After a long and quite scenic drive out of Italy , though Germany and into Austria, we arrived in Salzburg. We settled in quickly and then headed out to the Bier Kellar that we had seen advertised. The entry was a bit confusing, with much form filling and then trying to work out how to actually get a beer wasn’t easy. It reminded us of Egypt with the purchasing of things and then the checking of tickets 2m away. We got our steins with Callum insisting on the litre versions. We tried several beer halls that were all pretty busy and then eventually found a space on the end of a table. It was really full but had a great atmosphere wit( lots of chatting but what was most noticeable is that no one was looking at their phones so after a quick picture we made sure to put ours away. Callum sourced some food with his first bratwurst and sauerkraut. One drink led to another and after a few too many litres,we found our way back. It had been a great evening.
The next morning, someone was feeling a bit jaded but we set off for the walk into town. It had been my choice to come just because of the Sound Of Music but what really surprised us was how quiet it was. The streets were really quite soundless so much that you felt a bit like whispering at times. It is all pedestrianised so we think that was part of it but it was odd. We walked round both sides of the river and wandered round some really pretty gardens where the film was done. Everywhere we have been there have been lots of weddings but here there were 3 with photos going on all at once which we imagined cost a bomb. We enjoyed a nice schnitzel sandwich for lunch and sat to rest on a bench in the main square in the sun. Luckily, a busker came along and started up which meant we stayed put for a long while. There was meant to be a jazz festival going on but that never seemed to happen and we reckoned we enjoyed the busker more anyway.
After a bit of a rest at the hotel, we went back our for dinner. It was surprisingly hard to find somewhere to eat but we eventually found a place that I liked the look of – I have to admit to being somewhat picky. Unfortunately, we ended up paying quite a lot for some pretty ropey food and the worst beer I have ever tasted😖!
Augsburg
We had planned on going to Munich but finding a city centre place with parking on a Saturday night was frustrating and we were a bit citied out so we decided to head to Augsburg instead just a little further west where we knew there was a lot of green space. On the way, we decided on a quick change as Dachau could be on the route and we were very pleased we did. Although it’s an odd place to visit, it was extremely interesting. We fortunately arrived within 10 minutes of the English guided tour and were glad that we did this as we learnt a lot. The guide managed to hit the right tone throughout and kept bringing it back to the relevance to today and the changes going on in Germany at the moment.
Lots of it was quite upsetting to hear but we both learnt a lot. Dachau was always a work camp so the conditions were better than some other camps but we hadn’t known about the satellite camps all around it and the difference to other camps such as Auschwitz. We hadn’t realised that it was later used for refugees that had to return to Germany from other countries which didn’t seem right and the fact that some of the SS quarters haven’t been given back to the memorial site. It is mandatory for all German teenagers to visit a site which we thought was good and the guide was obviously part of this and so it was interesting when she shared some of their comments on how they had felt some things were obvious and couldn’t understand how the prisoners were initially fooled into thinking things would be fine.She also kept returning to how the locals kept claiming they did not know about what was happening there despite them seeing the prisoners marched through the town and used them in their factories.We went into the gas chamber very briefly ( it was not consistently used there). It was extremely chilling so we didn’t linger. There were some photos that were hard to look at both there and in the museum. It was a sobering few hours but we were very pleased that we had gone there and we drove away feeling very lucky.
When we arrived in Augsburg, we went for change of pace cycle ride by hiring some ebikes (we love them now even if it is cheating ) and going through the huge park. It was a really lovely way to end a “heavy “few hours and the next morning we did the same. It was a lovely sunny Sunday morning and despite being chilly we really loved our time by the river and going through the autumn woodland.
Callum had wanted to see a Bundesliga game whilst in Germany and so we had booked a hotel within walking distance of a game and ground. It may have been on an industrial estate but it was really nice. The game was actually pretty good with the first scorer being Reece Oxford the only English player on the pitch. Unfortunately, it ended 1:1 but it was a very friendly atmosphere with the Germans all high-fiving us when they scored.
We left quite early and after a quick stop at Schiltach, a pretty Hansel and Gretel style village for ice cream, we stopped at a dry rollercoaster. At $3 each, we thought we’d have a go despite it being full of kids and looking a bit pathetic. We went on together thinking the weight would help us go faster. However , as soon as we started down hill, it went very fast and there was a squeaking of “Break it’s dangerous!” from the front seat. We managed a speed of 27km per hour and the 2 kids behind made 37 and were disappointed😂!
Baden Baden, Heidelberg and the Rhine
Callum thought that since we had stayed in monastery in Spain, it was fitting to also stay in a nunnery so he booked us into one just outside Baden Baden and after dropping our luggage , we set off to find somewhere to eat. We were a bit sausaged out so fancied a Chinese. What he hadn’t spotted was that we had to walk for half an hour through a vineyard to get to it. It was quite nice at twilight but we thought it might be a bit creepy on the return. The Chinese was thankfully worth it and Google gave us alternative way back . We stopped in at a very friendly local pub that was playing a bit of Bonnie Tyler for a nice beer or 2.
Next morning,we drove into Baden Baden. We planned to look about a bit and then go to the spa. We walked off the huge cakes we had eaten for breakfast by hiking up to the old castle through the Black Forest. As you can see from the pics, it was quite a lot of uphill. Callum definitely prefers the non-restored castles and though there was some moaning about not having to walk up every hill, it was worth it.
We arrived at the spa with Callum insisting on the full native experience paying more for the ticket including the sauna. We sat in several different pools with varying temperatures -I managed about 1 second in the cold one and only went in so that he nothing could be said about wimps though Callum is very proud to say he fully immersed. A hot jacuzzi one was more my style . The ones outside were quite nice too and we sat hoping to become revitalised and rejuvenated. The sauna was a naked one and though I kept my wobbly bits contained in a towel, Callum went full native! There were several different types of sauna as well as icy plunge pools. Noticeably, it was mostly frequented by large, old men (who were very comfortable with the nakedness) and the occasional tourists. I was glad I had kept my towel firmly wrapped.
We liked Baden Baden itself very much and it was probably the nicest place we visited in Germany. The next place was Heidelberg which was quite industrialised on the outskirts . The old centre was ok but quite small. Because of parking, we had again booked on the edge of town so needed to get into the middle. We decided to try a scooter as Google said that was quickest and they were outside the hotel. It was a bit of fun and they do go quickly- 20km/hr next a dual carriageway seemed a bit quick.
As we saw all of Heidelberg’s delights quickly, we had traditional hamburgers actually made of ham. They were nice but a bit strange tasting even when accompanied by another beer. I was bit tipsy and wanted to get a taxi back but no it was Lime scooters home again. Not the most sensible choice (kids don’t do it please) but a laugh especially when Callum’s Lime ran out of juice and I scooted past him!
Our last few nights in Germany were on the Rhine. We had booked into what we thought from the website looked like a really nice hotel only to find we were put in the “garage” not the lovely old building. We did ask to change rooms (which they agreed to with us having a much better room)but the service was bad in the hotel as a whole and the area seemed to be well past its best. We wouldn’t recommend it. We did find a nice gasthaus with amazing schnitzel and steak for dinner however and went both nights.
We’re off to see Kate (and Ali) in Maastricht for our final few days, then the ferry from the Hook of Holland to Harwich and home. That will be the end of our first lot of Rossie’s roaming the world. However, we’ve learnt a few things….
1. The coffee machine may have been laughed at by some but is an essential travel tool; it was used a lot!
2. Three navigation tools are needed at all times; a car sat nav plus 2 phones with Apple and Google maps . At times, all 3 disagreed , once by 100km!
3. Our language skills are shocking but it’s amazing how much you can do with smiling and pointing. Google translate was very useful but there isn’t always service so we need one to use offline.
4. We like the look of old hotels but prefer the convenience of modern ones and don’t ever use a Croatian ferry cabin. The bed bugs still make us shudder!
5. We don’t care what people think -ebikes are great. We like to mix activities up. Too much of one thing isn’t good. We like being active and a bit of an adrenaline rush now and again – even if it’s just on a scooter!
6. We’re happier when we’re hot! No surprise there😂. We also eat and drink too much on holiday which isn’t good when it lasts nearly nine weeks. We do this less in hot places -another good reason for following the sun.
7. Giving up work (though harder for some) was a good move. We have laughed a lot!
8. We can get on and it is possible to see each other for nearly nine weeks, 24/7 without arguing. We do still like each other after 30+ years!
We should be feeling sad but actually are happy to be going home especially as we have just looked up our travel vouchers from our cancelled BA trip to Thailand and have seen that they need using up by May 2022!!!
Rossies Go Roaming 