. Look out, fashionistas!

We had dinner at the Alte Post Restaurant – venison goulash with dumpling and red cabbage (and peach w/ cranberries), pork loin and spaetzle with cheese and onions. Apple straddle with ice cream and whipped cream for desert (delayed gratification from Salzburg).

This was our first day that didn’t really come together as hoped or envisioned. But even as a “bust” it was still pretty nice!