Wandering in Germany

[Wanders from Glos]

Yesterday was very warm and so we had a relaxing day. After lunch we cycled to the cable car over the Rhein and walked around the park area next to the old fort.

There is a nice viewing platform for looking out over the various rivers. Then back to the van to lie in the sun and do a bit more relaxing.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

This morning we decided to move on. After dumping the grey and filling up with fresh water we headed for Würzburg and the start of the Romantische Strasse. The journey was straightforward but we both noticed the road quality was not much better than the UK and the service stations were chaos, but they did sell good coffee.

First impressions of Würzburg left us unexcited. In just 20 minutes it was 80% destroyed by bombing during World War Two and has been rebuilt in a mix of traditional and rather dull blocky new buildings. Our opinions changed when we got to the Residenz Würzburg a large palace originally built by the local bishops in the 1700s and rebuilt after the war. It took forty years to complete and some work still continues. The gardens alone are well worth a visit. After the obligatory cafe and kuchen we headed towards the old bridge to indulge in the traditional local pastime of drinking a glass of wine over the Main River. Earlier in the day it was buzzing, but enroute the heavens opened and soaked everyone. So it was back to the van dry off and have a cup of tea instead.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Arrived in Rothenburg ob der Tauber this morning. The Stellplatz had a lot of room when we got here, but it's nearly full now. Although the skies are moistly blue it has been much cooler than of late. After lunch we walked into the fairy tale like town. I can imagine it is chaos if busy but fortunately for us it wasn't too crowded. It is pure Christmas card stuff and after poking around for a bit we walked round the walls, much of which are covered. We are parked opposite Lenny HB so we had a chat and might share a bottle of wine later. Won't bore you with too many pictures as Lenny posted similar ones yesterday, so here are just a few.

 

[Howard B]

Similar to the pictures we took 3 weeks ago. Wasn't over impressed TBH, not on my places to visit again list.

 

[Grianan]

We loved it! Looks like the sun came out for you.

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[Wanders from Glos]

Similar to the pictures we took 3 weeks ago. Wasn't over impressed TBH, not on my places to visit again list.

It’s very touristy but I have to say we really liked it.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Lovely park down the bottom of the town with some good views across….

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Lovely park down the bottom of the town with some good views across….

We agree, lovely views.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

We walked all of 20 metres to enjoy a glass or two of wine chez Lenny HB. Great to swap travel stories and get new ideas. Thanks for your hospitality and have a safe journey. Our van was freezing when we got back!

 

[Lenny HB]

Nice to meet you too have a great trip.

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[Wanders from Glos]

Yesterday we decided to drive down the romantic road avoiding the autobahn looking for somewhere to get our large pile of washing done. the drive was very pleasant with some nice scenery and villages. In the end we settled on an ACSI site at Augsburg, a nice enough site.

Today we had a slow start with boiled eggs for breakfast, after a chilly night. Eventually we cycled into Augsburg, following a convoluted route recommended by the site. Inevitably we got lost, at one point somehow finding ourselves in an autobahn service station. We were going down the slip road onto the carriageway when I noticed a blue sign to Stuttgart and thought 'that's not right'. Once back en route arts of the ride along the river were fun though.

Augsburg is a busy city and lacked the charm of places like Rothenburg but we enjoyed having a wander.

A friend had lent us a guidebook of Germany and it recommended a cafe on the main square in front of the Rathaus, we definitely weren't disappointed.

We are a bit undecided about what we will do tomorrow. The original plan was to head towards Fussen, but we might just start to meander back towards Dinkelsbuhl. That's the beauty of motorhoming though isn't it? We probably won't decide until the morning.

 

[scousebird]

That slice of cake with the berries on top should be illegal

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

We probably won't decide until the morning.

That’s what we do 95% of the time
We we’re heading to Sweden and ended up in Switzerland last month

 

[Wanders from Glos]

That slice of cake with the berries on top should be illegal

Guilty as charged.... I can report it was delicious

 

[WESTY66]

That’s what we do 95% of the time
We we’re heading to Sweden and ended up in Switzerland last month

Tells me all I need to know about your navigation skills

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[Wanders from Glos]

A slightly delayed entry for yesterday due to an unexpected late night, more later.

After looking at maps, weather forecasts and locations we had decided the night before to start heading back northwards. As often happens we woke up the next morning and decided to do something else, I don't know why we waste our time the night before planning these things. We opted for Fussen and we are so glad we did. The drive through the Bavaria was stunning, we have really fallen for this part of the world. The roads were perfect and not busy, the countryside beautiful. After coffee and toast in blazing hot sun we cycled the short distance into Fussen. The tourist office was extremely helpful and we left armed with cycle maps, a booklet on the area, free bus tickets, town guides and information on the nearby Neuschwanstein Castle. It is a beautiful town, and well worth the visit. All the buildings are in the Bavarian style, and there is a summer palace next to the church.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

The centre of Fussen was buzzing with music and people in traditional dress, so we decided to stay for lunch surrounded by the atmosphere. Lunch was reasonably good by German standards and sensibly priced. Feeling stuffed we decided to walk down the the river Lech on the edge of the town and were rewarded with more stunning views.

We returned to the motorhome so that I could get frustrated by England's poor show against a spirited Samoa, frankly the wrong team won. After showering we decided to cycle back in for a beer. We chose a small market hall that had live music and dancing. I did suggest to Claire something wasn't quite right as there were balloons and streamers everywhere plus inflatable 25 signs. Undeterred we had a glass of wine and it then I realised I was still wearing my 'lucky' England rugby shirt and we soon found ourselves in a lively discussion with a German who spoke very good English and explained it was a town celebration of some sort, but we were welcome to stay. Soon we started chatting to some American lads who were equally confused about what was going on. A lot of good natured banter about Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and guns followed, they didn't even get upset when I explained American Football was like rugby but for wimps because they wear a lot of protection and have long rests every time they do anything (to stop the posts I obviously know it is a hard game really, but I was tipsy and enjoying winding them up). We did all agree on German food though. Eventually we all tumbled out of the hall sometime after midnight to head our separate ways. Which for Claire and I meant wobbling home on our bikes. But there was no risk involved because we wore our HiViz.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

This morning we were slightly jaded but decided we might have a look at Nueschwanstein castle. To visit inside you have to book a tour, you can't just wander. We aren't huge fans of having to be somewhere at a certain time nor of being lead along like a gaggle of school children but we thought we should give it a go, if Claire could stop herself from winding American tourists up. We keep reading you have to book a tour weeks in advance, but I have looked at tickets for the past few days and they always seem to have some for the same day first thing in the morning. So about 9 am I had a look and got two tickets for the tour in English.

We cycled to the castle car park and then walked up via the Marriane bridge. We had to queue for maybe 10 minutes to get onto the bridge and I was already starting to think this would be too touristy, but to be fair the views were stunning. Inside the castle the tour was quite brisk, but it was interesting and the frescos were good if, like us, you enjoy the pre-Raphaelite style.

 

[Garfields]

You may be too late but Dinkelsbuhl has a bonkers wine fest that lasts for about three weeks.
I really need to go back some time

 

[WESTY66]

This morning we were slightly jaded but decided we might have a look at Nueschwanstein castle. To visit inside you have to book a tour, you can't just wander. We aren't huge fans of having to be somewhere at a certain time nor of being lead along like a gaggle of school children but we thought we should give it a go, if Claire could stop herself from winding American tourists up. We keep reading you have to book a tour weeks in advance, but I have looked at tickets for the past few days and they always seem to have some for the same day first thing in the morning. So about 9 am I had a look and got two tickets for the tour in English.

We cycled to the castle car park and then walked up via the Marriane bridge. We had to queue for maybe 10 minutes to get onto the bridge and I was already starting to think this would be too touristy, but to be fair the views were stunning. Inside the castle the tour was quite brisk, but it was interesting and the frescos were good if, like us, you enjoy the pre-Raphaelite style.

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The smaller yellow castle where king Ludwig grew up is well worth a visit also

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[Wanders from Glos]

You may be too late but Dinkelsbuhl has a bonkers wine fest that lasts for about three weeks.
I really need to go back some time

We are thinking about going there in a couple of days time.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

The smaller yellow castle where king Ludwig grew up is well worth a visit also

We had a look around outside but didn’t go in. Apparently, before he died he was in the process of designing a third castle called Falkstien higher up still.

 

[WESTY66]

We had a look around outside but didn’t go in. Apparently, before he died he was in the process of designing a third castle called Falkstien higher up still.

It’s a great tour on the inside too, shows you the window where he used the telescope in the corner window to spy on the workers building Neuschwanstein

 

[cyberyacht]

Dan Cruickshank did a programme about the place a few months back. Very interesting

 

[Wanders from Glos]

We decided not to leave Fussen today and instead go for a bike ride, nothing heavy about 40k. Germany seems to have a very different attitude to bikes, just about everywhere we have been has had cycle paths or at least cycle lanes. It appears to be accepted practice that building a road includes building a cycle path. Needless to say a lot more people use their bikes, towing children and for some reason dogs. We visited quite a few lakes set in fabulous scenery, we even had a paddle in one of them. Tomorrow we will start heading northwards.

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[Wanders from Glos]

This morning it was time to turn back towards home and head north. We have stopped at a stellplatz in Dinkelsbuhl which Lenny HB has already covered in his post, so I won't go over old ground.

We liked this town, with its walls and turrets it seemed far less busy or touristy than Rothenburg. It has the feel of a medieval town that became wealthy in Georgian times. A town where people live rather than run shops selling trinkets and ice creams. A couple of hours is enough to have a good look around and perhaps walk outside the walls too, much of which still has a moat.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

The stellplatz is great. Our pitch has a grass area where we have set up table and chairs, plus it backs onto a small river and even has a swimming area. All for €8 plus electric if you want it, which is charged at 50c per Kw.

The swimming hole is just a platform with steps into a part of the river that is deep enough to swim in. Obviously we felt we needed to show the German majority sat outside their vans enjoying the sun that us Brits are up for anything so we went for a dip. It was bloody freezing, but fortunate shone on us when some workman showed up to lay more gravel 'beach' and we were able to use them as an excuse to get out. Nonetheless I think the Germans were impressed, we couldn't understand them but I'm sure that's what they were saying.

We are so pleased with ourselves that we are going to have a meal out as a reward. Dinkelsbuhl seemed to have a lot of nice looking restaurants.

 

[Howard B]

This morning it was time to turn back towards home and head north. We have stopped at a stellplatz in Dinkelsbuhl which Lenny HB has already covered in his post, so I won't go over old ground.

We liked this town, with its walls and turrets it seemed far less busy or touristy than Rothenburg. It has the feel of a medieval town that became wealthy in Georgian times. A town where people live rather than run shops selling trinkets and ice creams. A couple of hours is enough to have a good look around and perhaps walk outside the walls too,

We had the sane thoughts, much preferred Dinklesbuhl

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Still following in the footsteps of Lenny HB we are now in Bamburg, another delightful city. The weather has been fabulous which always helps to make somewhere look good. `Bamburg has the twee bits but is also quite regal with a lot of fine buildings. Another plus is the electric on the stelllpatz appears to be free. If we intend to use electric we always check the free plug sockets to see if anyone has left anything on them, and this one hasn't changed since we arrived. Curiously it is about the third time this has happened. Perhaps if is something to do with being out of season.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

I forgot the photos!

Perhaps the most iconic picture is of the Rathaus, built on a bridge spanning the Regnitzarm.

Tomorrow we start to head back towards Gravelines. We have three days left and will be quite sorry to leave Germany.

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