Fun at the Salt Mine

By Kelly Enright

Our last German adventure is almost finished. Whitney and I are on a train in the middle of nowhere, or also known as Berchtsgaden, in the Alps of Bavaria. Today we did one of the coolest things I have experienced since coming to Germany. We toured a salt mine. Yes, it may seem silly, but instead it was a highly educational and enjoyable experience. We were even given a “salt present” by our train conductor/tour guide. I know you may not understand yet, but I will give you the details in just a moment.

It all started last night, when we were talking to Tanner. She left for Columbia this morning, but was very insistent on Whitney and I experiencing this salt mine. She passed off her Frommer’s Guide to Germany (this is an honor, she treasured it throughout the trip). So we decided to get online and check it out. Since we only have two days left, we wanted to do something good, and get out of the city.

Well, when we boarded the train this morning, we didn’t know just how far out of the city we’d be heading. Three hours and two trains later, we were in Berchtsgaden, and had no clue where to go. This became a familiar feeling throughout the day, as there were absolutely no directions- for anything. After asking around, we walked the 20 minutes to the mines and purchased our tickets. We saw people walking around wearing these odd outfits, and realized we would look just like them in a few minutes. These were the miner’s clothes that we had to put on- big white pants and awful blue jackets, with a leather butt cover that wrapped around your waist. Whitney and I took plenty of pictures, and I couldn’t help but do the MC Hammer dance. We were pimpin’.

When we made it to the entrance of the mine, we climbed on a train (well if you could call it that, you had to straddle the seat. This is quite awkward when there is a smelly German man sitting in front of you.) We took off at quite an alarming speed for such a contraption, and continued riding through the darkness with a very chilling wind in your face. Once we arrived in the mine, we were told some stuff in German, and then began the “Ok, now in English” part of the tour. At each part of the tour the guide would explain where we were in German, and then announce to everyone that he was going to put on a loudspeaker with the English translation. Then he would leave with the rest of the group, and Whitney, another family, and I were left to listen to the very interesting description of how salt was mined, or catch up with the group.

Miner’s slides are awesome. You sit on these two pieces of wood, lean back and lift your feet, and you’re off! We were very excited to ride on two of these 34 meter long, downhill slides, which are what the miners used to get quickly from one destination to another. Another exciting this we did was ride on a ferry across a lake, which was about 110 meters underground, and is was created by the method the miners use to extract the brine, which is turned into salt. Remember, we are underground for the entire tour, and the tunnels are teeny, just a few inches taller than me (I’m 5’10”) and wide enough for two people.

Keep in mind, this mine has been in use since 1517 and is still in use today. After we left the tour, we rushed to the train station, because we needed to be in Munich by around seven. Well, we had missed the train by not even 10 minutes. Figures. So we went to a pizzeria to get some food and I ordered us a small cheese pizza. What arrived was a small, burnt, nasty piece of what this particular restaurant called pizza. It was only one slice. I was starving, and Whitney and I were forced to eat the very unappetizing piece of “food” we were going to be forced to pay for. In Germany, the restaurants don’t really care if you don’t like what you ordered- you will pay for it anyways.

But, alas! We spotted a girl walking with cotton candy! After a quick investigation, we discovered a very small carnival, and fed our hungry stomachs with a large amount of this wonderful treat. And now here we are, still riding on the train to Munich. After we arrive, smelly and tired, we are going to dinner with Sidel and his wife. His wife arrived this morning, and will stay for the rest of the trip to help out with anything we may need. I am very excited to meet her, but I feel bad because I won’t be very presentable. I guess it’s all part of traveling. I am fighting to stay awake, so forgive me but I must depart. I am sad that Whitney’s and my last adventure is coming to a close. We’ve had a great time in Munich. But, as I keep reminding everyone, “I miss my dog!!!”, and must return home.

Tomorrow will be a day of shopping for souvenirs and packing. Doesn’t that sound like fun. I’ll probably post all about it, so keep checking back!!