Grand Tour to south Germany and Austria
After arriving at the brand new and ultra-modern Franz Josef Straus Airport outside München (Munich), we board our deluxe motor coach and set out south through the breathtakingly beautiful Tyrolean Alps of southern Bayern (Bavaria) and on through Österreich (Austria) to our hotel in Villach in the state of Kärnten in the south of Austria.
Sharkhunters photo photo from Peter Stockner
Sean Cooper and Ed Hargrove Later, on Ulrichs Mountain, Ed Hargrove makes
with our bus - "Royal Class" is friends with some veterans during the memorial
better than Deluxe. If the name ceremony we know as Ulrichsbergfest.
appears familiar, Ed was a
linebacker with the Pittsburgh
Steelers when they won Super Bowls.
Weeks after the "Patrol" ended, this is what Ed Hargrove had to say about it:
"I had a fantastic time! My best memory
was - everything. All my memories of
this trip were great, I can't pick one.
This is the best tour I have ever been on."
After checking into our rooms, we're greeted by 4 Kriegsmarine veterans for fellowship - and signing of autographs of course. Herr Josef Tilly, a Sharkhunters Member since 1990, served aboard a schlactkreuzer, then on S-Boats and finally in a Marinekommando unit. Herr Josef Wieser was a crewman aboard U-172 for all war patrols under the late Carl Emmermann (Knights Cross with Oak Leaf) and Hermann Hoffmann, both Skippers also Sharkhunters Members.
Rich delFavro brought his daughter on this tour, and he wrote:
"Just wanted to let you know how much fun Colette
and I had on the trip to Germany and Austria with
our fellow Sharkhunters. We had a good group and
all contributed in their own way to the adventure.
I will be going again soon. Every day on the tour
was special but my favorite was the Ulrichsbergfest
and the special luncheon at the farm afterwards.
I felt a sense of awe and great humility speaking
with these veterans. They've seen a lot more than
I can imagine. To actually meet them as opposed to
merely reading about them in books was really unforgettable."
Our bus then took us to the massive medieval Landskron Castle, high on a mountaintop, where we enjoyed a magnificent dinner, overlooking the city and valley below.
Greg Thatcher wrote this about his time on our tour:
"I had a really great time. I liked visiting
the Eagle's Nest the best and I loved the
day and evening we spent with Dr. Jörg
Haider. My best memory of this trip was
meeting the premier right-wing leader of
all Europe! Plus meeting the Brigadier
General. For my first trip to Europe,
it was wonderful."
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