Posts from Stumpy in thread „John Wayne In Germany.“

Quote

Originally posted by Jay J. Foraker@Jan 13 2005, 05:32 PM
Here I am - a day late and a dollar short again -

I was fortunate enough to be an Air Force brat and we went with my father when he was stationed in Frankfurt am Main from the summer of '54 though the winter of '56-'57. Unfortunately, I was at that formative age where I didn't really appreciate the opportunities afforded to me. I now regret that there were many things I could have done while there.
I did get to go through Neuschweinstein Castle (King Ludwig II's hangout) - those rooms were cold!! - brrrr!
You're right - it is really a beautiful country.

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During my last military tour in Germany (1970-74), I was stationed at Stuttgart. While there we made many driving tours of Bavaria and the Black Forest area. We also attended the '72 Olympics in Munich which sadly enough, was marred by the Arab terrorist attack on the Israeli athletes. Despite that traumatic event, we had a good time and I fell in love with Munich. We attended 2 or 3 Oktoberfests (the world's biggest beer bust) in that fair city.

We also spent a couple of weeks at the U.S. Armed Forces Recreation Center in Obersalzberg, staying in the General Walker Hotel, which had been converted from a Nazi-era barracks built to house SS troops detailed to guard Hitler's compound at the Berghof. I did a considerable amount of exploring of the surrounding countryside, even venturing into underground bunkers built in the area. One of the most fascinating places in the Obersalzberg-Berchtesgaden area was the Eagles Nest, or Kehlsteinhaus, a retreat that the Nazi Party had built for Hitler on a peak overlooking Obersalzberg. I told my wife I could understand why Hitler felt like a "Master of the World" when ensconced in Kehlsteinhaus, because the view from that mountaintop is fabulous. During my 25 years in the service, I visited some beautiful spots around the world but I don't think any of them surpasses Bavaria (especially the Berchtesgaden area) for scenic beauty. Wish I was filthy rich, I'd live down there.

I visited a few castles when I was stationed in Germany with the military. By far the most impressive (IMO) was Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. We didn't go inside but took several pictures from the outside. Here is a picture found on the internet of this most famous of German castles. I read one time that the Disney people took this as a model for their Disneyland castle.