Thursday 31st August. After a busy summer, we set off on a very circuitous route towards Berlin, our eventual destination. However we wanted to go to see a potential new campervan, that I had been eyeing up for a couple of years, and now thanks to Dad’s generosity had the means to buy. The van, a Vantage Neo, is made by a small builder who only makes 50 quality vans a year, and only shows his vans at 2 motor home shows, apart from outside the factory in Leeds, not a trivial trip.
We had been drawn to panel vans as all the coachbuilts are now too wide for our storage spot beside the garage, and this particular manufacturer adds a proper door instead of the dreaded sliding one which I find too heavy and noisy. We got to Leeds early afternoon, and spent the afternoon in and out of a Neo, discussing details with Richard. We were so pleased that we were offered part exchange on our present van, value tomorrow. This takes all the worry out of the sale and more unusual these days.
Later we walked into Leeds along a canal which started off pretty seedily, but improved near the city centre, which turned out to be so impressive, with monumental decorated Victorian buildings. And the most beautiful arcades! The Art Deco arcade rivaled the one in Turin! We spent the night next to the factory.
Friday 1st September. We met Richard again at 10, who offered us a fair price for Tilly, we obviously would have liked more, but as we negotiated lots of things were included, so we signed on the dotted line! Collection in November, the factory is quiet as they gear up to the show in October. We were able to add lots of adjustments to the basic design as each van is individually made; including a larger fridge, which had been my main concern. After lunch the weather turned wet, so we made our way to a CCC ‘sites for holidays’ just outside York.
Saturday 2nd. We caught the bus into York and had an easy day wandering around. We were surprised by just how busy it was, especially with Japanese tourists. The Shambles, which was really busy, featured in Harry Potter as Diagon Alley, and one of the shops was named ” The shop that must not be named”, selling Potter merchandise. The queue to get in was enormous.
Sunday 3rd. We visited Castle Howard, very impressed by the house and most especially the room guides, who were so informative and interesting. The house by Vanbrugh, a smaller Blenheim, and also influenced by St Paul’s.
It had the first large dome on a house, which sadly collapsed during a major fire in 1940. It has since been rebuilt, and other gutted rooms have been used to good effect for filming, especially Brideshead Revisited, which I admit I have not read.
We especially liked the Arts and Crafts chapel, decorated by William Morris, a family friend. So many references to Florence, right down to the wild boar we had last seen in the market place, did not imagine him turning up like this when we rubbed his snout!
We spent the night at the Windmill Inn, Linton, where we had an evening meal. A very nice friendly pub with excellent food.
Monday 4th. We got to the Vantage factory in good time, and spent an interesting morning with Dan, who was able to answer any remaining questions. And lots more ideas! We have ended up with 4 leisure batteries, so no problems being away from campsites, tried a few items in the cupboards and they just swallowed them up.
Eventually we got to Hull, the visit did not start well as the large vehicle park was a building site. We found on the road parking round the corner, but mistakenly turned the wrong way in our search for a late lunch, and came on a very sad area, and difficulty finding anything. Eventually we found a more pleasant area, with splendid Victorian architecture. We also went into an impressive art gallery, which Andy most unfairly said he preferred to the Ufizzi in Florence. We only had a short visit but based on what we saw I was more impressed with Leeds, and we think all the restaurants have fled to York, which was stuffed with them.
We loaded on to the ferry 4 hours before sailing was due! And sat in the lounge with picture windows waiting for sailing time!
Tuesday 5th. After a poor night we were woken at 6 o’clock, I am glad we have spent our money on a motor caravan and not on cruises because we really are not keen on any aspect of sea travel! I know this was an economy cabin, and I did enjoy seeing all the ships with their lights as we came up to the lounge, I counted 16! Means to an end! I like looking at boats but not travelling on them.
We disembarked about 9 oclock, and drove on easy motor ways to Diventer, which I had identified as interesting. However parking proved challenging, and we did not try the municipal site, so drove on towards Zwolle. This smaller road was on a dyke, which proved to be part of the Ijssel Line, a Cold War defence that was complete with gun emplacemets and would have involved large-scale flooding of the Ijssel water basin. Here all the farmhouses were thatched and we saw storks and windmills.
We found the designated parking spot in Zwolle, and after lunch I set off for town, a short distance across a couple of canals. The town proved to be a large shopping centre but with interesting older buildings mixed in with the new. Only in Holland would you see a sex shop right in front of the large Catholic Cathedral. (Think even I might be a bit churched out after Italy).
I stopped to draw a a statue of Adam by Rodin, in front of the new Stadhaus. I was considerably put off by a friendly man who came to watch before I had even put in a pencil stroke, and came to check on progress every 3 minutes. Results not great. There was lots of interest to see but all the information boards were totally in Dutch, whereas in the shops so much was in English! ‘Back to school, Today is the day to be happy, Coffee and chat! Health and beauty. ‘ I got back to the van just as the heavens opened!
During an evening walk we found much more appealing areas along by the canal that surounds the central town, and also the area toward the one remaining gate. Even a Lego shop which had some pretty impressive Lego in display!
Wednesday 6th. Rain. We were woken rudely at before 7.30 as they are demolishing part of a water tower and turning the rest into flats. Don’t think they should inflict that level of constant noise on flats and a school for commercial gain! We drove through the rain and rather boring scenery to Bourtange, a tiny defensive border village set within a 5 pointed star shaped wall and moat.
It was raining hard with strong wind as I walked to the village, far from perfect, but could see the vilļage was charming even if very done up for tourists. It centred on a circular village ‘square’ with roads radiating out. I did not go into the museums but the synagogue had lost all 60 members of its congregation, a large number out of a population of perhaps 500 at most! The intriguing red building up the steps on the ramparts proved to be the toilet! And also a small distance away from the village was the powder store.
We then drove on through the rain to Bremen, and when the rain stopped walked over the river into town. The central square is in front of the very spectacular Rathaus, where stands Roland, facing the similarly magnificent cathedral, to protect the citizens against the might of the church. A demonstration came round the corner, stronger on sound than numbers , from what we could make out concerned about the country of Togo, a former German dependency. Some of the ladies costumes were really magnificent! Tucked in round the corner is the statue that everyone remembers, the Musicians of Bremen.
The town is also famous for the charming 1930s arcade, Bottcherstasser, miraculously saved from the Nazis and also the Schnoor area, which feels like collection of village streets and is really charming. The tiny lanes were constructed in the back gardens of grander houses, much like some of the terraces in the old town of Hastings!
Thursday 7th. We had a very good night in the quiet aire, and then set off for Berlin. Many German motorways are incredibly boring, straight and endlessly treelined, so I got out my knitting to pass the time! The countryside became a little more undulating with more glimpses of the outside world once we passed what had been the East / West divide and the motor ways were a bit younger.
We headed for an aire very conveniently set near the city centre and should not have been surprised to find, again, it was a building site. So headed back out of town and eventually reached one that was adjacent to the old British barracks at Spandeau, unfortunately under the airport flight path, but quiet apart from that. In the city every lamppost is adorned with advertising for the coming election, I just hope that they are a bit more sensible than in recent elections. I really don’t like the look of the man standing against Mrs Merkel. Lots of Islamaphobic signs.
Friday 8th September. We caught the M45 bus from just round the corner, then with a lot of confusion, as did not understand the system, caught the overground train, S5 to the Zoological Gardens. This system proved so useful, as it was always easy to find the overground as it’s usually on stilts above the city streets, so easy to make for! (1935). We then got on the number 100 bus, which gives a simple run past most of the major city sites and gives you a feel for the place!
We passed the Tiergarten, Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Staatsoper and Museum Island, ending up the far side of the town. We had a coffee before we went to see the East Side Gallery, a 3/4 mile section on the Berlin Wall, preserved with murals painted when the wall fell. I was surprise by how much of it there was, as had heard that it had mostly been torn down in understandable haste.
We then found a sushi bar before searching for Checkpoint Charlie, again using the overground. Nearby the checkpoint are lots of explanitary boards.
We passed the memorial to Peter Flechter, who symbolised those who lost their lives trying to cross the wall. My mind kept going back to the Green line we had seen in Cyprus in 2001, and the grey no mans land in between the two lines. The wall today is marked by a blue pipe that runs along the pavements above people’s heads.
We found another unadorned section of the wall, complete with the holes that people had chiseled out to get momentoes. Adjacent to the wall, and near the site where many of the offices where the Nazis planned the worst excesses, and the SS had their headquarters, were a series of pictures and texts, explaining the history from the 1930’s onward. There were no excuses made and it was being read in quite shocked silence. I heard one American, about my age, point to what happened to the gypsies, and saying, ‘I didn’t know anything about that, we were never told!’ We found the spot where the family came across the wall on a wire and harness, I’m sure I can remember that happening in 1965.
We walked down to the facade of the Anhalter Bahnhof, once Berlin’s largest railway station, and from where Germany’s most gifted intellectuals including Einstein caught the ‘last train to freedom’. Once the border was sealed after the wall was erected the station became redundant.
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We then headed up the Friedrichstrasse looking at the modern shopping centre built in the once Eastern Berlin section. We were a bit underwhelmed by this area, but eventually found a welcome loo and coffee in the new French department store, Galeries Lafayette, and then made our way back to the S5, overground, which took us right back to Spandau.
Saturday 9th. Rain again. We had a brief look at Spandau whilst waiting for the tourist office to open, to buy a 3 day passes for Museum Island and transport. Then S5 to the Zoological Gardens again and down the Tauentzienstrasse to look at Kaufhaus does Westerns, KaDeWe, largest department store in Europe, beginning with the food department on the 6th floor. This claimed to be the best and biggest in the world, and I can believe it. It lacked the style of Harrods foodhall, though of course may have had it before being severely bombed in the war, but the quality and style was impressive. After a coffee we explored the housewares floor, Joseph Joseph was very well represented, and then the toys. I picked up one tiny teddy with a KaDeWe tee shirt…… 19€! We then returned to the food hall for lunch, eateries of every description scattered throughout the floor.
Around the corner was the restored neoclassical U-bahn station, dating from 1910, complete with old style billboards and ticket counters.
We retraced our steps and caught the 100 bus to the Reichstag, taking pictures from all angles in the rain! Police very much in evidence putting up barriers ahead of a march against Angela Merkel. Andy offered to swap her for Mrs May, but no takers. Nearby were memorials to those killed nearby, with claims that they were still being persecuted. We moved on to the Brandenburg Gate, it is striking how close the wall was to this iconic monument, and what an impressive avenue in both directions, that had been cut by the wall.
Nearby were many embassies, and round the corner the monument to the Jewish Holocaust victims, blocks of concrete set on an undulating surface. We were upset that the other victims were not included but also upset by people climbing on the monument. When Andy tried to explain the young man just did not understand. He said they were not tombs, to which I replied it was all the people had! It was very chilling looking down the rows of the blocks and hearing the shouts and seeing the flags of the demonstration going by.
We retraced our steps back to the Unter den Linden, where there was work on a new underground line, with colourful hoardings, and had a cup of hot chocolate in the Cafe Einstein, before finding the overland train back once more. The sun came out as we got back to the van!
Sunday 10th. We got into the city centre in plenty of time, and after a coffee popped into to the Alte Nationalģalerie, dedicated to 19th century art, for a short while until our time slot.
We then went into the Neaus Museum, showcasing ancient history, where there were surprisingly few people, having bothered to book a slot. (We are still remembering Florence). We went straight to the star attraction, who was Nefertiti, well presented in a domed room. I was very interested to see another picture of her, this time with her husband and 3 daughter’s, still with that iconic profile!
The museum had been much damaged in the war and restored to reflect its history. I was interested to see Heirich Schliemann was praised as an archaeologist despite his controversial methods of digging through other important layers to reach what he considered to be ancient Troy. I had understood that the magnificent necklace his wife displayed in a famous picture had shortly afterwards mysteriously disappeared, but it appeared to be displayed in the adjacent case.
We were amused by several statements throughout the museum, complaining that the Russians continued to display items looted from this and the other museums, when most of the artifacts on display have come from other places throughout the world, by various means, as controversial as the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum!
I was very impressed by the display of bronze and iron age finds, and had never heard of the Bronze Age ceremonial Berlin Gold Hat, which purports to give a luner calender for 19 years.
I then moved in to the Bode Museum, which held a variety of sculptures throughout the ages, and was surprisingly interesting, bearing in mind I was developing museum fatigue by now!
There was a magnificent tiled apse from Ravenna, amongst other things.
The highlight here was undoublably Donatello’s Pazzi Madonna, from Florence (!) hard to believe it was 600 years old as looked so modern!
I then wandered along beside the river in the sunshine, lots of people in deckchairs and in one place people were dancing. I visited the Hackesche Hofe, a series of courtyards built in 1906, housing mainly Jews and their workshops. Nearby was the central synagogue, I was shocked to see it needed a permanent police presence with police box. The historic Neue Synagoge inpired by the Alhambra, was attacked on Kristallnacht, and only saved by the intervention of a local police officer. The building however was largely destroyed during the war, and just the iconic front and dome has been resurrected.
I caught the ‘usual’ overground train back but was a little alarmed when it stopped at the Olympic stadium station, all the lights out and only me on the train. I did get out and was told to go over to the platform full of very armoured policemen with enormous helmets, and then I heard the roar from a crowd some distance away and the penny dropped! Rest of the journey without incident!
Monday 11th. Into town to see the Pergamonmuseum, There was time to have a coffee in Oxymoron in the Hackesche Hofe beforehand.
We were very disappointed that development works prevented us from seeing the Pergamon Altar, we had seen the base in Turkey and had looked forward to seeing the rest in Berlin. However there was still a lot to see!
The Ishatar Gate gate of Babylon is really stunning, and was bought back in pieces and reassembled as seen. The scale is unbelievable.
In the following room was the Market place from Miletus, which reminded us of the library at Ephesus.
Much of what we saw would have subsequently been damaged or destroyed, some very recently, but some here didn’t do too well in WW2! There were some fragments of Pergamon to be seen, and a film of the reconstruction going on, and what the Pèrgamon Altar will look like! Save us rushing back in 2020!
Upstairs was devoted to Islamic Art, which I really love. I can’t get my head around the various periods and caliphates, but could see the development.
Glass from Raqqa, c. AD 800, 1mm thich
The walls of the desert palace of Mshatta, near Amman, AD 746, were vast in size and incredibly ornate.
Going into the Aleppo room, wonderfully preserved, belonging to a Christian family, was very moving. The house has recently been damaged.
There was also a display of pictures and book showing Christian biblical figures in Muslim scriptures.
Also a display of ancient text belonging to the various branches of Christianity , some unbelievably old!
There was no restaurant in the Pergamonmuseum and Andy had long since given up on me, so I went back into the adjacent Neue Museum for lunch. Then I walked along the Inter des Linden to the Brandenburg Gate. There a gentleman in tattered uniform was roundly abusing the police on guard, who ignored him, and a hurdy-gurdy man was cheerfully playing. I revisited the Reichstag before walking through the Tiergarten. I would have walked further but after reading scraps of a monument to more victims, it began to rain so I jumped on a 200 bus.
I caught a number 100 bus back to the Zoological Gardens and after taking a picture of the gate, caught the train and bus home!
12th September. We took the short route south to Potsdam and stopped in a convenient aire.
I was very keen to visit Potsdam as I have long been interested in the life of Vicky, Queen Victoria’s eldest child, and her husband Frederick. Vicky and her mother kept up an intense correspondence which gave a very interesting window on her life, she and Frederick were very liberal, and often at considerable odds with the Prussian court. They attended services at synagogues to support Jews during periods of persecution, and opposed much that Bismark stood for. They wanted to restrict the power of the chancellor and introduce a British style cabinet system. Europe’s fate would have been so different if Frederick had not died from throat cancer just few months after becoming Emperor.
The Royal park is vast, and open to wander in. Much was initially built by Frederick the Great, who hated Berlin, and subsequently other palaces and buildings were added. Firstly we passed the orangery, then on to the Sansouci palace, a sumptuous baroque building that sits on top of a series of terraces. We wandered though the grounds to the Chinese Tea house, a fantastic imaginative building, much decorated with gold.
I wanted to visit the church where Victoria and her husband were buried with two sons who died in infancy, but sadly there was no admittance into the mausoleum. However the sacristy which had become a side chapel was much used by Victoria after Frederick’s death and decorated by her pictures.
We walked into town through the Brandenburg Gate, but after lunch it soon it came on to rain so we saw little of the town before returning through the park.
Wednesday 13th. A wet morning so we played with our toys. After lunch I set off for the Neu Palace, where I understood Frederick and Victoria had lived for quite a bit of their lives. It was a considerable walk along the central avenue, the palace was totally vast, and behind it two more palaces which apparently were service quarters.
The whole palace was designed by Frederick the Great, and over the top Rococco! Most impressive room was probably the Shell Ballrom, decorated by thousands of shells to produce patterns and pictures.
I spent time in the room where Frederick died, there were lovely pictures of him and Victoria.
Also impressive was the marble ballroom , with a most amazing inlaid marble floor. Sadly this room has been little used over the centuries as the joists struggled to cope with the 18 tons of flooring!
Kaiser Wilhelm was the last royal to use the palace, and several rooms illustrated his life there, where he introduced mod cons such as bathrooms and electricity. Much of the furniture had been shipped off to join him in exile in Holland.
Once out of the palace I decide I was too tired to walk back so tried to catch a bus!!! The first one that came, I asked the driver if it went to the town, he replied no, when I asked where it went to he just shouted No, no, no. I asked a passerby who told me I needed to be the other side of the road, really counter intuitive. When the next bus came I tried to pay the driver, as we had done in Berlin and was rudely directed to a large ticket machine! There was a list of small instructions, A4 size, above my head,and about 16 buttons to choose from. All this with a lurching crowded bus, holding on for grim death, trying to find unfamiliar coins. It seemed that I had to say how many stops I wanted to go for!!!!! As far as I was concerned the bus was going in the wrong direction, and I had no idea of where I was going. I just pressed a button at random, I think I might have paid for 4 and must have been on the bus for 16 stops?! Germans confonted with the machine did not seem to fare much better.
I got off in the town centre, and after a quick look round the town, through a toy town gate, an attractive Dutch quarter, and pleasant but unexceptional shops, I walked back through the park. I was caught in a very heavy rain burst as I climbed the terraces up to the Sansouci palace but there was no way I was going to tackle another bus!
Thursday 14th. Left the very pleasant aire, and drove due East towards Frankfurt an Oder, then South to get a brief view of surrounding countryside. We were much bothered with road closures, and for lots of the time roads were lined with the typical heavy German forests, but were rewarded by several really large birds of prey and some interesting villages. Many older buildings were left to moulder and new builds were obviously preferrèd but we did see quite a few of the typical Saxon village houses, at right angles to the street, with barns and outhouse to the rear, just the same as in the Saxon area of Romania! We entered an area where all the signs were in two languages, apparently Germany’s only indigenous minority, the Sorbs, who settled in the area in the 5th cent, much persecuted by the Prussians and Nazis but currently having a revival.
Eventually we reached the campsite outside of Bautzen, in heavy rain.
Friday 15th. We were up promptly to catch the irregular bus, i.e. nothing between 9 and 11 o’clock. We fell at the first hurdle as could not find the bus stop, we asked a very kind man who took us in his van closer to the town centre for a better service. We were confused when the bus dropped us off but eventually found the attractive town centre. Lots of well preserved buildings, despite having been in the centre of lots of conflicts, most notably the Thirty Years war.
The St Petri dom was impressive, light and airy, a toddler group were getting ready to sing harvest festival hymns. However the most interesting feature was a waist high barrier ( 4m till 1952) that divided the nave, used by the Protestants and the choir, by the Catholics. The church was divided amicably after the Reformation . There were many other interesting buildings, and 17 towers remaining of the towns fortifications.
The town was reputed to be on a cliff overlooking the River Spree, which we were rather doubtful about having seen flat countryside for 100s of miles, but had to admit that the town as on a bit of a buff above the river, There were several buildings dedicated to Sorb culture.
We had a pleasant lunch of soup in town, then attempted to catch a bus once more. It was foolish to try to catch one as the schools emptied, it was definitely every young person for themselves, elbows at the ready, and an elderly disabled lady had to fight for a seat! Not impressed! We passed the infamous yellow prison that had been famous for abuse, and is still in use, not a landmark to walk out to see.
Quite cold all day, really should not have looked up the weather in Italy!
Saturday 16th. Drove the short distance to Gorlitz, via an uninspiring Aldi supermarket. We got a place in a tiny private aire only a kilometre from the town. A very entrepreneural man had established an aire around his house at the end of Goethestrassa. Gorlitz has not suffered any damage during the world wars and is stuffed with historic buildings, 3,500 of note! The inner town is full of 16th century decorated houses, and a little further out so many wonderful 19th, and early 20th century buildings. Everywhere there are decorated doorways, windows and details calling for attention.
We had read that the Kaufhaus department store had a very impressive Art Deco interior, it is at present being renovated and we were allowed to go in the shell of the building to admire the staircases, chandeliers (originals taken by the Soviet authorities) and amazing glass roof.
The buildings round the Obermarkt were stuffed with detail, and nearby the Rathaus had a never ending supply of brides and wedding parties. One memorable one left in an armoured car with Harley Davison outsiders.
The town owed its wealth to being on an important trading post. In communist times its richness was acknowledged though little money spent but a lot has been invested since reunification. Its unspoilt nature has meant it has been used for many films, standing in as Paris and even New York! It was also an important point on the route from the east to Santiago De Compostella. I do enjoy finding these spots all over Europe. It interest me that it has been considered much more important to go there rather than Rome, and the Italians are struggling to get a similar route even recognised today!
The city was divided in two when the border was put down the centre of the Neisse River in 1945, and we crossed the pedestrian bridge into Poland, which had no sign of a border. The suburbs across the River were definitely rather sad, and ugly flats stood on the skyline staring back at the elegant German sister. One of the houses in the street leading down to the river, the Biblisches Haus has a facade like a bible carved in sandstone. A really impressive town!
Sunday 17th. We decided to spend another day here, as the town was so impressive, and the sun at last shining. I wandered in, discovered the impressive railway station, then into town. I found one street where a row of buildings had been ‘unimproved’ and could see just how grey the town had been under communist rule, before the buildings were restored and painted with such beautiful pastel shades.
I decided to go to visit the Helliges Grab, supposedly a replica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, built 500 years ago by a local mayor in attonment for his behavior with a neighbour’s daughter when young! It was interesting but for the wrong reasons, I’m sure we got much better an idea when we visited the underground cities in Anatolia. There we found caves with beds carved out of the rock, and most impressively doors that were stone circles that rolled. However the graffiti was fascinating, I saw several dating from the 17th century!
I then continued to wander till I met Andy for lunch, and later an ice cream, not a patch on Italian ones and must stop having them. However we did sort out the origin of the funny groaning/ growling we could hear on the quarter hours, apparently it was the lion above the town hall clock. We went into a store that sold Xmas decorations, most especially those that turn with candle power. Amazing carving, and prices! Later I went into Schlesisches Museum zu Gorltz, explaining the history of Silesia. I really struggled to follow the history time line, as power went from one kingdom to another. However it did bring home the terrible time the people had firstly with the Nazis, then fleeing before the Russians. I had not fully understood the levels of citizenship enforced by the Nazis, nor that Gorlitz was cut off by the arbitory border from the rest of its cultural identity.
I wandered home and found an interesting path between the Zoo, with glimpses of the animals, and a collection of allotments / dashas where people had erected quite elaborate garden pavilions surrounded by mini gardens.
Monday 18th. Set off for Dresden and settled in the most convenient aire near the Augustus bridge, so easy access into town, midway between iconic reconstructed area and the commercial area behind us.
Andy had terrible cold which arrived from nowhere in the middle of the night. We wandered into town revisiting the old favourites and noted where the rebuilding was now taking place, the enormous vista towards the Frauinkirk had been filled.
There was still one area showing the cellars of the original buildings where the people sheltered during the air raids which flattened the city. I hope they keep a corner of it, as like the Berlin Wall it is part of their history.
I tried to draw the Frauinkirk, seem to have developed an interest in quick sketches of impossible buildings, before a coffee in Dresden 1900, a cafe we frequented last time, which has an old tram as a centre piece. I then attempted to book a visit to view the opera house, The Semperoper, noted for its elaborate reconstruction. There was no convienient slot, but we could get tickets to see the evening performance of the ballet Manon, for the same price of 11€, up in the gods, as was a little worried about spending yet more money in light of recent purchases!
The opera house was magnificent, where Strauss and Wagner had staged many premiers, and the full orchestra including two harps was similarly impressive. I was also impressed with our view, which was quite adequate and did move to better seats after the interval, a very enjoyable, unexpected experience!
Tuesday, 19th. This morning spent trying to draw the amazing scene across the River just beyond the trees where we are parked, the Balcony of Europe!
This afternoon had a general wander and time spent sketching in the Frauenkirk, still a most inspiring building. Everytime I look at it I marvel that it has been reconstructed so lovingly, with all the buildings the dark stone is stone that has been rescued, whereas the light colour shows new stone, such an effective way of telling the story.
When we came in this evening there were two singers in front of the Frauenkirk, the square must have some magical quality as they had no amplification but their voices soared for some considerable distance, wonderful! I don’t know of anywhere else that has such a quality of busker!
Wednesday, 20th. I wandered into the Neustadt behind us, firstly into an impressive market hall, then a rebuilt church which featured an unrestored altar. Then I went further north into a more informal alternative area, lots of interesting tiny shops and cafes but far too much graffiti. I found the arcade I was looking for, and later the wonderful toy shop that we visited before.
This afternoon paid a brief visit to the Dom, quite plain apart from a most impressive pulpit, then spent a happy hour drawing in the Frauenkirk listening to the thunderous organ. We had tea and cake once again the Grand Cafe of the Cosel Palais , then had a general wander. In the October Market we came across a harvest festival display where the wheat was full of sparrows feasting!
I came across the small exhibition explaining the re-development of the city, which illustrated how much more elaborate and varied the buildings had been, and then came across a large slow -moving demonstration about the cuts to playgroup provision, meaning more children to each adult. Sounded familiar!
In the evening we went for our usual walk then had a happy couple of hours in the cafe Kuntz Antik, which was a stylish restaurant/ bar, full of furniture and fittings late 19th, early 20th cent, also very discreetly for sale. Sounds tacky but was really pleasant and cosy.
Germany is very keen on Green issues, and we have a special sticker that details our emissions, to allow us into various cities. So it is very surprising that diesal is at least 15 cents a litre cheaper than petrol. And most senseless of all is that all the cafes in the cities have enormous heaters blazing away so that you can sit outside even if it is chilly! You can feel the heat as you walk past!! I can understand blankets over your knees but this is not the Mediterranean, and they go inside once it gets chilly!! And don’t get me started on the cigarette machines on so many corners even in the tiniest villages!
Thursday 21st. We went to breakfast at Dresden 1900 before setting off the 150 miles to Bamberg. It was a very grey dreary sort of day, till we crossed the now imaginary line that separated East from West Germany, and gradually the countryside became more interesting, and by the time was got to Bamberg it was considerably warmer!
We got a spot in the popular aire, and wandered into town. It was bigger than expected, with a vast array of shops in impressive 19th century buildings on one side of the river, and an old town up a steep hill on the other side. We will have to explore that tomorrow. We had a good shop up at the impressive market.
Friday 22nd. We wandered into town along the Danube Main link canal, sadly no sign of any water traffic! We later wandered over the river bridge into the old town. The old town hall sat amidst the Regnitz River, a variety of bridges, with rapids underneath, it looked as if they are building a water turbine adjacent. We climbed up to the impressive Dom, which has medieval wall paintings and a lovely memorial to Emperor Henry, but am so hazy on German history I’m unable to say of where.
In the historic Alstadt we went into the Wirthaus sum Schkenkeria, a dark rustic inn that claimed to have been founded in 1310, and brewed its own beer, as do many establishments in the town. After a very grey start it came out quite warm, with strong sunshine. We have at last got towards the bottom of the writing we have seen chalked above lots of doors, it relates to the Three Kings and indicates that the household has given to the children going round dressed up as the kings.
Saturday 23rd. Easy route to Eisenheim, a village beside the Main, where we found a very crowded aire and a small village open afternoon. We had a very pleasant lunch and (large) glass of wine in the forecourt of one of the houses, some stalls and family agricultural exhibitions. The church was very interesting, lots of blue and gold, and an unusual baroque organ set above the altar, we were told by the caretaker.
I settled to draw a local doorway, and soon was watched by a girl, who gradually bought members of her family. Some of them were running a stall selling Middle Eastern food, we enjoyed a glass of Ayran ( a salted yoghurt drink we liked in Turkey). I was persuaded amongst lots of laughter to draw the girl’s sister, and eventually her brother sitting right beside me! Eventually her father and mother also came to watch. I really am guessing but thought they were probably Syrian refugees that had been settled in the village.
Sunday 24th. We moved the short distance to Volkach and got a spot right by the river. Last visit there was a wine festival in town, this time a band was playing Glen Miller music. We were surprised when everything packed up promptly at 1 o’clock. The town continued to be busy throughout the afternoon, eventually I came back to sit by the river and admire the barges and swans.
Monday 25th. A quiet day wandering about the town, drawing and shopping. I went into a butcher for some meat, I was confronted with one small counter of the usual raw meats, and an enormous display twice that size with such a variety of sausages. All I could think of was the quote about dried cod, 365 recipes for it and all of them awful.
Some enormous barges past, Andy reckoned that one was at least 130 metres. And the Main river is extremely meandering. The sun finally came out today later in the afternoon, I’ve definitely given up summer clothes. After a stroll in town I went for a walk along a pleasant avenue, parallel with the river. It is described as The Linden Avenue, and was grateful to Mr Google for telling me that the trees were limes.
Tuesday 26th. We had a very good shop up at a store called Edeka, a Waitrose look alike and welcome find after some of the stores we’ve popped into. Then drove the short 5 miles to Nordheim, a small village beside the Main, but no barges because they can go down a cut to save the bends. A lovely spacious grassy aire that was justifiably very popular. There was a tiny ferry adjacent over to the campsite and beyond on the other bank. The village had few shops but so many small wine producers, inviting you into shady courtyards for tastings. It is obvious that there are no cooperatives here as in Italy, and each property processes and markets its own wine. There were vineyards on the surrounding hills as far as the eye could see.
Wednesday 27th. We drove the short distance to Dettelbach, another Mainside small town, and this time got a space in the front line by the river, between the trees. A really pleasant aire (5€), beside the tiny ferry that connects a village with the town. We wandered into walled town, a quiet sleepy unspoilt place, still many wine producers but other small businesses as well. There was a magnificent 14th cent Rathaus, with an ultra modern library and meeting house beside.
We were especially taken with the 1445 Catholic church, high above the rest of the town, the interior had been completely modernised in 2011, and was really impressive. Simple wooden furniture, new stained glass windows with vivid colours, ultra modern stations of the cross which were most effective, the result was harmonious and pleasing.
During the afternoon I went back into town and drew a picture of the attractive roof tops from outside the church sitting in the warm sunshine, first we’ve had! On my return I was interested in a lorry which was drawn up, where fishermen were unloading their catch. One man drew a net into one of the holding tanks and drew out the largest and ugliest fish I had ever seen, enormous! Followed by a second. Apparently they were monkfish, which have been increasing in European rivers and eat all other fish! They grow to over 3 metres long and live up to 90 years!! The fishermen had also caught some handsome fish which were obviously more sought after…by us!
In the distance I could see the locks adjacent to a weir, so as the sun was still warm at 5 o’clock walked along to it. I could not get close to the lock itself, but the length was amazing, it could accommodate at least 2 of the average barges with plenty of room to spare.
Thursday, Friday 28th,29th. We spent a couple of pleasant days at Dettlebach, painting and wandering. We had a very good Italian meal In Le Strada, and enjoyed sitting in the warm sunshine on Thursday. It dawned rather wet on Friday, but when it eventually stopped I found a lovely walk through the vineyards above the town. It was a shame it was so misty as there were spectacular back towards the town and the aire.
After lunch I caught the small ferry across the Main, I had hoped for a view of the town to paint but it was shrouded by trees, and the village though very old in foundation was not very interesting so I came back to sit in the sun again.
Saturday 30th. We made our way to Knaus Camping at Frikenhausen, mainly to do some washing and post our blogs. The internet connection was excellent and the reception friendly. But the pitches were so close together, we were almost touching the caravan in front. The comparison with recent aires was striking! And the washing!! We had to queue for the single washing machine, then the tumble drier took 4 hours not to dry our clothes. We would have been better using the sunshine, but with rain forcaste thought it was a good idea! All the while a chemical works over the river threw out an unpleasant smell. There were some nicer areas of the site but they just enjoyed a better view of the chemical works! How people could have permanent vans there I don’t know! And the children’s playground was on an island surrounded by dèep unfenced water!
However I did manage to get into Ochsenfurt across the river, another walled town which had been an important crossroads. It had the usual crop of towers and half timbered houses, and quaint town hall, this one with a ‘ship of fools’ clock.
There was an interesting wedding party in the courtyard of one of the houses, the guests arrived following a drum and trumpet. Many of the male guests and a few women danced in a circle while some people threw money into the ring and granny in a tight black headscarf looked from an upstairs window. I could see the (Greek?) bridegroom but no sign of the bride.
Heavy rain and thunderstorm late afternoon.
Sunday/ Monday 1 and 2nd October. We were pleased to leave the cramped camp site and made for a lovely aire beside the Main at Kitzingham, 9€ a night compared with 19€ at the campsite and a world better, with vans separated by shrubs and flowers, adjacent to a beautiful park beside the river. There were small trampolines set beside a path and we were amused to see several adults stop their bike, have a quick bounce and then carry on.
We were less keen on the loud Country and Western music from an adjacent cafe, and amused by the listless line dancers who seemed to be moving so lathargically, studying their feet. It seemed to be a one off occasion, but dressed up so early on Sunday morning seemed so strange and thankfully it finished at two!
The town was very pleasant and the gardens magnificent. Monday started wet, but this seemed a nice place to be stuck with our toys and we did get out later. We are struck by the size of so many of the German vans, which are colossal, but all round Germany access is easy with motorways everywhere, and chatting with a German at a wine tasting at the aire confirmed that they do not have to have a strict medical at 70, and can drive vans up to 7.5 tons with an ordinary licence! However they would find Devonshire lanes a challenge! We have seen very few non German travellers.
Tuesday 3rd. A bank holiday to mark German re-unification day. We left Kitzingham in good time and drove the short distance to busy Warzburg, where we failed to find the aire, I think it was closed. Next time we must just go to the camp site, but this time we drove on to Markthiedenfeld, another attractive town beside the Main, and set against beautiful Autumnal trees. The colours really are developing beautifully. (Aire large, undivided, 5€, hookup available as it has been on most of the Aires in the Main Valley.)
We were surprised just how dead the pleasant town was this morning, but more people came out during the afternoon. There was an excellent model railway exhibition, and I saw one little engine that actually puffed smoke in perfect time with the sound effects. There were lots of attractive little streets leading down to a row of houses called the Quay, that once must have been far closer to the river. Barges were inching under the town bridge, the river would not have to rise much for traffic to become impossible.
Wednesday 4th. We had a morning stroll round the town, which had more life, and eventually found an impressive department store, which seemed rather out of place in quite a small town. We came back to the van with some useful treasures, but not the impressive wooden wine rack that Andy had fancied.
After lunch we drove up the wooded valley to Lohr, another Mainside town which was surprisingly large. The aire was just part of the car park, and rather noisy, but the town was interesting. Most importantly of all, it was apparently the home town of Snow White!! She was based apparently on baroness Maria Sophia Margaretha Freifraulein von Erthal, born in the town castle where her father was in charge of the local glass and mirror works. He did indeed make a magic mirror for his second wife. The town backs onto an area of woodland, now a national park, and was worked by miners, many of whom were of small stature. The Brothers Grimm lived nearby so it is not at all far fetched to believe they took the story from here. All this was presented quite tastefully, as was the story of the Pied Piper, when we visited Hamlin.
Thursday 5th. We drove over the hills through the National Park. We could not take the planned route due to a number of diversions but eventually reached Klingenberg am Main, where the aire was a private one, Sonja’s Wohnmobil- Haven. It was set on a quay beside the Main, with more space adjacent on mowed grass, very pleasant. The town was small and a little sad, but the weather certainly did not help. There were gale force winds for most of the day, and intermittent heavy rain. Even the Main was rough! However we had a ringside view of the river and an incredibly narrow lock within our sights. We had viewed the lock from an adjacent bridge and saw that not only was the lock narrow, it had a slight bend in it, and narrowed at the entrance. The barges only squeezed in with barely inches to spare, a bit like getting the van beside the garage!
Friday 6th. We had a morning stroll into town and a short walk along the Red Wine route above the town and valley. We were surprised the view was so industrial as from the aire from where we could just see vineyards up the hillside. We set off for Aschaffenburg up the surprisingly industrial valley. However the aire was occupied by a circus, so we decided to drive on to our next destination which was in the Mosel valley.
An easy drive, though with heay rain at times. We resisted the temptation to revisit our favourite spots on the Rhine, and reached Reil en Mosel after lunch. We had considered stopping at Enkirch, which had a huge aire, but drove on down the river. Reil is a village totally devoted to wine production, and many small wine cellars to visit, with few other shops. The scenery is superb, gently rolling hills covered in vines, even where the earth seems to give way to rock. No other industry to detract. The river curves around and is busier than the Main. Very pleasant and full of motor homes!
Saturday 7th. Pleasant day by the Mosel. Very autumnal. Nearby the river made a great loop and almost doubled back on its self. We wandered along one of the signposted routes, beside the small train that connects to a larger one at Bulley. There is also a ferry on the river, so lots of options for getting about which we will have to explore next time. There were tractors everywhere, pulling loads of grapes and sometimes people. The Mosel appeared a faster flowing narrower river, and the barges appear slightly narrower but that might be my imagination. Reil has an excellent village shop, the first one we have found, this must be because there is not the sad ribbon development of out of town shops that blight so many other towns in Germany.
Sunday 8th. We drove through a very attractive route into Belgium, then round Brussels to get to Flanders where we headed for the Passchiondaele Museum 1917, in Zonnebeke. The museum was really excellent, not a subject I wanted to know anything more about but wanted to find out more about my Great Uncle Edward Martin, who died on the very last day of the Battle for Passchiondaele on 10 November 1917. I had not realised that the reason for the battle was to eventually capture the Belgium ports including Zeebrugge, or that the battle had been quiet for some some time, ‘ All quiet on the Western front’, allowing the Germans to become very well dug in. The most blood thirsty bit had been the last few months, 31st July- 10th November 1917.
The museum concentrated in the Third Battle of Ypres, and said as I had known that the weather had been so wet in the autumn of that year that the whole area had turned into one big swamp, all signs of life having been obliterated. I strongly suspect that uncle was just lost in the mud. The majority of the battle had been carried initially by the Anzac forces and when they began to fail the Canadians were bought forward . A small contingent of Uk forces also were bought forward, the South Wales Borderers, including my uncle, moving to the left of the Canadians.
Apparently they swerved to the right after the loss of their commanding officer, and the Germans took advantage of the gap, and 400 of them were lost. We will look tomorrow at the area we think all this took place, and now I know a little more it might be possible to pin things down further, up to now the internet has not helped.
Then we found our ticket included a visit into the dugout under the Zonnebeke church. There are apparently upward of 300 of the dugouts still deep under the soil of this area of Belguim, mostly now unknown. This one was on show for just the 100 days of the Third Battle of Ypres, and then will be flooded once again. This was not the sanitised history that we had seen in the museum, it was very wet indeed, but totally fascinating. This was just for 130 men, some had been built to house 2,000! Very moving! The guide said that there were 5 men killed per square metre for this area! We then went on to spend the night at Langemark nearby.
Monday 9th. We drove to the Tyne Cot museum, which was surprisingly busy for a Monday morning. Last time we came there was barely a car park, now there is a visitors centre and they were gearing up for a special service to commemorate the Anzac forces who died, with people rehearsing their moves. In spite of having visited before, it is still mindnumbing to see just how many names there are of men who were lost. The wall bearing the names has to include several circles to get them all in, and it is in one of these that Martin E.G. is recorded, under the Welsh Borderers. His unit must have been joined with theirs at one point.
After that we tried to identify the Passchiondaele Ridge that the Borderers were trying to gain that day, but although there are slight variations in the landscape it’s impossible to identify a ridge, and think I will have to do some more work to pin locations down, although now I do know they managed to get to Venture Farm then had to draw back. I think most of these names were just given by the soldiers during the war and were not all traditional names of the places.
We then attempted to do a shop in the large hypermarket on the outskirts at Lille but it wouid appear they are no longer admitting motor homes, or any larger vehicles to their car parks, so we will have to think again next time. We drove on to an aire at Wissant, beyond Calais. A seaside village, a little faded and quite shut up for the winter, under-developed seaside, with the white cliffs of Dover opposite, Caps Gris Nez and Cape Blanche Nez visible on both sides and windsurfers in the shallows and tankers further out to sea. The village had lots of older French cottages, one room up and down, as well as a few new seaside flats and a short promenade all reminisant of Peacehaven or similar.
Tuesday 10th. We had an easy journey to the tunnel , where we were able to board earlier, and the whole journey was a very good experience, with none of the time wasted last time we had used the tunnel. I’m sure we will use it again, despite the fact it is a more expensive. With no problems on the M 25 we were at home by midday UK time. Back to Ellie’ s birthday, and later, delivery of our new van so lots to look forward to and a busy Autumn/ Winter.
dottieonthego 