Europe Adventure 2007

On our final morning in Prague we were greeted with a sunshower which drove us underground to the metro. After a well executed multitude of line changes we arrived with time to spare. On board to Germany the ticket conductor gave us a frown before explaining that this carriage was going to Munich, not Nuremburg! We finished comparing travel notes with the friendly Canadians in our compartment before loading up and navigating to the very packed front three carriages.

Nuremburg - 2 July

We have found that when the tourist information bureau needs to look up where the closest camp site is, it usually means it is out of the way. Even though it turned out the indicated tram line was not ideal, the necessary route took us through Hitlers military procession grounds. The light rain and a menacing sky excentuated this unfriendly location. Thankfully our first German campsite owner was delightful.

After pitching tent between showers and a quick bite to eat in the common room we headed back into town via the much closer train station to explore. Camilla created a comprehensive tourist walk using the town map taking us past numerous churches, fountains and the Australian Icecream Shop. Understaning that much of Nuremburg was destroyed in WWII it is lucky that some of the historic buildings remain intact, whilst much of the rebuilt areas remind us of a cross between Brisbane and Chatswood.

After finishing a toast to another new country to visit we walked the shiny cobblestone streets alongside the city fortifications in a beautiful sunshower. Ducking outside the safety of the medieval city wall we were rewarded with a view of a thick vivid rainbow crowning the Opera House.

Satishfied with our afternoon in Nuremburg we organised a car for the following day, headed back to camp for a basic dinner, received a brief lesson on Nazi politics from a Swedish history teacher and slept as only exhausted travellers can.

Romantishe Strasse (Romantic Road) through Bavaria - Day One - 3 July

It was a nice surprise to find that we received a free upgrade to a four door VW Golf even thought our booking specifics were somewhat lost in translation. Unfortunately, after packing our gear into the car (still amazed that it all fits in two backpacks) we were hurried off the train station parking before we could get our bearings. With maps in hand the result was an unplanned circular, then spiral, then multiple u-turn tour of Nuremburg.

We finally found the No. 6 to Shillingsfurst and breathed a sigh of relief. We attempted to determine where the 'schloss' (castle) was located from a map on the tourist billboard. It just so happened that we were standing in the castle carpark! After a pitstop at the backery and supermarket for supplies Camilla offered to drive whilst attempting to dismantle the steering wheel and relocate on the right. After some minor confusion we were steadily underway, what an experience to drive on the WRONG side of the road for the first time. After a short time Camilla drove us into a field (deliberately) where we stopped for tea just before the heavens opened.

Feuchtwagen was our next stop and already we were feeling more romantic! Driving past the sentry tower at the top of the hill, and possible through the pedestrian only parts of town by accident, we exited under the little aches and onto Dinkelsbuhl. Walking around the streets of this interesting little town we enjoyed climbing onto the ramparts where we passed a number of the 16 guards towers. The houses in Dinkelsbuhl have fantastic manicured gardens. It was raining at the time which made the entire town shine, as well as keep away those pesky tourists that get in our way (assuming we are not pesky also).

Drying off in the car we made our way through the Ries Valley, created 15 million years ago by a 1km wide meteorite which left a 25km wide crater. Thankfully we were late for that fireworks display. In the centre of the crater is the impressive walled village of Nordlingen, one of the few towns in Europe where visitors can view the town from the fully intact rampart walls. Again Camilla effectively nagivated the visitors walking tour (except for a few of what she calls 'Necessary Detours').

As the evening drew on it was time to find a camp site which was not as easy as we first thought. Zipping through the delightful Harburg, crossing the river 3 times, asking 2 guest houses for directions, getting lost in someones backyard (literally), then finally turned away by the campsite owner as the patch of grass adjacent to the river was deemed 'too wet', continued to Donaeworth, shot through the same intersection from all possible directions, caught on a small section of the Autobahn, we finally found ourselves in a nice little wheat field where we could see through the campsite hedge to the soft grass patch awaiting us. Total distance for the day including all detours = 235km.

Dachau Detour - Day 2 - 4 July

Today we planned our departure from the Romantic Road to to Dachau, near Munich. We spent the whole day at Gedenkstatte Concentration camp with a comprehensive audioguides to help with our concerted attempt to learn of the attrocities which occurred on these grounds. There is little we can write here to fully communicate how chilled to the bone with grief and horror we felt at how human beings can behave. Our visit will be remembered always not just for the ferocious winds and dark clouds that accompanied us through the bleek compound, but mostly for the knowledge and saddness we take with us through life.

Back on the Romantishe Strasse - Day 3 - 5 July

Having found the campsite more easily than the night before, we awoke beside Annasee lake to the sound of yacht mast ropes clicking and slapping. A short jaunt into the forest for tea and strudel for breakfast gave us full bellies until lunch which was also a formal roadside affair admiring King Ludwig II's masterpiece.

Neushwanstein castle tour opened our eyes to the sheer decadence possible when you are an opera obsessed, swan loving mad king without a budget. The short stroll up to Mariebruck bride afforded one of the greatest views of Bavaria, only just short of our splendid windy campsite on the lake at Brunnen. To conclude our short yet enriching journey through Germany we had some local beverages and read LOTR (Lord of the Rings) until late into the evening.

The Romance is Over - Day 4 - 6 July

For 4 days in a row now we have been able to pack up camp only moments before the rain came and thismorning was no exception. First stop for the morning was the pretty town of Fussen with matchstick fountains where 100kg bolders rotate sickeningly metres above our heads then to backery hop down to the river. Leaving town we stopped at the Lech falls where we saw more water flow per second than anywhere else so far. After a small navigation glitch (gap in corresponding maps) we simply decided to head south via Fern Pass and 'turn right' in Austria. It sounded simple enough, and once on the correct road to Leihctenstien we settled into the rhythm of freeway driving.

Travelling through numerous tunnels in the hills it was in a moment where to Steves absolute horror he gasped and we both witnessed the vehicle behind doing almost twice the legal speed limit (80km/h) in a tunnel with oncoming traffic (single lanes). Only metres from our car the driver locked up the brakes, fishtailed violently across both lanes in the tunnel before flipping onto its roof and narrowly missing our rear. Before this scene fully registered in our minds we had exited the tunnel and unable to safely turn back or stop. We hope the driver and any passengers were not hurt.