Germany - Alpine region (3)

Having heard from fellow motorhomers Keith and Linda about the huge motorhome dealer at Der Freistaat near Munich, we decided to go and take a look. Huge it was and well stocked with campervans and motorhomes of all prices and sizes - from Possl to Carthago to Concorde.

We also found what we had been looking around for, a small size Weber BBQ. As it was the last one on the floor I managed a discount and took it for 79 Euros. Now we can barbie and braai in style!

Our next stop for one night was another huge complex, this time the Spa and Wellness centre at Erding, also near Munich. As it was a Sunday the place was packed, but we did the rounds in the main pools and quiet(er) areas and left refreshed nevertheless. Monday 27 August was grocery shopping day and we stocked Fifi to the gunnel's with all things nice and fresh having found a Hit supermarket in Erding. They have well stocked and presented Deli counters and the selection of meats and salads are conducive to splashing out a bit. We also found the elusive Vodafone shop to top up on Internet time. Yet again I was directed to it by a female parking warden and given a map of the town showing other outlets of interest - very helpful these German parking wardens! Some lessons can be learnt by London parking wardens me thinks, their PR skills are .... well ....
We left Erding at midday and drove past the Chiemsee - the largest natural lake in Germany I think at 80 square km - and aimed for the area around Reit im Winkel. The road takes you along parts of the Deutsche Alpenstrasse (German Alpine road) and is absolutely beautiful by the very nature of the name. We found a motorhome campsite just outside Reit im Winkel and this was to be it for the next three nights.
A lovely town, nice shoppe's, good bakeries and cafes and a walk around the Alpine foothills including a 500 meter descent and 2 hour walk down from the Hindenburg hut - the joys of travel!

Reit in Winkel

 

Hotel Edelweiss in Reit im Winkel

 

Poster extolling the virtues of the mountains 

 

We opted for the ride by small bus up to the Hindenburg hut which is 1800m above sea level and promises good views, good light lunches and Bavarian Pilsener. There is also a choice of walks, anything from 30 minutes to a full day's hike of several hours from this venue. We had a short walk around the immediate area and enjoyed the views and pondered the farming activities of the hardy souls this high up. I ordered a light lunch of bread and sausages which had Joan smiling at the single cut of dark bread and two viennas with a sachet of mustard. Well it was only 5 Euros ....

We also decided to walk back down the mountain into town and to the campsite. The path is well laid out and signposted taking you through the Pine forest and grassed foothills, descending 500m (1500ft) duration about 2 hours walking, quite steep in places, but well worth the effort. Reaching the bottom we decided to short cut it to the campsite and crossed the very low river using stones and rocks to keep our boots out of the water. A lovely day out capped by doing a barbie/braai in the Weber.

 

Hindenburg Hut, in the mountains near Reit im Winkel.

 

Hill farming community

 

Wet weather was forecast for the next two days so we spent the last day in Reit i W walking the alleyways of town and enjoying an ice cream whilst walking back to Fifi across the meadows - see the first picture above. And of course you have to look like locals doing mythical things - see pictures below!

 

 

 

And now on to Munich and friends of long standing, for some rest and recreation!

Germany - Alpine region (2)

Our visit to the King's castles in Schwangau was followed by a two night stay at the camperstop in Nesselwang, a short 40km down the road. The sunny weather stayed with us and we were further blessed with a wonderful empty spot facing the Alpine foothills. Visible from our campsite was the ski lift which was in operation and taking people up the mountain. We learnt that there was a well visited cafe halfway up with good views. A decision was made to visit it the next day.

We duly cycled into town to find a bakery and see if it had a Lidl grocery store. Lidl's is a firm favourite as it has all the basics offered at good prices. We also discovered the town's thermal baths and this too was put on the 'to do' list. I may have mentioned before that thermal baths, Spa and Wellness centres are big business in Germany. All have different focus points, some have better swimming pools, some focus on saunas and hot rooms, some have rest/quiet areas and some have areas playing soothing music with exotic murals and soft lighting. It could be an interesting exercise touring the Spa's, Wellness centres, Thermal pools and what have you in Germany! Suffice to say that we enjoy going to them, enjoyed some more than others, but have found them all fun and relaxing. Most have ancillary outlets for food, drinks, shops selling bathing costumes and even one with a bakery and freshly made to order pizzas with free wi-fi hotspot - Erding near Munich.

I said to Joan all this peace and tranquillity is getting to me, how I miss the London Underground and the jostle for space, queueing in a supermarket, busy pavements crowded by tourists, buildings with stale air ....

 

Alpine foothills, such a tough life ....

Above Nesselwang, see the tables and chairs ....

.... would you leave without having a drink? Neither did we!

On the way down, in a similar bench seat.

It was here at Nesselwang that my 30 day Pay-as-you-Go Internet connection expired. The connection is by dongle or stick which you plug into your laptop and pre-paid for a designated period. The nearest place to renew this pay-as-you-go was Kempten, so off we went the next day and found a parking space near the bus station. I went off in search of the shop and found it some 10 minutes later, only to see Joan arrive telling me that a parking warden gave her 5 minutes to find me to move the motorhome. Apparently I was parked on what was part of the bus station. So back to the motorhome at a fast pace, finding the wardens waiting but quite patiently I have to say. No ticket was issued, I was given a map of the town showing parking places and directions and told to enjoy my holiday. Now how's that?! Perhaps the GB registration helped. Thank you to the parking wardens of Kempten!

Germany - Alpine region (1)

No visit to Germany can be considered complete without a visit to the Alpine region (Allgau) in southern Bavaria on the Austrian border. The fact that it is also the location of the fabled castles of King Ludwig II of Bavaria is no mere coincidence, their location was by design, literally and figuratively. Further, that Richard Wagner performed here for the pleasure of the King, as well as the fact that it was a venue of choice by Wagner, all adds to the mysticism of especially Neuschwanstein.
We cycled to Schwangau and the Information centre near the two castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein on our first full day in the area. The cycle track goes through wooded areas with glimpses of the two castles as you pedal along, rest stops with benches every now and then to simply take in the splendour of the surroundings, until you reach the busy Information centre area. We soon learnt that the way to do a non crowded visit is to book your tickets for the next day's tours in advance. This means you don't queue and if you take the first tour (in our case the English tour) at 09:00, your experience will be much different to say the midday tour.

On the cycle path to the castles

Portrait of Ludwig II in the woods of Hohenschwangau

The river Lech near Schwangau

View of Schwangau

View from our motorhome .... !

So with tickets for the first tour of the day in hand, we cycled again the 4km and arrived at the entrance to the older castle of the two, Hohenschwangau. This is where the young Ludwig grew up and spent much of his youth. It is also from this castle that he planned and watched the building of his new castle Neuschwanstein. The day was perfect, warm and sunny, ideally suited to sightseeing. The inner courtyard where you await your designated start time had a handful of people, which was wonderful as this creates the right ambiance.

Hohenschwangau

The murals and artwork adorning the walls deserves mention and in the soft morning light made for good photography. Fountains and other features at Hohenschwangau add to the experience of this 'fairytale' castle. Swans played a big part in the life of Ludwig II and was also used as the heraldic symbol of his reign.

The tour of Hohenschwangau is done with an audio device but lead by a guide who can answer questions and takes about 1 hour. I found this mix of electronics and personal guide to work well. It means you look around the rooms at your own pace and interest and not struggling to hear or see what the guide is telling or showing.
The walk up to the entrance of the second castle is a steep one, albeit on a tarred road. This took us about 30 minutes but is most rewarding in terms of views over the surrounding area. You can opt for a horse drawn carriage or bus, but many walk and so did we. The castle is currently undergoing extensive exterior maintenance but the entrance and 'first view' has been completed and is looking fabulous. The interior is supposedly unaffected but I noticed darkened rooms and drawn curtains so as to protect and diminish the effects from dust. The tour here is all by guide and you need to listen and look in order to follow it all.
Only about 30% of what was planned by Ludwig II was ever completed, the rest for reasons of cost was abandoned after his death at age 41. The hall where Richard Wagner and other composers performed for the King I found the most impressive, it is still used for small performances today and apparently has good acoustics. Of interest to Joan was the inside and outside murals of St George slaying the dragon. The myth endures .... re the patron saint of England .... so visible inside a Bavarian castle! See link below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George_and_the_Dragon

Neuschwanstein

St George slaying the dragon on the left

View from the castle looking north towards Lake Fussen 

We cycled back to our motorhome having thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, stopping in the 'old town' part of Fussen for a look around and an ice cream. The day was ended with a BBQ behind the motorhome with table and chairs, much to the envy of the neighbours. Way to go!

Germany - Schongau

The planned meeting up with Keith and Linda, the new owners of my last Harley-Davidson, took place in Schongau, southern Bavaria, not far from the fabled castles of King Ludwig II. Way back during May 2012, our first month of ownership of the new motorhome, we learnt that they too were planning an extended break travelling the continent. The big difference was that they were towing the Harley-Davidson behind the 'van on their way to Faakersee for the huge annual European bike week held in Austria. And what a pleasure it was to sit and talk to like minded people enjoying similar interests in deepest Deutschland of all places!
Barely had we said the hello's when the Harley was brought out from the trailer in its new custom paint job, with a graphic of the 'Grim Reaper' holding a smiling dainty lady as main motif on the fairing. Keith is a true Harley aficionado and does things properly.

Keith & Linda

Saturday 18 August, being a full day spent together, saw us cycling around the village of Schongau when on a whim we decided to cycle to the nearest next village for a midday drink. Hidden in a wooded area we found a Croatian restaurant next to a stream of water with a lovely shaded Biergarten. The local Bavarian lager soon appeared with the men enjoying a tankard and the ladies a more feminine radler or shandy. And to liven things up a bit we were in situ near a handgun firing range, interspersing the silence every now and then with a volley of shots. The marvels of travelling with no agenda .... !

Relaxing during a cycle ride

The afternoon was spent swimming in the outdoor pool and thermal spa complex near our campsite. The Germans do spa's and pool's on a big scale and this centre did not disappoint, it also had one of those fast downhill slides where you end up in a pool with a huge splash and hoping you don't lose your trunks - all good fun!
To end the day we had a good BBQ of fish, kebabs, sausages and salads washed down with a glass of beer or wine. All this in warm sunshine and good company. We talked late into the night swapping travel tales, motorhoming tips and of course the pleasures of Harley-Davidson biking.

The ladies toasting while ....

.... the men are working.

Hopefully the four of us will meet up again doing our respective travels whilst motorhoming on the continent. Thank you Keith and Linda for your company - here's to the next time!

Germany - Treuchtlingen

This town was our base for two nights with good - again - cycling, walking, a wellness centre with pools and all the rest, and the use of a Topplatz motorhome site. Adjacent to the Stellplatze was a Kurpark of some 18ha. A Kurpark can best be described as a mixture of relaxation, walking, sunbathing, reading .... a quick visit to something that provides medicine for the soul and a feel good feeling of having seen something different. And then the sculpted art ....

A few examples:-

How many examples do you know of where you can walk in a park and find a mini library with a selection of 12 books for a quick read? Here's one such case, a box with lid and a bench denoting this to be for reading purposes only.

Reader's bench

!?

The roped 'walkways' lead to those black seat like things you see mounted further up. The whole contraption wobbles and moves and a steady nerve will be required to reach those seats. I was not seriously attempting to reach them, but Joan thought I was, and I summarily received a telling off .... ! She took a photo nevertheless.

Jungle Jim

Seen in the garden of the tourist information building, were these tree stems covered in knitted sock type covers. The building had lovely grounds with raked pathways and formal gardening at the entrance, it was certainly a cut above most other offices of this nature.

Tourist Info Treuchtlingen

Courtyard at Tourist Info

Germany - The Romantic Route

We have been travelling south after leaving Dresden making steady progress towards Bavaria and southern Germany. As stated before the summer has been very slow in coming and we decided that in order to profit from the warmer weather in southern Europe, we needed to up the pace in terms of mileage covered in getting there. That was duly done and we have covered no less than 750 kilometres in the past week, making use of the German Autobahns in places. We seldom exceed 105km/h (60mph) as Fifi returns a good 29 to 31 mpg at this speed. It keeps us ahead of the lorries who mainly do about 95km/h, as some of those drivers will overtake you given the slightest chance if you do less than 90km/h. When we still had the Harley-Davidsons we were seldom overtaken by anything other than another motorcycle, now with Fifi it can be quite a sight seeing a car on the Autobahn doing 140km/h+ roaring past - read German saloons.

Speaking of our belated summer, the one thing of motorhoming is that you can easily and quickly relocate to another area with better weather. A motorhome can be packed up ready to roll in less than an hour, that includes emptying the toilet and grey water, as well as filling up with fresh water. You can therefor have a new view, a change of weather, food, people and whatever else before sunset of the same day! Now how's that?! No need to sit and lump it if you don't like your surroundings.

We have come across a brochure 'Top Platz' listing motorhome sites in Germany who all conform to certain laid down standards, and a wonderful find too. One was Brauerei-Gasthof Reichold which had views across farm lands second to none, bear brewed on site, good food and cycle tracks all round the area. We had lunch on their terrace one afternoon and the place was packed solid with locals, mainly walkers. We cycled to the next village for bread, 3km away, as Hochstahl had no bakery. The funny thing was that others did the same and thought nothing of it. On day three at this site we learnt that Reichold's formed part of what is known as the three breweries 10km walking trail, so we cycled to the other neighboring town for a pint. We have noticed that support for your local proverbial butcher, baker and candlestick maker is alive and well in Germany. No super-duper kill-em-all supermarkets that sits in towns literally killing the small guy.



Brauerei-Gasthof Reichold, in Hochstahl

Hochstahl farm lands

Self navigation on this one

We joined onto the Romantic Route at Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber, an old German town still looking like it was in the middle ages. Somewhat touristy in places but when you walk down the side streets still a pleasure to visit. The route is easily followed by signposts and for once Snoopy had a break from navigating. We also stopped at Dinkelsbuhl which was less touristy and quieter, even bought a fresh white bread at a backerei seeing as Joan was rebelling at the wheaty-malty dark traditional bread of Germany. She has even undertaken not to criticise the non-descript British bread again.

Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber

Dinkelsbuhl

Germany - Dresden

When visiting Germany, Dresden is not on the agenda for most visitors, it is far to the east of the country and off the beaten track. I wanted to see it however, from both a historical perspective and to witness the rebuilding of this cultural citadel which has and still does impart much of the German psyche. For me it did not disappoint. As is the case when one travels, you never quite know how much time to allocate to any one destination. No amount of beforehand reading can really prepare you for what you come across once in situ. I did not read overly much about Dresden before our arrival, and even if I had, how long do you need to see what you think you want to see?! What we did see left me with the impression that I could have spent an extra two or three days to explore in more detail. Yes I know, there is always a next time ....

Dresden to me has two sides to it, the soft cultural side of theatre, arts and entertainment. It has the beautiful Grosser Garten (Great Garden) just east of the Altstadt (Old city), various museums, horse drawn carriages, some of the best muses I've ever seen and then the Elbe for a river cruise.

The other side is that of history and the emotive side to a city that, to me, seems proud to tell others of the place and standing of the German people in the portals of history. Not only military history, but the cultural and economic contribution in and to Europe, of a leading European nation.

Statue of Martin Luther in front of the rebuilt Frauenkirche

Altstadt (Old city) skyline from the Elbe river

View from the Carola bridge

The Great Garden east of the city centre

Mozart memorial in the Great Garden

Another view in the Great Garden

The mural below was of significant interest to me, in that it says something, without barriers and political correctness, of the contribution of a people to Western values as we know it today. That this mural is to be seen in Dresden, considering the upheavel in its 20th century history, I found especially poignant. And to spice it all up even more, don't forget it was part of communist East Germany before 1990, although the mural would have come after reunification.

A mural near the Frauenkirche

I will attempt a free translation:-

A noble tribe, who's boldness reached out to us all, went forth a long time ago with the story of our people.