Diary - August 2013

1^st August.  We are following ‘The Alpine Strasse’ which mostly follows the German Alpine route but we have found ourselves dipping in and out of Austria today. 

Lake Walchsee

  It has been a very scenic drive towards Spitzingsee which is at about 1300 metres altitude, where we are spending the night.  We have already walked around the lake this afternoon and plan to go further up early tomorrow into the alpine meadows to an Alm we have spotted out about 2 miles away.

Our overnight parking

2^nd August.  Not a very pleasant night – there was a disco in the lift station just opposite us which went on until 3am! …..needless to say we are feeling a bit tired today.  Not too tired though to do the walk we had planned and resting at the Alm at the top with a lovely cold drink.

Still following the Alpine route, we skirted Schliersee, stopped to take a short walk by the turquoise waters at Tegernsee ......

Tegernsee

 ..... before reaching our overnight destination in the forest at a place called Fall. This place reminds us both of the woods up at Eartham - just imagine being able to stay overnight there for just 4€ per 24 hours! The difference here is there is also swimming in the reservoir to look forward to so hope to be able to take a swim tomorrow ….. it’s good to be out of the strong sun and under the beech trees where it's cooler.

3^rd August.  Another interesting night ! ……. As all was going quiet in the forest, one or two more motorhomes arrived for the weekend in the pitch darkness – it was then we heard a rumbling sound.  On looking out, two ex army truck conversions had squeezed in beside our neighbouring van ….. we just never know what will turn up next – all quite interesting really.  (See the Blog for more pic’s etc.)

Today we have just lazed about and walked down to the reservoir to join all the other folk swimming,  picnicking and watching the various canoes being launched into the lake. 

 It’s early evening and we now have a huge thunderstorm. Luckily we have eaten our evening meal but our neighbours are still cooking on their BBQ so tarpaulins are being hastily arranged to try and keep everything dry.  He he!  

4^th August.  We are still travelling along the ‘Alpine Strasse’ westwards, after a few miles we came to a private toll road, paid our 7€ to continue the 8 miles through wonderfully wild alpine wilderness.  A wide clear gravelly river, pine forests and grey mountain peaks above….we felt like we were in the Rockies in the USA.  Our next stop, the village of Mittenwald is described as the most beautiful in Bavaria.  Yes, it’s very nice and the painted houses interesting but what attracted us most of all was the history of violin making in the town and the little museum set in one of the old workshops. Les even had a go on a Zither, another instrument not seen much nowadays.  

Painted house

                          

Might take a bit of practise! 

We have moved on to Garmisch, a winter skiing destination in the hope that the threatened rain does not last too long.

5^th and 6^th August.  We took the free bus down to the town of Garmisch, it’s quite a large town and a bit touristy so we were back by lunchtime and set off towards Linderhof which is a castle built by Ludwig II.  He came to the throne in 1864 at the age of 18 and set about fashioning himself upon his idol Louis XIV of France, creating an alternative world for himself in his buildings.   This Palace was his favourite and he spent as much time as possible here before he died in mysterious circumstances at the age of 40.  The gardens were open till 9pm so we were able to get some good photos before the hoards of visitors arrived early the next morning.

Moorish Kiosk

Inside the Kiosk

                       

7^th to 9^th August.  The weather has turned against us for a few days, instead of very hot sun we now have heavy dark clouds and some rain showers.   Even so we have managed to take a short stroll for a view of the fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle, another of King Ludwig’s masterpieces but completed after his death. We decided not to go inside this time contenting ourselves with the photos in the leaflet instead – the second photo can only be taken from the air. 

Nearby is the lovely town of Füssen with it’s Medieval centre and High Castle, which is within cycling distance of our overnight stopover.  There are also various lakes, all with cycle tracks, around so we have plenty to occupy ourselves with in between the showers.

10^th August.  After a very rainy day yesterday the sun has returned.  We are in a small ski resort called Nesselwang where we have met up with our friends Phil and Kath who know the area well and have led us on a morning walk around the two smaller lakes nearby.  They are keen Nordic skiers and have shown us where the main ski areas are and how easy it is to hire equipment and have some lessons – we are becoming more and more inclined to give this a try one winter.

  

Nesslewang

The motorhome parking in foreground in white.

It’s quite noisy here this morning …..  last evening a nice young man came around to all of the vans telling us not to worry if we heard loud bangs at 5am! it would all be because of the wedding in the village.  Apparently, according to tradition, the groom must be woken up early on the wedding morning to make sure he is ready in time.  

The wedding car

11^th August. We are making the most of the winter ski lifts to take us up the mountain so we can take a leisurely walk down.  The lift in the photo below takes you up to the summer toboggan run, which we have declined, and also near to a lovely Alm (mountain restaurant) where, before we knew it, we had ordered our Sunday lunch ….. Mmmmm! 

Me on that lift!

A lovely noodle, bacon, onion and cheese dish! 

12 August.  We are continuing to follow the Alpine Strasse westwards but having a short detour down a most wonderful valley towards Obersdorf.  This valley is quite touristy with busloads of walkers and cyclists arriving to make the most of the fresh air and sunshine.  Outdoor clothing shops are everywhere - after a brief stroll around the town we decided to go further on down the valley until the road ran out at Mittelberg on the search for the local mountain cheese we had heard about this morning from our German neighbours  …...  It’s amazing how long a conversation you can have without understanding as much as a couple of words of each other’s language! 

Mittleberg

Cheese purchased, we then travelled on to Scheidegg, quite near to lake Konstance and where the borders of the three countries meet – Austria, Germany and Switzerland. 

     

13^th August. We are still at Schiedegg, a small village in the countryside with a few lakes, walks and cyclepaths. Having been given a walking route to follow – up to a view point and then around the village we got sidetracked by a small sign to another cheese-makers only ½ an hour away.  We arrived at 12.10pm a bit peeved, as we had seen then they would only be open from 7am to 12 midday.  Luckily however, there were still some people inside the small shop so it was still open and one of the young farmers spoke some English.  Knowing we had quite a long walk back in the now sunny afternoon we declined the buttermilk and yoghurt but couldn’t resist the wonderfully flavoured 6 month old and 12 month old mountain cheeses.  Our lunch would be sorted now for quite a few days.

14^th August. A sunny start to the day and off to the Dethleffs motorhome factory & showroom at Isny, to the north east.  As we made our way the mountains disappeared from view.  Had a good look around the Dethleffs range and then around the pretty old walled town.  A lunch of the local cheese, bought yesterday, with local bread – quite yummy! 

Old house is Isny

Then it was off to Wolfegg to visit the private motor museum of a famous German motoring journalist, with over 200 vehicles on display.  Mainly German cars but many that we had never heard of before, and quite a nice insight into early German motoring history. 

Peugeot cabriolet

Porsche Diesel Tractor!

Steyr - Austrian? 

Isetta bubble car (made by BMW) - camping edition!!

Our final destination of the day was the Hymer motorhome factory & showroom at Bad Waldsee.  On the way we were caught by the flash of a speed camera – 35mph in a 30mph limit!  We wait to see if we get a fine!    

15^th August.  A lovely day spent looking around Bad Walsee town in the morning and then a couple of hours in the Thermal Baths in the afternoon.  Every town that has Bad in it’s name in Germany has one of these wonderfully relaxing places.  For just 6€ we could use the three pools (both inside and out) with varying water temperatures with Jacuzzi’s, a Vortex and numerous water jets.  There was also a steam room, a cold footbath and cold showers.   Comfortable sunbeds were available around the pools for an in-between relax and also in the garden – all we had to do was to be alert enough to remember when out two hours was up or we would be charged extra.   We want one of these in Chichester please!!!

16^th August.  We have dropped by a couple of Motorhome manufacturers - Hymer and Cathago just to have a look at their new ranges.  Unfortunately, very expensive and none of them have everything we would like anyway so we have continued on, passing by the biggest junk yard ever ….. Walters Warehouse, situated in the middle of a small village and surrounded by roads.  There was everything you could think of from old classic cars to children’s toys and zinc bathtubs, all just piled up. No old motorhomes I'm afraid.

Our planned stop at a designated Stellplatz was full by the time we got there so we have been directed to their overspill next to a fishing lake – we actually like this better anyway, it’s very quiet here.  But, sorry Les – no fishing for you without passing the German fishing exam and then paying for a day ticket.

17^th August.  A lovely trip today down the 15 miles long Sigmaringen Gorge down towards Tuttingen.  This is a most beautiful drive following the meanders of the Donau which is the infant Danube River.  The rocks tower above us in places, some crowned with castles, and then open up into wide green valleys.  We stopped to have lunch beside the river and vowed to come back another year and spend some time cycling the route.   At Knopfmacherfelsen (now that’s a mouthful) there is a view point where we took some pic’s of the valley we had just travelled along.

18^th August.  A surprise in Tuttingen today – it's Sunday and the car-park was full by 10am. Just around the corner we spotted the reason …….  a large Circus tent beside the river with all the animals out in the sunshine before their big performance.  By the time we had made a short visit into town and back we could hear the music inside and it had all started – taking us both back to our childhood memories of wonderment .... quite magical.    

19^th and 20^th August.  It might be because of the rain, but we couldn’t see the attraction for so many people to be at Lake Titisee when we arrived.  The lake itself looked very dark compared to those we had seen in Austria and except for the usual gift shops and cafes it was all rather dull.  So we continued on to Freiburg one of the major towns of the southern Black Forest region.  The next day we set off to town, joining many other cyclists on the way.  Most of the town is traffic free with just bikes and trams allowed in so it was very peaceful meandering around the interesting individual shops and historical centre.  So far as information for tourists goes we think we would say “ could do better!” as the smallest map containing only scant details about the various buildings was not good enough and not free either!  Anyway, we bought a very nice cherry cheesecake from the market and had a nice glass of local wine at the Hause der Badischen Weine  below so all ended well.

Wein Hause

Freiburg Münster from our table

21 August. Some driving up and through the Black Forest today to Triberg, which maybe quite a nice place without the hundreds of tourists and Cuckoo clocks!  However, we did manage to see what is reputed to be the largest Cuckoo Clock in the world (just one of many things to do before you die - not)

Les did have an unusual experience in the gents loo’s !!!  He thinks he has found the secret to West Germany’s football success.  It seems form an early age every German lad has shooting practice!! ....  as can be seen from the football pitch laid out in the urinals in the photo below.  Les's score is a secret but he didn't get a hat-trick!

Having seen enough we moved on to look around the pretty old town of Hausash and then on to a more gentle landscape of Zell am Harmersbach.

22 August.  We have stumbled upon the wine and fruit region around Kappelrodeck on the western side of the Black Forest (Schwarzwald).  The views are lovely here with gentle hills covered with vines.  It appears that the fruit is mostly used for flavouring Schnapps and this village in particular has a lovely red wine which we must try and sample tomorrow.  The photo below is of the pretzel (bagel) we have both become addicted to …. lovely soft salted bread dough.  We can’t pass by a bakers without purchasing one of these for a quick snack … no wonder I am putting on weight.

23^rd August.  No wine to be had in the village I’m afraid, only lots of different types of Schnapps made using the local fruit.  We decided to give it a miss this time and just be content with a lovely punnet of plums we spotted outside a local growers house.  We have arrived at the Rhine today, had a good cycle ride along the river banks and plan to go over the bridge to France tomorrow for some shopping and hopefully get onto the internet.  We saw a car ferry today ( we assume it was free as no signs for payment anywhere) which crossed the river at the sleepy village of Greffern but it has a 3.5 ton weight limit and looked as though we might swamp it if we boarded so it will be the road for us.    

River cruise ship

24 and 25^th August.  We have crossed over the Rhine to France to do some shopping at Haguenau ( there’s only so much Aldi and Lidl we can cope with) and to cut the corner on our way to Bad Bergzabern a lovely and previously unknown, to us, wine region of Germany.  Unfortunately it has started raining so we can’t make the most of the ‘Wein Gut’ – wine producers in the small medieval villages round here.  We are looking for a place to spend the night and many of the wineries  provide a place for motorhomes to stay at the side of their business but they have all been on grass and with all the rain today, we have decided to press on to Annweiler am Trifels in the Pfalzwald forest region.

A change of plan today as the weather is still on the dull side – we will spend the day travelling through the forest and then farmlands towards the Mosel region.  As we travel north, the villages are changing in appearance and slate roofs are becoming the norm.  Further on and the houses of whole villages are completely covered in napped slate, all in different patterns and quite attractive in their grey and white.  At last we arrive in the Mosel at Cochem – it’s now raining hard so we found a place to stay on a vineyard but will have to wait till tomorrow to look around further and perhaps try some wine.    

Old house in Ernst

26^th August – A rainy start to the day so a lazy morning before a stroll through the small town of Ernst and a visit to the bakers for some bread and our (now) daily pretzel. A short drive north along the Mosel to Cochem, however it was a bit too touristy for our liking, although we did indulge in a portion of french fries with mayo! After a stop alongside the river for lunch we continued south and are now in a lovely spot facing the Mosel at Zell. 

Us parked in the distance

A stroll over the footbridge into the town and a sample of the local wine – not really to our taste, a bit thin and lacking flavour so we didn’t purchase any bottles. The wines from Zell have the ‘Black Cat’ branding, this is due to a commemorative black cat on the towns water well that remembers the soldiers from Zell who fought in the battle to save Trier in medieval times.

27^th August.  Continuing south along the Mosel, the valley is becoming broader and the sun is beginning to come out now and again.  We have done some shopping high up above the vines in the bend of the river above Zell and then lunch with a view of the meandering river far below us.  There are lots of places for us to stay – every five miles or so another Stellplatz, or ’ Wein’ producer with a patch of land available, comes into sight and we are parked tonight on a lovely wide green right next to the river and the small village of Kinheim.  We are finding the smaller villages and their history much more interesting than the larger more touristy ones.

28^th August.  It’s much sunnier today so we had our breakfast outside the van on the riverbank.  Afterwards we travelled a few miles further south to Bernkastel-Kues a town we had been recommended to see by some Australian people we had met a few weeks ago.  The town has a fascinating medieval centre with a lovely relaxed feel to it and though a bit touristy it’s not so “in your face” as some along the Mosel.  

We stopped at Minheim hoping to spend the night there but although right on the water’s edge we felt a bit outnumbered be Germans so after lunch we drove along the panorama way down to Piesporter Stellplatz, again right next to the river but with a good mix of nationalities.  All along the river we have noticed curious light tan geese with long pink legs and a brown spot around the eyes – having looked it up we find it’s an Egyptian goose, not often seen in England.  The little goslings are very sweet.

29^th August.  We decided to join everyone on the cycle route today and headed out on our bikes to Neumagen-Dhron about five miles away along the river and through the vines.    We had only been there for a couple of minutes when I heard my name being called from afar.  “Non-one knows me here”, I thought …….. but then we saw Cath and Phil our friends we met in Bavaria.  They were also spending a few days on the Mosel and had cycled in but from the opposite direction.  A nice surprise!

Sorry Cath you are now pictured in the blog.   

30th and 31st August.  Trier is the last major city on the Mosel before the river enters Luxembourg and we had heard that it is possibly the oldest city in Germany.  It was certainly a major town in the Roman era and the remains of the massive gateway still towers above on the eastern side, there is evidence of occupation hundreds of years before that too.  We were lucky to have a warm day for sightseeing after arriving, as usual, on our bikes.

Palace and gardens

                   

Roman gateway

The next few days will be mostly spent driving back in time for our channel crossing on the 3rd September plus a few visits to the French Supermarkets too..... so no more blog I'm afraid. Thanks for reading it!!