Driving through the mountains, hiking up the alpine slopes .. that’s the best way, anytime, for me to chillout – they are the paths to my “happy” place. And then you sprinkle a bit of historical significance in that place – for example, a fort, ruins of a monastery or a temple, the alpine retreat of Adolf Hitler – and it can’t get any better!

That’s how it was, when I spent a weekend in the Berchtesgadener Land and visited the Kehlsteinhaus.

The tunnel leading to the elevator, which brings you up to the Kehlsteinhaus – the bricks and stones in there witness to the comings and goings of soldiers and generals (Oct. 2015)

A view of the Kehlsteinhaus (to the left) with the alpine panorama in the background – one breathtaking view! (Oct. 2015)

A view of the northern tip of the Königssee surrounded by the peaks of the Bavarian Alps. (Oct. 2015)