Week 3 – August 3rd to 9th – Bavaria and beyond
Day 13 – MONDAY – Well it has been extremely hot over the last couple of days. We stayed stationery today as Paul was working. Monday is always a big work day, clearing the decks from last week and so on. There was one point yesterday, when I thought I could not take any more. Even running two fans, it was not pleasant.
Paul finished work at about 7pm and we quickly had dinner (salad) and set out to walk into town to Nico’s – the local “eis cafe”. We walked on the shady side of the streets but it was a relief to arrive and get a cold drink. One of Nico’s specialities is a German dessert known as “spaghettieis. It looks like a savoury dish (spaghetti with tomato sauce and parmesan) but is entirely constructed of sweet stuff – ice cream and fruit, sauce and grated white chocolate (the parmesan). It’s delicious. I selected a strawberry one and Paul opted for kiwi fruit. Well worth the hot walk.
We came back and sat outside and watched the commercial vessels and passenger cruisers passing by, including one massive Saga one. As dusk established itself, we decided to hell with it. Let’s take a dip in the river. I can’t tell you what a joy it was. Standing up to our shoulders in cool, refreshing water. I did not let myself think about what that marine traffic might be discharging into the water. I had no intention of ingesting any water and no open wounds to worry about! Others had been doing it, so we just followed their lead. And – so far – have lived to tell the tale! We showered afterwards and lay on the bed on our towels while the fan played over us. Very cooling.
We were awoken by a thunderstorm at around 2 am. Despite checking the weather, Paul had to leap around closing the roof vents. Luckily we had put the awning away before we went in for the night. Having had a bad experience with an awning near Annecy – where our awning was pulled out of the ground by a sudden, strong wind, flew up in the air and one of the legs made a hole in the roof! – we are a bit paranoid about leaving it out!
I hoped that the storm might have cooled the temperatures a bit but Tuesday was just as hot.
Day 14 – Tuesday – moving on day. We were doing a lunchtime reposition to a site in Miltenberg, again by the river. We stopped on the way to replenish stocks – mainly drinks! But also to take on easy to prep and eat stuff. It’s just too hot to cook. I had found a branch of Edeke en route.
I’m so glad I finally found one. I would say they’re on a par with Waitrose/M&S. Beautiful fresh produce, much of it locally sourced. And everything I needed. Even clothes pegs, which I’ve been looking for since we arrived. The fruit – especially cherries – was extraordinarily good. Ditto the baked products. I’ve found my place!
After shopping (I shopped, Paul worked), we pressed on to our new location on the outskirts of charming Miltenburg, once again on the Main river. The campsite – Main Camping Miltenberg – is a family run business (Olga and Florian and their children) and the site is located right on the banks of the Main and partially under the impressive red sandstone bridge that leads into town. I like the ethos – quiet hours are 10 pm to 8 am – fairly normal. But also 1pm to 3 pm – for naps I guess? I very much approve.
Miltenburg is one of the stops for the river cruisers that ply the river. The town is full of those half-timbered houses you think of when you think of Bavaria, so its easy to see why. The bridge into town has a large gatehouse on the town end and it’s beautifully illuminated at night. Until 11 pm, when it goes dark.
We sat outside, before bed, watching an electric storm flashing away. A thunderstorm was promised but never materialised, but it was a great lightshow – although no sound.
.
Miltenberg is overlooked by its castle – which looks like a newer castle has been tacked onto the front of a very much older castle. Which is exactly what it is! It was originally built in 1150 for Emperor Konrad III and then destroyed in the 2nd Margravian War in 1552. One forgets that Germany was previously lots of little argumentative kingdoms and not united until Bismarck happened along in 1871 and turned it into the German Empire. It was rebuilt later in the 16th century. It was not well maintained and modernisations were carried out in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1979, the castle eventually became the property of the town of Miltenberg, which reopened it to the public in 2011, after a massive refurb.
Days 15 & 16 – Wednesday and Thursday – as it had been so hot, we barely ventured out for a couple of days, but on Thursday the temperature was a little cooler and it was now or never to explore Miltenberg, as we were moving on the next day. We set off in the cool of the evening on the bikes, across the bridge into town and up and down the cobbled streets. It was a lovely little town with interesting shops, including a leather shop with some very tempting bags. Lucky for our bank balance it was closed, really!
We tried one of the restaurants on the river front but they did not seem keen on our custom, so we went to the cocktail bar/restaurant opposite (Havana) and had freshly cooked pizzas which were absolutely delicious. However, Ted had somehow – without Paul noticing – left a “doggy present” on the pavement which I – all unsuspecting – then promptly walked in. Very embarrassing and we had to do the best we could with a poo bag and napkin. The owner brought out some soapy water and brushed it all away while we squirmed.
Day 17 – Friday We had enjoyed our stay on the riverside at Miltenberg, although we found the 6 am bells a little trying. They mark the end of “Nachtruhe” (meaning night rest) – the legally protected nighttime quiet period in Germany. In some areas (including Miltenberg it seems) there is an additional quiet period between 1 and 3 – known as “Mittagsruhe” (midday rest). Both come under the general umbrella name of “Ruhezeiten” – rest times. It all seems very civilised to me.
Friday is always exciting as it brings new horizons. We had also come to a decision. The heat was too much for us and particularly hard on the boys. Instead of heading further south, we decided to loop back towards Denmark and the Baltic in hope of cooler weather. So off we set, in a generally Denmark-ward direction.
A quick planning meeting had been held and we’d decided we’d make for Bad Neustadt an der Saale, still in Bavaria. It had a nice looking stellplatz with room for 50 motorhomes. We stopped to pick up a few fresh goods and eventually arrived at the site early afternoon. Plenty of room and a lovely shady spot with our name on it. You can see a pic of the site on this link.
The site is located on the floodplains of the River Saale (not much chance of flooding that day!) and next to a railway line. The sprinter style trains, always either one or two carriages long, run all day. We didn’t find it intrusive and it was quiet at night – for obvious reasons. It’s just €10 per night, which you pay at the machine. Water and electricity are extra, but very reasonable. For example, €1 for 80 litres of fresh “trinkwasser”. We are becoming big fans of the stellplatz.
Day 18 – Saturday – we had researched our destination for this evening and were looking forward to it. It was to be on the banks of the Edersee – a very famous reservoir in the region of Hesse, in the Naturpark Kellerwald-Ederse.
It is famous in British history for being one of the locations for deployment of the “Bouncing Bombs” designed by Barnes Wallis in WW2 and immortalised in the film “The Dambusters”. The operation was known by the code name “Chastise” and took place on the night of 16-17 May 1943. Its mission was basically to cause disruption – hydro-electrics, water supply for industry, etc. There were numerous casualties, both our own and German. There’s a picture of the damage wrought here and you can read more about Operation Chastise here. Isn’t war horrible? Why haven’t we learned our lesson?
The first glimpses of the dam showed very clearly how depleted it currently is, being just 20% full. This has had an impact on commercial shipping (it feeds the Mittellandkanal.waterway – an important link canal) and tourism. It’s all very worrying – it feels like we are almost on the point of no return, somehow? .
Our campsite – Wohnmobilpark Edersee-Alm – was a very clever, terraced affair, providing 4 levels of pitches, each with great views over the reservoir. We loved it. Because of the heat and our natural indolence, we have fallen into the habit of drive somewhere, park for the night, have a beepy/nap and a nice cuppa on waking. It’s very pleasant.
There is a restaurant on site, with great views over the landscape, and we ate there that evening, both choosing schnitzel – mine with Mushroom sauce and Paul’s with Paprika sauce. A delicious meal in a very pleasant location. Although marred by the stink of cigarette smoke from the opposite table. I know it was outdoors but we have got used to smokers absenting themselves rather than inflict on others. That does not seem to happen here. And there seem to be more smokers than in the UK. All four at the table opposite smoked. Enough moaning!
We fully planned to go out on our bikes for a ride round the reservoir, but once again indolence took over and we watched a little TV instead. Lazy bums!
Day 19 – Sunday – Our plan for Sunday was to drive up into the Harz Mountains – the highest peaks in this central part of Germany.
We had chosen a wohnmobileplatz in Altenau, set on the site of a disused station. We had a warm welcome from the owner, Frank, who is clearly very proud of his campsite. He shared with us details of the wildlife that we might encounter, which included foxes, deer, raccoons – yes raccoons – who knew? – and even lynx. He showed us some photos that he had taken of the lynx on site
It’s a very pleasant spot in a wooded area and we have a secluded spot to ourselves. There is a cafe on site with homemade cakes and coffee, (very important!) and all the usual campsite stuff. Frank advised us not to leave any foodstuff out at night, due to the risk of pilfering by wild animals
We soon got ourselves sorted and then nipped down to the cafe for coffee and cake – and a beer as well in Paul’s case! His last day before being back to work again.
Later, while we were on the phone to Chester, a red squirrel came from nowhere, ran straight past us and the boys – who actually saw it for once, which is most unusual for them – and reacted accordingly. They could hardly believe their eyes, it was so close. Very funny.
We checked the weather before bed and there was a less than 5% chance of rain, which is pretty standard at present. We retired and had probably both just dropped off when we heard the little pitter patter of rain on the roof. Cue Paul leaping about naked again, shutting roof vents, which I found quite amusing from my prone position. Paul – less so.
And that rounded off week 3!
I’ll leave you with a pic of the boys on the site. Just for cuteness. As you can see – it’s not crowded. Oh – and racoons. It seems that Germany is home to about 1.5 to 2 million racoons. Introduced for the fur farming trade in the 1930s, escapees and deliberate releases has helped establish a large wild population, not only in Germany but also in France, Denmark, Poland, Italy, Austria and elsewhere. The city of Kessel, which we came through on Saturday has a particular problem with them. Aren’t we learning a lot on this trip?
| Period | Miles | Cumulative |
| Week 3 | 356 | 1325 |