Drokpa Journal

Dates Traveled: August/September 2001
(I’d also traveled here in September 1995, but that trip is without details)

I left ‘home’ August 27 bound for Europe. Heard the song Freebird on the flight over, “….I must be traveling on now. Cuz there’s too many places I’ve got to see.” How true. Arrived in Munich and killed an evening while awaiting my Dad’s arrival the following day. We spent a few days exploring Munich on foot. I’ve always liked the city, as it seems to have a good atmosphere, a good mix of people, and there just happens to be some great beer and beer gardens. Does it get any better than that?!? We headed out to the former concentration camp at Dachau one day, which is a very sobering experience. Seeing the photos in the museum and the short film really drives home the atrocities that were carried out at Dachau and similar camps. We also took the train to Fussen one day and wandered up the hill to the fairy-tale castle of Neuschwanstein - ‘Mad King Ludwig’s’ masterpiece and the castle that Disneyland used as a model. Pretty impressive, and a great location. Remaining in Germany, we took the train from Munich down to Berchtesgaden, which was the area where Hitler and his top men had homes, bunkers, etc. Most homes have since been destroyed, but we were able to wander through a few of the bunkers. It’s a beautiful part of Germany, with some spectacular mountains. Berchtesgaden - being very close to Salzburg in Austria, also has a salt mine, so we spent a morning underground experiencing the mining techniques. Interesting.

Previous TripI’d also visited Germany back in September of 1995. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my journal for those travels, and so they’re not covered in this travelogue. On that trip I visited Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and Berchtesgaden.

Germany Photos

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