Trip to German, Day 7, "Three Countries"

On Thursday, June 17, the four of us went on a bus tour advertised as the "Three Countries." The three countries were Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. That evening we ate in a really nice restaurant.

Trip To Germany -- Dachau

On Friday, June 18, we went on a bus tour to Dachau. Apparently, every school child, every soldier, and every police officer must go to Dachau. Germany accepts its history.

We noticed, though, that the tour guides seemed to want to downplay what happened there. The guides called it a "work" camp, not a concentration camp, and tried to tell us the ovens were not used. They did admit, however, that prisoners who could not work were sent on hikes and were forced to walk until they died.

The camp opened shortly after Hitler took office, 1933, and continued until it was freed by US troops in April. 1945.

The prisoners were brought in by rail. After deboarding, the prisoners entered through the gate shown. The sign on the gate reads "work will make you free."

A famous photo was taken of the prisoners and others at the time they were freed.

If only.

Trip To Germany -- Eagle's Nest

On Saturday, June 19, the four of us took a bus tour from the military base to the Eagle's Nest.

Trip To Germany -- BMW

On Tuesday, June 22 and, again, on Friday, June 25, Carol and I went to the BMW factory and museum in Munich. The first visit was to the factory where we took the tour in German, as the English tours were filled. We watched 3 Series being made. The tour guide was very good and gave her spiel in German and then a summary to four of us who speak only English. Even in German, the tour was amazing. No pictures were allowed.

On the 25th, we went to the museum which is next to the factory. Photos were allowed. The first thing one sees in entering the museum is four (I think it is four) cars each representing a year Germany won the World Cup. I wonder if they will need to add another car this year?

One of the amazing things at the museum is a moving art piece that forms various shapes. It is now featured in a BMW television commercial. I should have taken a long movie of it, but here it is at the bottom of the page. I added the music thinking, at the time, such music was appropriate. Maybe it is not.

BMW has been in business for a long time, including building aircraft engines during WW II, using some slave labor, a fact they freely admit. They built motorcycles, then small cars and now some of the finest cars out there. The museum probably had one of everything, too many to include here.

Top photo is me next to a very valuable 507, then Carol next to a car older than either of us. Next is a photo of an homage to the original M1, then the original M1. Finally, the seal of Bavaria (a state within Germany) from which the blue and white BMW logo comes.

Trip To Germany -- Mozart

On Saturday, June 26, Carol got to pick where we went; only fair since we had spent two days at the BMW factory. She decided to go to Salzburg, Austria to see the birthplace of her favorite composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. We had a Garmin Navigator that thought there was a particular street in the center of Salzburg that was not there. As a result we did several long laps through town before we found a place to park. We had to walk a long distance along a pedestrian street and then up three stories into the house where the great man was born.

The museum was disappointing in that there was not much there but, we did learn something interesting that made us compare him to Michael Jackson. Both men were very talented and in both cases, the families lived off that talent. As a result, neither had a childhood, neither grew up, and both died young.

Trip to Germany -- The Autobahn

Driving on the autobahn is an experience all should have. First, the quality and discipline of the German drivers is wonderful. The left lane is used only for passing; once done the driver immediately pulls out of the left lane. Second, there are areas where there is no speed limit. There is a sign, round, with four diagonal strips, that means no speed limit. Here is the something important: the autobahns in Germany are the safest roads in the world. The Germans have not bought into our "Nanny State" way of thinking that has led us wrongly to believe that speed itself is unsafe. (What is unsafe is following too close, weaving in and out, texting, and so on). The German word for "exit" is "Ausfahrt."

We rented a Mazda6 diesel that I took up to 160 KPH a few times. That works out to about 100 MPH. I did not want to go any faster. Further, even the Porsche Turbos and S Class Mercedes were not going much faster.

Trip to Germany -- The Meadow

Another way Germany is different from the U.S. is how clean it is. There is virtually no litter, and they have been able to control growth and building styles in a way to insure the beauty of their countryside. They even stack their firewood neatly. Many beautiful little villages are protected from the noise of cars and trucks by tunnels built for the sole purpose of quiet.

In Garmisch, within easy walking distance, is a meadow. This meadow is used by various farmers to graze their milk cows. They cut the grass, dry it, and store it for the Winter. The meadow is also shared by people walking, jogging, riding bikes, and para-gliding. The little buildings out in the meadow are used to store the dried grass, farm equipment, and firewood. The fourth photo show three peaks. The middle one, which appears to be lower than the two outside peaks, is actually the tallest and is the highest mountain in Germany. It is Zugspitze. I pronounced (mispronounced) it near a German couple who turned and looked at me as if I had blasphemed their religion.

Here are some photos and movies.