Day 6 - Off to Venice

We left Punzelweg in Berchtesgaden, early in the morning and headed off to Venice. We drove through Austria, literally!! Some of the tunnels we passed through under the Alps were 10 miles long! We saw a castle, schloss, from the highway that beckoned us to stop, and as it turned out, it was a well worthwhile visit. Burg Hohenwerfen, which dates back to the 11th century, was used as the castle 'Schloss Adler' in the film Where Eagles Dare, aWorld War II spy film with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. Appropriately, the castle is now home to a Historic Falconry, complete with an American Eagle. Later in the day, we stopped in Gmund, Austria, with the ruins of smaller castle from the 13th century. And after driving through the winding roads of Austria and northern Italy, we arrived in Dolo, Italy for the next stage of our journey.

Day 4 - Berchestgaden & Salzburg

In the morning we decided to visit the Kehlsteinhaus,also known as the Eagle's Nest, built by the Nazis in the mountains as an official 50th birthday present for Adolf Hitler. Eva Braun spent a lot of time here, though Hitler did not, which is why it was saved from destruction at the end of WW II! The views were spectacular!
The afternoon brought us to Salzburg, Austria, where we visited the Hohensalzburg Castle, Motzart's Home and enjoyed Ocktoberfest, Austrian style.