#10march2017

opportunities to enjoy a warming ride on wooden slides that carry you from one level to another. The mine now is essentially just a tourist attraction. The mine’s web page link is: www.salzbergwerk.de/en

open seasonally as a restaurant, beer garden and tourist site. Very few Third Reich era reminders exist today, but an interesting museum was opened in 1999 in nearby Obersalzberg that is quite informative. It is the Dokumentationszentrum Obersalzberg and it chronicles the entire span of WWII with extensive Nazi era documentation. Today winter sport in the area is extensive. The skiing has expanded and the area now has bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions. The area still attracts artists, and the Königssee is a popular subject with painters and tourists. The nearby National Park was opened in 1978. Franz, Duke of Bavaria, continues the ‘royal’ presence with visits to the royal hunting residence which was established in 1810. Here is a link: www.uncommon-travel-germany.com/Berchtesgaden.html

I really enjoyed our three day ski trip and thought I was catching on to this new sport of skiing. However, the occasion did not arise for more skiing that season. As the next winter season was approaching, my desire for more ‘skiing’ heated-up. I asked my engineering colleagues there in Europe for their advice in learning and enjoying the sport. I had listened intently to their stories of fun and adventure from last season. They told me that the big ski resorts offered discounted ‘ski weeks’ at the beginning of the season prior to the Christmas period. They did this to train new employees and fill a low season period for them. The real paying customers would come during Christmas. So I then asked for a specific site recommendation. The place recommended most was Switzerland’s St. Moritz. So I immediately contacted the tourist office there for the necessary information. The St. Moritz discounted ‘ski week’ was known as a ‘Sunshine Week.’ Most hotels, the ski school and the tourist office all worked together for the Sunshine Week. The visitor paid a fixed amount which included the hotel, the hotel food, the lift ticket, all public transportation, and ski instruction. The price was predicated on the hotel chosen by the visitor, five stars costing the most and 1 star costing the least. Anyway you did it; it was an absolutely fantastic offer. I had a very good salary, so I chose the Kulm Hotel, one of St. Moritz’s five star hotels. I also purchased a pair of ski pants. Berchtesgaden proved it’s no fun