Lakes, Alps...and the 'Romantic Road'

We're back!!! Hi everyone!
My last posting was just as we were getting ready to leave for the Bodensee area, which is right on the border of Switzerland and Austria....south of Fulda. Thanks for your comments Amber, Bruce/Liz, Skye and Allison. I'm a little concerned that a couple of people have said they tried to put up a comment but it 'disappeared'. Hmmmm....my apologies to you if your attempts have not been acknowledged but please try again as its so lovely to hear from everyone. If you continue to have a problem, just email me your comments (manto@adam.com.au).

Amber, great to hear that you finally have some leave! It will be a great break for you and a chance to relax. Not to mention you and Grandma can keep each other company...she might even make you a sponge cake if you ask her nicely. [grin]
Bruce & Liz, thanks for popping by every now to check what I'm up to. While I was sipping a cold drink on the banks of the Bodensee (see below) I was thinking of you guys in cold, wintery Bendigo. [cheeky grin]
Skye, I've just sent you a text so I'm hoping we can catch up today - last chance as I'm packing to leave Fulda for good. But yes...definite appointment to catch up back in Adelaide!!!
Allison, thanks for hanging in there with the 'Marlene in Germany' saga! We're off to Scandanavia next week so definitely further afield soon.

Apologies to all who were looking for an 'executive summary' but I have such limited time on the internet now that I just can't use any extra time to do this. You will have to just scan the headings below and perhaps look at the pictures. {grin]

I am reminded of a travel forum that I was reading through back at the beginning of this year, where people were talking about their holidays and giving recommendations (and warnings). I came across an American guy who wrote "just skip Germany as there is nothing to see there." [rolls her eyes] I don't know what he was looking for but this comment astounds me as there is so much to see that I am almost overwhelmed with the diversity of landscape, culture, history and people. He must be extremely hard to please!

So....let me paint you a mental picture of the Bodensee, and what we saw and experienced, and then YOU make up you mind whether this is 'nothing to see'. [grin]

Saturday 31st May - Getting there
We had errands to do in town but after lunch we hit the Autobahn once again for the 4 hour trip to the Bodensee. Where do you end up if you drive 4 hours out of Adelaide.... Port Pirie? [laugh] The Autobahn is fast and efficient but a little tedious, so just for fun I suggested we play a game we used to play when driving with bored kids....choosing a car colour then counting them to see who gets the most. Norbert said he would choose black and I had 'everything else BUT black'. We gave up in 5 minutes because Norbert was obviously going to win by a huge margin! [laugh]

Had to drive through a big storm band (heavy rain with thunder, lightening etc...combined with fast traffic and huge trucks on the Autobahn) but we arrived safe and sound in Liggeringen and found a nice little Zimmer Frei by spotting a sign on the side of the road - this one even came with a mini-kitchen! But we hadn't come prepared with groceries so we wandered around the corner to find something to eat - nice place....tables under the trees in a quiet setting. But we walked out! Yep...sat there for 20 minutes and the staff didn't even come to clear the table let alone ask us if we wanted a drink! The people next to us were obviously annoyed too however Germans don't seem to expect service and just accept what they get. But Aussies vote with their feet so we found another Gasthaus down the road and within 5 minutes had a drink in front of us and our food order taken by an extremely friendly woman.

Sunday 1st June - a quick trip to Sweden... on a tropical island!
The sun was shining as we shared a 'basket breakfast' at the outdoor table setting outside our room. We were discussing what we would do for the day when Norbert said "I though we'd start the day in Sweden." Huh???? He explained that according to the Fodors book we are using as a guide (albeit 10 years old) apparently a local island is still owned by Sweden...so we thought we'd go there. Its called Insel Mainau (Mainau Island) and can be reached by bridge as it is in the middle of the Bodensee. (**Note: In Germany, a 'See' is a lake....and the Bodensee is the largest lake in the German speaking world)

Well, all I can say is....Wow!!! Sit back...relax...and imagine a huge expanse of clear, blue/green water, scattered with the pristine white sails of a myriad yachts. All around are sub-tropical plants and palm trees, and multi-hued butterflies dance over vibrantly coloured flowers. Close to the water, sun-drenched streets are lined with cafes protected from the glaring sun by flamboyant umbrellas. So.....do you think you might be in the Greek Islands or perhaps Cairns???? Now, ADD to this mental picture......a backdrop of the Swiss Alps - jagged, snow-covered mountains dotted with ancient castles....and a Zeppelin hanging low over the landscape! This

describes Insel Mainau. Because of the expanse of water it is actually a micro-climate and plants grow there that would not survive anywhere else in the area. I saw Bougeanvillea, vineyards and even orchards of stone fruit! Quite amazing! Look at this photo Norbert took, and you will get an idea of just how bright and colourful it is!

After wandering through the gardens and just soaking up the sunshine and the tropical environment, we boarded a boat called the 'Stuttgart' which took us across the lake to the village of Meersburg where we had lunch in a lakeside cafe overlooking the water and yachts. Amber, I was thinking of you when we were sitting there as I know you love the Greek Islands and I'm positive you would love this area too.

One little anecdote which once again characterises the German acceptance of rules and need for authority that I have mentioned in previous postings. On the way back to Insel Mainau we were sitting on the deck of the ship when a steward came past and sternly told the person sitting next to us to take his foot off the (aluminium) seat. Some loutish teenager? No....a man who would have been in his 70's and was obviously propping up his leg, maybe due to arthritis pains. What was even more confusing for me was that his wife sitting next to him didn't like it however he kept saying "Das ist richtig"....that it is right that he be told this. [shakes her head] I don't get it. Germans are mostly lovely people but when it comes to rules and keeping order, perhaps they need to learn about the Aussie term, "to cut some slack". [grin] (For my German readers, that means to be a little more flexible, and take the initiative to adjust the rules according to the situation.)

And here's another 'GPS story'. This little gadget is invaluable however we were reminded again to ensure that the settings were right. We left the island and decided to visit the city of Konstanz so Norbert set the GPS and off we went. But just around the corner he said "That doesn't seem right"....and pulled in to check. According to the GPS, it would take 1 hour and 20 minutes to get there. So he changed the setting to allow main roads....and the time cut down to EIGHT MINUTES. [laugh] Talk about the long way around! Anyway, after a look around the Altstadt (the old part of the town) we drove back to Liggeringen and our comfortable 'Zimmer', a little sunburnt but happy and relaxed.

Decided to go to the same Gasthaus for tea again and as we (coincidentally) sat ourselves down at the same table as we had the previous night, the same friendly woman bustled out exclaiming happily "Aaahhh...d'Australians!" And then she proceeded to rattle off the same order for drinks as we had asked for the previous evening. She remembered us well! Talk about feeling welcomed and part of the local community! It was wonderful!! [beaming grin]

Monday 2nd June - Beginning in the Stone Age and ending in the Alps
Set the GPS to wind around the small villages in an easterly direction, skirting the north shores of the Bordensee until we came to Uberlingen. Fodor's book calls this town the 'Nice of Germany'....as in the 'south of France' Nice. And I can see why. We parked the car and headed for the water then joined others strolling along the Promenade, finally stopping to enjoy a cappuccino while gazing out across the water. Aaahhhh.... this is the life. [euphoric look] Am I making you jealous yet? [cheeky grin]

Anyway, enough of the lazing around. After that it was time for some serious cultural edification and learning [stern, teacher face] so we checked out the Pfahlbauten Museum where we learnt how people lived on the lakes and other European water areas during the Stone Age and Bronze Age. I know what you are imagining....shelves full of dusty relics and peering to read yellowed labels. But no....this was another one of those 'outdoor museums' where replicas of huts and buildings have been actually built out over the water, and one has to walk over wooden platforms to get from one to another. Sort of like the Schwartzwald village I have explained about earlier...but several thousand years earlier. Really interesting....except for the fact that just about everything was in German. [sigh] Still, it was quite fascinating to drop back 5,000 years or more to see the way people lived their surprisingly complex and progressive lives. The photo will give you an idea of what it was like...and Robby, note that I am wearing a T'shirt! [grin]

By then we were getting into the educational theme so decided to find the Zeppelin Museum to learn more about these out-of-the-ordinary flying machines. I must admit, I harboured desires to see if we could get on board for a flight....[sigh].....but it was not to be. Drove all the way to Friedrichshafen, found a park, walked to the Museum to find a sign on the door which said "Montag Ruhetag"...which means 'Mondays Closed'. "So ein Mist!" (and no, I'm not translating that for you. [laugh])

The luck continued as I was hot when I got back to the car so sat in the front seat and opened up the bottle of mineral water which had been lying on the back seat. Water sprayed everywhere!!!! Didn't help at all that Norbert was falling about laughing as I was trying to get the spewing bottle out of the car as quickly as possible before me (and the inside of the car) were completely drenched!! ROFL Oh well....at least it was cool sitting in wet clothes for a while! [chuckle]

Wandered around Insel Lindau for a while (and yes, that's another island. You're learning German too!! [grin]) but towering thunderheads were appearing in the sky and the ominous sound of rolling thunder sent us back to the car to try and keep ahead of the storm. Wasn't to be though. We were travelling through the Alps at this time and dropped down into Austria as the storm gained momentum making it somewhat challenging manouvreing on the steep roads. I'm completely confident in Norbert's driving now but it was getting a bit scary with the lightening illuminating a sky that was getting blacker by the minute...so we pulled into a Zimmer Frei with a view across a lush green valley, and decided to call it a night.

(I'll finish off this day with a short note...the room was on the top storey of a half-timbered house and the mystery of the internal floors that I have posed in a previous posting may have been solved. I swear that if one dropped a box of Jaffas next to the bed, they would all end up in the bathroom! [laugh])

Tuesday 3rd June - Finally....Neuschwanstein Castle and the 'Romantic Road'
Today was the 'big day' and one of the reasons we had come down to this area of Germany. I'll fill you in......

Our 2006 European tour did not go to Neuschwanstein Castle, so at the time we decided to make our own way there. This was right on Christmas though so despite booking a seat on a small tour at the time, the bus trip was cancelled. It apparently wasn't meant to be! So THIS time we were determined to get there and it was with high expectations we pulled into the car park.....to be confronted with buses of tourists again [sigh]. Oh well, we were expecting this and it wasn't too bad as this was a weekday and not during European school holidays. The big advantage was that we could get an English-speaking tour!

It was funny when Norbert booked it.....I heard him talking (in German) to the guy behind the counter asking for 2 tickets, however when the guy made the assumption that we were booking in for the German tour, Norbert quickly corrected him and said that we would like the English tour instead. The dumb-founded look on the guy's face prompted Norbert to say (in English)..."Trust me, my English is better than my German!" [laugh]

First we walked up a small hill to see Hohenschwangau Castle, which is interesting in itself and the closest one. But then despite the availability of a romantic ride up via a horse-drawn carriage, Norbert literally dragged me up the side of a mountain on what felt like several kilometres of track on which only a mountain goat would feel at home. He kept saying "Its levelling out soon". Yeah....sure!! [grin]

I was about to pike out on the final leg of the climb to Marienbrüke (a bridge between 2 mountains) but a man resting on a nearby bench heard me objecting so pulled out his camera and showed me the photo he'd just taken. OK....I was convinced. [grin] And yes....I'm glad I made the effort as it was absolutely breathtaking!! One is literally hanging above a ravine with a view of Neuschwanstein right in front. Of course it did cross my mind that this was a hundred-and-something year old bridge and I wasn't confident that it was constructed with busloads of Japanese tourists in mind. :-) Nevertheless, well worth the climb.

After a fascinating tour of the Neuschwanstein castle (which I won't bore you with as you can Google it if you are interested) we made our way out of the busy place and stopped by Märchenwald for a late lunch. Now Norbert is still teasing me about this as it sounded good in the Fodor's book, but would probably have been better when I was about....umm... five years old perhaps? [laugh] Märchenwald means 'Fairytale Forest' and while it was cute, it was a bit weak.

We were following what is known as the 'Romantic Road' which is described as "...a wondrous and fanciful journey" and is 420km in length. Oh...just want to mention that the roads are lined with wild-flowers in all colours, including brilliant red wild poppies. Extremely picturesque!

On to Mittenwald as the last leg for the day and we followed the usual routine of looking for a Zimmer Frei. Usually we don't check them out first but when the first one we visited said that it would cost 60 euros, I thought this was exceptionally expensive and asked to see it as I would have assumed it would have a wonderful view at the very least for this sort of price. Well, instead of taking us upstairs the lady took us around the back where they had made a guest room out of the back shed! OK, it was still very clean and neat but the view of the rubbish outside the window meant it was definitely not worth anything close to what she was asking! So we said 'thanks...but no thanks' and continued looking. Goes to show that it is worth checking if you are at all unsure!

What we ended up with though was a delightful Gasthaus with a lovely room with its own balcony. I've put up a photo of it....can you see me on the balcony? Later that night I was feeling like I'd gone to heaven as we sat out on this balcony and enjoyed a round (or two [grin]) of Schnaps while craning our necks upward to see jacked mountain peaks still covered with snow high above us, and the sound of goat bells as the herds were rounded up for the night. Straight out of the Heidi story! (Skye...we were only about 40k or so from Grainau so you would remember the scenery in this area).

Wednesday 4th June - end of the Romantic Road, and end of the trip.
Woke with sore muscles in my...ummm...shall we say, gluteus maximus? [laugh] That's what you get for climbing mountains at my age! :-D The weather was still cloudy and threatening rain so despite deliberating over breakfast about several possible destinations, we decided to head straight up the Romantic Road for Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber as this was on our way home and a place recommended by Andreas, a social contact from Berlin.

Unfortunately the rain didn't stop but we still enjoyed the visit as this place is quite unique...thanks for the tip Andreas! I believe it is the only remaining walled city left in existence after various wars and useless bombings...,.in fact Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber was also bombed right at the end of the war (heaven knows why!!!) but managed to escape major damage. In other towns one finds the last remains of city walls, usually crumbling and covered in ivy however in Rothenburg we walked almost all the way around the old centre of the town...several metres above the ground and thankfully out of the rain! Its all intact thanks to many donations and lots of hard work and gives a fascinating understanding of what it would have been like to have to defend one's life and family from marauding enemies with arrows and spears. Of course it doesn't help against more advanced weapons though and so many of these walls were dismantled and/or fell into disrepair.

Finished off the day standing under damp umbrellas and with soggy jeans hems....so decided to head for home. Once again it was a bit of a contest to face against the big trucks in blinding rain on the Autobahns, however I think we are getting used to it now and it isn't so stressful. I took a photo out of my window this time so you get some idea of how close they whizz by.

Some of the big Autobahns don't have a speed limit and cars fly past on the left hand side at unbelievable speeds, even in the rain....and 80% of these are generally Audi's, usually black ones. Where the Autobahns meet there is often very complicated clover-cleaf intersections and we were continuously grateful for the GPS to help navigate these. There are some speed limits in places though and these are usually 120kph. Norbert has gone through a couple of cameras and when he owned up to the rental car firm they didn't seem at all concerned...just said "Oh, that will be the Police's problem, especially when they find out you've gone to Australia." Now, I'm not sure if that is the right attitude but as the fine here is only about 22 euros, we were assured it is highly unlikely they will chase him. [grin]

We rolled in to our car park at exactly 7pm.....and after dragging everything upstairs, toasted a successful trip with some Schnaps. Natürlich! [grin]

Saying goodbye to everyone
We leave Fulda on Saturday and as Norbert (and now I as well) have made many friends here, everyone is very keen to say goodbye. I commented yesterday that we don't ever have this many invitations for social occasions, even at Christmastime!

On Thursday we were invited to lunch in Simmershausen with Lothar and Agnes, and also to see their newly renovated home. A wonderful lunch and we got to see the result of all their hard work on this old building. This was followed by a long walk in the surrounding countryside finishing off with coffee at a local coffee house. We even passed through what would have been the border as it was only a kilometre from the house. Nothing much there now but the lack of forestation on what would have been 'no man's land' was very obvious and reminded me once again of this precarious history.

We said our final goodbyes and they have promised to visit us in Australia....and then it was on to a 'grill' (grill = BBQ) at Marcus's house. A fun evening with lots of debate and conversation but I was still really tired after our trip so we said our final goodbyes and came home to get some sleep.

Tonight (Friday) we have been invited out for dinner with Jürgen and his family, and is the reason that I am rushing to finish off this blog as they are picking us up in less than an hour. And I still have all our clothes flapping on the washline out on the balcony! Must go! [grin]

As of tomorrow we make our way to Berlin again, and on 14th June we are off on our 'Nordic Adventure' up to Finland and Denmark, so I'm sure while this blog will become shorter and more rushed, it will be filled with stories of grey seas, amazing fiords and Scandinavian culture.

Tschüss!
Marlene