Germany 5: Berchtesgaden Part II- The Eagles' Nest, Rossfeld Panorama drive, and the motorcycle kids

  I woke up late the next morning and so did not make it to the Documentation Center parking lot until just past noon.  The Center is closed now, but functions as the ticket center and bus departure point for the ride up the mountain towards the Eagles Nest.  I bought my ticket and was given a bus reservation for 1:05 PM.  I sat on a nearby bench and then boarded my bus.  There were either 3 or 4 buses total and we were driven up the windy and incredibly steep path until we arrived at the end.  We exited the bus and entered a long tunnel that led to a large elevator, which ascended roughly 124 meters to the top of the mountain.

  What originally was a birthday gift for Hitler, now functions as a restaurant.  Once I reached the top, I took out my cameras, and enjoyed the views of the landscape.

  In addition to being given a departure time, I was also assigned a time and bus number to return to the bottom.  With extra time to kill, I attempted to take photos of the handful of birds around, along with butterflies.  While doing this, a young Singaporean woman approached me to ask me questions about photography.  She told me that it was odd for her to see so many people without masks and asked me if I had caught Covid, since I am from the states.  I explained that I had not, and it irritated me as well to see people flouting the public transportation rules here regarding mask usage.

  On the ride back down the mountain, I asked the family I was sitting with what part of Britain they were from.  We talked a bit about British culture and it turned out the son, who I was sitting next to, was doing work with an actor who had been on two Ricky Gervais shows, Steve Speirs.

  Just a few minutes away was the entrance to the Rossfeld Panorama road.  You have to pay eight euros at a machine in order to get a ticket that would open the gate to allow you onto the road.  There were many viewpoints, but a lot of haze.  

  At the apex of the mountain road, it levels out and offered a walking path.  After taking photos, I noticed that a group of young motorcyclists were sitting alongside of the road.  One of them would ride away and then come back, while doing tricks.  I grabbed my action camera and tried to get some shots.  Afterwards, I approached the one on the cycle and gave him my email address, in case he was interested in my pictures.  He emailed me later that night, and I sent him the pictures a few days later.

  I reached the end of the road and decided to drive to one more viewpoint.

  I followed a winding road up above Berchtesgaden.  I wasn't exactly sure where to park, so I picked a spot that seemed within range.  I followed a path that had me let myself into a small pasture and beyond.  I reached the view of town and then followed the signs to the Maria Gern church, which was a short walk away.  I took a quick picture and then returned to the pasture, and then my car.

  On my last walk into town for dinner, I passed a really neat set of church and buildings that was set up as a square.