Guten Morgen to All,
I thought I had better hurry up and keep writing as, we will be back in FRANCE soon to visit Ken & Jen then onto ITALY to visit John & Maddie.This will all be great catch ups….
BAD HERRENALB - The Black Forrest, enchanting & dark. We parked in a stellplatz in the middle of town, so I set off for a walk (knowing that I can’t get lost solo) I did a double take walking past the Apotheke, there in the front window was a taxidermied Kangaroo with a short story (in german) which of course I couldn’t read.
So I popped into the shop and tried to ask about the display, (it actually looked like a wallaby). I knew that our National icon would not have any medicinal remedies/cures for anything and I tried to explain that I was Australian and these animals could actually grow well over 6ft tall etc., ( this is where charades are good) but anyway I think they were trying to tell me that they do a feature for the window, I suppose its a lot better on the eye than toilet paper and cough mixture etc.
Back to the black forrest, driving thru on a dull day it looks very foreboding and cold, we took the scenic winding road and ended up at the town of HECHINGEN.
Now, it has an amazing castle, and worth a Google. It is perched about 1000ft on a hill, BURG HOHENZOLLERN.
You drive to a car park, then you have a decision to make, either walk or catch the bus (what do you think we did) right !!! We walked - what a killer on the lungs & legs. Once at the top, there were stunning views and of course lots of history. Around the perimeter are huge life like statues of the family (all the male heirs) they weren’t a handsome lot, but never the less a very busy lot, defending their heritage.
We’re back out of the forrest and now into MEERSBURG- Lake Constance, (KONSTANZ)
O.M. Gosh! I think the border is in the middle of the lake, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with just a ferry ride away about 15 mins. This is a another beautiful tourist town. Our stellplatz was high on a hill with cascading grape vines and lots & lots of Apple & Pear trees (strudel) I guess ? The ride going down was good (it’s great to have working brakes) we had a very scenic ride and saw also a BLIMP/ZEPPLIN lazily floating around the skies, I nearly had a crash into the bush trying to watch this, the view would be spectacular from up there. Coming back up the hills was tough pushing the bikes all the way, but worth it.
NESSELWANG is our next stop. The stellplatz is at the base of a a Ski/Snowboarding area.
So we thought, lets do it - up we go on the chairlift right to the top, we had to change half way up, to an amazing view of Lake Fussen and surrounding areas.We wandered around for a bit, it was starting to close in (rain & mist) so we said hello to the cows with their big bells around their neck. These particular dairy breed make excellent yummy cheese.
The view coming back down (we took a gondola this time) was spectacular. We got back to H.H. just in time, the mist covered the mountain/ski slopes and the rain set in.
Next stop FUSSEN. This doubly beautiful town is known as the romantic soul of Bavaria, its full of wild mountains and gentle hills and Oh,the Lakes. It would be fabulous to see this covered in snow, and Oh, the castles. Two in fact, One a Fairy tale medieval castle of the Grail, NEUSCHWANSTEIN,
It is white and the other, HOHENSCHWANGAU, golden colour, set on the shore of Lake Alpee, I think there a 3 lakes, we circumnavigated the smaller on our bikes, its just too beautiful.
The castles are worth a google as well, they are too hard to describe without boring you to tears… and we don’t want to do that!
Next, we move 20 Klms down the road…. big day out on the road and end up at LECHBRUCK AM SEE. Off on our bikes looking for a trail, I think we saw the same hills & farmhouses about 3 times before we found it, and ended up doing our own eco challenge/trail bike ride (and we don’t HAVE trail bikes). Anyway it had rained heavily the night before, so the trail was mud and sludge. Up hills, down again, boggy puddles, dodging barb wire fences, (please no) slippery tree roots and horse poo.
Walking the bikes down a steep flight of wooden steps, across wooden bridge, with white water rapids below.
Finally back onto some gravel, and in between this saying hello to the local cows & goats and on the other side geese, ducks & swans, IT WAS A VERY BUSY MORNING !!!! Then back to H.H. for lunch, cup of tea and a rest .
We had a bibulous, riparian meal that evening (roast chook) in the space oven overlooking the lake.
We are now in the outskirts of MUNICH and staying at a stellplatz which is the parking area of ALLIANCE ARENA, home to the Munich Bayern Football Club. This is one of the great football stadiums of the World.
It has a 3 colour changing exterior, white, red, blue, which is an inflated wall of dry air panels.
it looks like a big tyre, it must look incredible from space. By the way, some useless info, Europe has had the coolest August in 8 yrs.
Now, since we were in the outskirts of Munich, we decided to have a look at another side/part of History, unfortunately DACHAU CONCENTRATION CAMP, THE MEMORIAL site 1933-1945, 12 yrs of Horror and I find this totally incomprehensible/unbelievable. Firstly we made a wrong turn and ended up at the old S.S. headquarters!!!!! Oops……..We walked around the camp, it is so big, I think its about 1.5 square kilometres, they have left it the way it was with 2 barracks standing, I think there were 34 in total. We watched a documentary film in english, and this was by no means the worst camp. The crematorium and the gas chambers were preserved, (the latter was apparently not used in this camp) but ready to be.
There is documentation and records to see. Lots of original graphic photos/pictures, a lot taken by the S.S. Artists drawings, and a lot taken by the American liberators, Whoa!! There is a large stone with etched writing near the barracks saying NEVER AGAIN……….
We are now mixing it with the fast cars on the Auto Bahn, I must admit there is nothing like the sound of a Porshe dropping back a gear and accelerating past H.H. at close to 200ks an hr, we are chugging away in the slow lane, with BMW,’s MERC’S, AUDI”S, flying along , just a blur in the distance. Actually we occasionally pass a truck. H.H. is really good on the flat, we got shaken up with all the slipstream.
BTW we came across this intriiging road sign in Meersburg…...
Glad to see the tanks can’t do more than 50 kmph!!
Next notable will be France……….we are just biding time at the moment……….
