26 September – We followed the coast of Belgium to the French border and on to Dunkirk. The towns along the coast were a cross between the Gold Coast of Aussie (high rise apartments) and a British holiday resort (piers and games arcades). The beaches would be great in the summer but windswept and cold today. The ferry port is not at Dunkirk but about 10 kms south near Gravelines. We parked with 20 other campervans in an “Aires” on the waterfront at Gravelines overlooking the harbour of mainly fishing boats. We walked into the village but unfortunately the square was dug up for road works. This was our last night in “Lefty”. A bit sad actually!!

27 September – We boarded the ferry for our 10:00am sailing. The trip took 2 hours and was very smooth. In England (carefully staying on the left side of the road), we followed the M20, M25 and A3 to Warsash on the Solent, where we are staying with Denise and Ian McGregor for 2 nights. A good night having a catch up.

28 September – Denise and Ian went to work and we used their washing machine etc and gave “Lefty” a thorough clean and air out. Fortunately it was a beautiful hot sunny day so everything is nice and dry. It took longer than we thought it would but we had time for a great little last ride on our bikes thru the lanes and roads in this area. We went to a nice restaurant with Denise and Ian for our last night in this part of the world.

29 September – We drove the 40kms to the storage place where “Lefty” will be stored for the winter. Our taxi was waiting for us for the 90 minute trip to Heathrow and the long tedious trip home. Our flight was with Lufthansa, with stops at Frankfurt, Singapore and Christchurch. Our family were waiting at the airport and we spent some time catching up with them and seeing how tall the grandkids were getting!!

“Lefty” is sold so this will be our last extended tour of Europe. We have spent 11 months in Europe over 2 summers, driven 32,000kms and visited 17 countries. Quite a trip!! We are now looking forward to our next little adventure.

16 September – We followed some minor roads around north Netherland and onto the motorway heading south crossing a huge causeway between the IJsselmeer Bay and the North Sea.. It has been 6 weeks since we left the sea at Medveja in Croatia. What a contrast from 35 degrees and swimming to 16 degrees and windy. We realized that it is the longest time that we have ever been away from the sea!! We are at a camp in a village called Petten, right on the coast and protected by a huge dyke. It is sunny but windy so we went for a walk along the flat sandy beach with storm protecting groynes sticking out into the sea every 500m. The dyke starts by the camp where there is a project to analyze the effect of the sea motion on the sea bed. There was an information centre explaining the project and had some dramatic photos of the various storms that have damaged this area. The dyke is huge. At least 15m high, with stones on the seaward side, and stretching along the coast as far as the eye can see. We walked into the village and had a great meal at a little brassiere – salmon and sea bass. This is not an area where English speaking tourists visit but everyone seems to speak a little English and is very helpful.

17 September – Our plan was to walk into the village in the morning and buy some groceries and ride the cycleway along the dyke in the afternoon. All went to plan and we listened to Ireland beat Australia (RWC) on a UK radio station, but the rain and wind set in at lunch time so we abandoned the bike ride.

18 September – We left camp in torrential rain and strong winds and drove south towards Amsterdam. On the way we visited an old Dutch village, Zaanse Schans which has been restored as a tourist attraction. (Thanks Julie) The rain stopped and we enjoyed the original shops, many windmills, a cheese factory, a pewter foundry and a clog factory. One of the windmills was operating so we to go into it and climb up. The mechanics are fascinating and still working. Our camp is half way between Amsterdam and Haarlem on the coast.

19 September – We biked to the bus stop for our trip into Amsterdam. The central city is based on a series of canals like Venice. There the similarities end. There are bikes everywhere. Unlike NZ, people use bikes as a means of transport so they are not flash mountain bikes but set up with high handle bars, spongy sprung seats, chain guards, big mud guards, and a lot without any gears. They often have 1 or 2 children’s seats and big carriers. Amsterdam was beautiful, tree (turning golden) lined canals with house boats along them. Many of the canal houses are converted warehouses, still with their hoisting arms, shuttered windows and great gables. We wandered the canals and found the Dam Square with its cathedral and the royal palace. We took a boat trip onto the harbour and thru many of the canals. Good value! Lunch was at a Pancake House before we caught the bus to Haarlem. The bus driver showed us where the many sights were. Very friendly. This is a charming town with a great square where we enjoyed a wine in the late afternoon sun. The same bus driver drove us back to our bikes and honked and waved as we left the bus.

20 September – We drove a nice road thru the suburbs of Haarlem and south to The Hague past the Keukenhof Gardens. They are famous for their flowers but are closed at this time of the year. The weather is warm (18 degrees) but very overcast. Our camp is on the coast, close to The Hague. After lunch we cycled passed many of the embassies and the World Convention Centre, to the Madurodam. This is a famous miniature city made up of all the famous sites in Holland. The highest spires are about 2.5m high. This gives you some indication of the scale. It really is a summary of all the best bits of Holland. After the Madurodam we cycled to the coast and spent some time at the pier at Scheveningen. There were even some people swimming. There is a beautiful hotel but is a bit like a Dutch version of England’s Brighton. We followed a cycle way along the coast back to our camp. We decided not to go into the centre of The Hague as a lot of it was closed because the Queen was opening the parliament.



21 September – We drove around The Hague and out to Delft, famous for blue and white pottery. Cycling into the square past some great little canals was great. The square itself is dominated by the Town hall at one end and the Cathedral at the other with many shops selling Delft pottery, most of it made in China. Back on the road and again off to the Kinderdijk. This is a stretch of the River Lev with 19 windmills pumping water over the dyke and back into the river. We cycled past most of them. The last part of our trip was slow as we met a huge traffic jam going around Rotterdam. (about 45 minutes delay). We are now camped in Zeeland right on the coast with a nice beach on the North Sea.

22 September – A quiet morning catching up on domestic chores. After lunch we set off and cycled along the dykes, thru the farm land, and thru some great little villages. At one stage we found another working windmill. They are fascinating. From a distance they look peaceful and serene. When you get really close you realise that they are huge, noisy and slightly scary. The sails rotate at an amazing speed, generating huge power. The clearance from the ground is only about 1m. The ride was along the usual great cycleway well away from the roads. We covered about 35 kms. Back at the camp we enjoyed a swim and a spa in the camp’s indoor pool. This camp is huge but is mainly permanent chalets and mobile homes.

23 September – The weather is now much better, sunny and warm. It was a very short drive off the island we were on, to another island. These islands are connected by a series of dykes, bridges, and huge flood control systems. We are now in the SW corner of The Netherlands. This is another big camp much like yesterdays. After lunch we walked to the beach over high sand hills and then along a wide beach set up for summer with beach huts and restaurants. There were many parasailers using the slight on shore wind to stay aloft for long periods. We eventually passed the sand hills and immediately dykes had been built to keep the sea out. We had an ice cream at a lively little village with many bars and restaurants. This area is obviously very popular in the summer but there are still many “older” locals enjoying an autumn holiday.

24 September – Another lovely morning as we headed south off the island we were on and into Belgium. We left the island via a 6 km tunnel under the sea. (Expensive toll of 17.80 euro) The AB’s v France game was in progress and we listen to it on a scratchy UK radio station. We have decided to bypass Brussels and instead go to Brugge, a much smaller city. The first camp we tried was full and we ended up on the last site of another camp. Evidently there is an antique market in Brugge this weekend.

25 September – Off on the bikes into Brugge about 4 kms. What a great city with two huge squares, many great buildings and several canals. There were quite a few tourists around but it was not too crowded. Most of the shops here either sell chocolate or lace. We found the antique market with hundreds of stalls selling trash and treasure. If you knew what you were looking for, I bet there would have been some bargains! We enjoyed a nice lunch in the square and then decided to cycle around the canals on the way home. Unfortunately we got a bit lost and ended up cycling an extra 20 kms. All very nice though. As there is reasonable internet at this camp we will publish this blog. There will be one more before we return home to NZ on 1 October.

6 September – Out on to the A10 autobahn and headed SW across Germany towards Frankfurt. We drove 300 kms on the Autobahns into a head wind and stopped in the Thurringen Forest at a quiet camp for the night.

7 September – Back on the autobahn again for a 250 km drive to Frankfurt which we bypassed. Some slow going again because of the wind, road works and trucks. We are camped on the east bank on the Rhine at Geisenheim. The camp was full and we got one of the last sites. From here for 65 kms is the most picturesque part of the Rhine Valley with steep grape covered hills on either side of the river.

8 September – A heavy overcast day with some showers. In the afternoon we set off downstream on a cycleway to Rudesheim. This where the tourist cruise boats leave from for their trip to Koblnez at the north end of the valley. The town was very cute but set up for the many tourists awaiting their cruise departure. It is fascinating watching the huge barges going up and down the Rhine.

9 September - A very short trip across the river by ferry and then 25 kms to our next camp on the west bank of the Rhine at Oberwesel. The weather is still overcast with the odd shower. We are right at the river level but towering above us on the hills either side of the river are the castles and châteaux. These originally were built by robber barons to guard the river access and extract a toll from passing boats. They even used chains to block the river. The camp was full so we parked in a temporary “Aires” set up for the “Rhine and Flames” weekend happening in this town. In the afternoon we followed the cycleway along the river upstream for about 8 kms passing some great villages to Bacharach (as in Burt) the best of them, where we sampled the local wine.



10 September – We woke to a mist in the valley which soon cleared to a fine day. Off on the bikes downstream along a magical cycleway next to the Rhine. We passed more lovely villages and ended up in Boppard, another town set up for the tourist cruise boats. After lunch in the square we headed back into a head wind. There are so many boats and barges on the river the ride never becomes boring. At one part the river is narrow and they have “traffic lights” for the boats. We stopped many times for rests and photos. There are more bikes cycling in both directions than cars on the road. Our last stop was in the village of St Goar where we had an ice cream. When we arrived back to “Lefty” we had cycled 43 kms. The campers in the temporary “Aires” have swelled to over 100!! We had an early dinner and followed the crowds into the town and onto the river bank to watch a spectacular fireworks display. When it was dark the event started with about 20 of the cruise boats parading upstream decorated with lights and full of spectators. They “parked” for the fireworks. This is quite a feat in its self as the current is very strong and the only way to hold station is to use the engine power. The fireworks were set to music coming from a barge in the river. The fireworks were set off from the barge and the opposite bank. Probably the best fireworks display we have ever seen.

11 September – We drove down the Rhine, past Bonn and Cologne, and are now camped once again beside the river. After Koblenz the valley widened and the river is now quite industrial. The tourist boats do not venture down here! It started to rain and we had some problems with road works buggering up our GPS and then finding the camp. At one stage we drove down a cycle path thru mud to get to a camp that did not take “tourists.” We eventually found the camp we had intended to go to. It had the wrong GSP co-ordinates!! We can see the barges going up and down the Rhine however. This is just an overnight stop.

12 September – We headed towards Dusseldorf (Auf Wiedersehen Pet fame) and across the Dutch border. Had a shop up before our camp in a village called Oirschot. This camp had good washing facilities and Val caught up on a huge wash. The weather is cool and but we managed to get it all dry in a strong wind. We biked into the town which would be a typical Dutch town with a nice central area. The weather is now decidedly autumnal.

13 September – We had trouble getting out of the camp past the barrier as reception had taken the day off! Before getting onto the motorway we were stopped by the police as there had been an accident and the road was closed. One of those days! Eventually we were on the motorway and a quick trip north to our camp at Arnhem. This is at the gates of the Hooge Veluwe National Park which we will visit tomorrow. We picked up a cycle route from reception and followed it thru a mixture of forests and farming country. Very pleasant. Back at camp we enjoyed a swim in an indoor pool and a sit in the late afternoon sun.

14 September – We had no idea as to the size of the National Park but knew that we could cycle around it. We bought a 1 day pass for the park and the Art Museum (16 euro) and decided to go to the Art Museum in the morning, come back to “Lefty” for lunch and explore the park in the afternoon. We discovered that the park is huge, 5000 hectares, and cycled 10 kms to the Art Museum which is in the middle. The park and Art Museum were donated to the Dutch State by Helene Kroller-Muller, a very rich lady, in the 1930s. She had a huge art collection which is now in the Art Museum. All the big names are there, Rodin, Monet, Cezanne, Picasso and many others. There are also many Van Gogh’s. (her favourite). It was great to wander thru the exhibition and see these great paintings. By now we had flagged the plan of returning to “Lefty” for lunch so we set off and explored the cycle paths of the park. It was a bit like a cross between, Bottle Lake and Hamner Springs Forests with Travis Swamp and the Scottish Highlands mixed in and all on great smooth asphalt paths. By the time we got back at 4:00 pm we had cycled about 36 kms and were tired and starving. A bite to eat and a swim in the pool soon revived us.

15 September – An easy drive of 160 kms up the motorways into northern Netherlands thru pleasant farming country. Boy is this country FLAT! We are at a nice camp near the town of Burgum. This is as far north as we will be this trip. There is a big lake here but it is cool and not many people around. We cycled thru the farms and along a canal to the town which is modern with a good pedestrian shopping area. It was interesting to wander thru some of the shops. Prices are about the same or slightly higher than home but we have no idea of the salaries here. Back to the camp and a swim in another great warm indoor pool. We have reliable internet for the first time in ages and will skype and publish this blog.

21 August – Our plan was to head east to the Bavarian Forest area of Germany, near the Austrian border, however the road we were following was closed for maintenance for large parts causing us some angst. After a few wrong turns we eventually got onto the right road and found our camp in the Bavarian Forest National Park in Zwiesel. We are back in low mountains with ski resorts. It was fairly hot so we used our free pass to the local public swimming pool for a cool off. There was a whirl pool which was fun. Unfortunately most of Zwiesel had the same idea so it was crowded.

22 August – We were on the road early because we had a 300 km drive to our next camp. After a shop in Zwiesel we drove thru the beautiful Bavarian Forest with cute alpine logging villages. We joined the autobahn to Vienna for a 200 kms and then followed along the banks of the Danube River to our camp at Krem. We are right on the river and can watch the huge tourist boats and barges passing by. Across the river is the Abbey of Gotweig. A couple of guys from Ausburg introduced themselves and invited us for a beer. People are friendly but an invite for a drink is rare. They spoke good English and it was very enjoyable.

23 August – We found a radio station with some English content. The forecast for today was that it would get to 37 degrees over most of Austria. We set off on the bikes to the city of Krem along the cycleway next to the river. Part of the city is industrial with a large port. A bit strange as we are 1000 kms from the sea! There was a lovely old centre with a long pedestrian shopping area. Val bought new shorts as she has worn out her old ones. After lunch back at the camp, and with the temperature climbing, we headed upstream along the cycleway to a few of the smaller villages on the Danube. There are a lot of grapes grown on the riverbanks and it was a great ride along the river and thru the vineyards. After about 8kms we stopped for an ice-cream and a swim in the Danube. We have no idea why it is called the Blue Danube as it is a grey colour but the water was cool and we were HOT. Back to camp and another swim close to the camp. Not so much a swim as a drift downstream in the current. As I write this it is 29 degrees at 9:40 pm. We might have to get our fan out tonight!

24 August – We drove the quiet roads to Klosterneuburg and our camp 14 kms from Vienna. The camp is expensive at 32 euro/night but handy to the city. After lunch, and with the temperature up to 37 degrees, we used our free pass to a local beach/pool and swam in the murky backwater of the Danube. Not very healthy but cooling.

25 August – Off to the railway station early to avoid the heat. We caught a local train to the start of the underground which took us into the centre of Vienna. There was a great mixture of beautiful old buildings and modern buildings with pedestrian areas. The city was heavily bombed during the war but the best buildings have either survived or have been rebuilt. Highlights were St Peters Church, St Stephens Cathedral, the Imperial Palace, Parliament, and the museum quarter. We took an elevator for a view from the top of the Cathedral. We joined a tour of the Opera House which was fascinating The front half is original (1860s) but the auditorium and back stage were restored in the 1950s. We had an ice-cream and caught the trains back to camp and rested in the shade.

26 August – It is hot again today but with a hot wind. (a bit like a N/W’er) We biked to the Klosterneuburg Abbey and Church. Unfortunately the Abbey is having its stone work cleaned so was completely covered. The church was stunning with the now usual great interior and frescoes. We changed some euros into koruny for our time in the Czech Republic. At 4:00 pm we caught the trains back into the city to view the Schonbrunn and the Belvedere Palaces. They were both set in huge beautiful gardens. At 6:45pm we met John Le Heron (badminton mate from ChCh) at Karlplatz and he took us to Yvonne and his apartment for drinks, a great meal and a catch up. They both work for the UN and have been in Vienna for 6 years. We caught the last train back to the camp.

27 August – After a shop we headed NE up a great road thru farming country towards the Czech Republic. At the border the country changed to forestry and the road deteriorated (but not, fortunately, to Albanian standards). Suddenly the temperature dropped and it started to rain. We are in a camp close to Cesky Krumlov, an old town which we will cycle to tomorrow, hopefully not in the rain. The temperature is now 13 degrees. What a contrast to the 37 degrees of the last few days. We might sleep a bit better!

28 August – 7 degrees and the heater on for breakfast! The sun hit “Lefty” and the temperature soon rose to the mid 20s. We biked along a great cycleway for 4 kms to the gates of the old town of Cesky Krumlov. The town is set on a curve in the river with great old buildings and a castle overlooking the area. The river has several bridges crossing it giving great views of the town. At several points the river has weirs and “shutes” for rafts and canoes to fly down. These can be hired and it has developed into quite an attraction. The rafts seemed to navigate the “shutes” ok but several of the canoes capsized much to the cheers and laughter of the watching crowd. Back to the camp for a restful afternoon before cycling back to the town for a lovely Czech meal (trout and duck) to celebrate out 40th wedding anniversary in a restaurant overlooking the castle tower. It was dark for our cycle back to camp.

29 August – After skyping the girls this morning we drove thru some great Czech country roads to Kutna Hora. The country is a mixture of farming and forestry with cute little villages. Each village has old public address speakers on each lamp post. We think this is a hang over from the communist days when they were used for public announcements. (bath night for surnames A – M??). The Czech Republic was behind the iron curtain until 1998. Kutna Hora was famous for silver mining (long ago) and has a great Cathedral, Jesuit Abbey and Treasury where they minted coins. This was all an easy walk from our camp.

30 August – We drove around the outskirts of Prague to the Karstejn Castle. We parked in a car park and had no idea where the castle was so we took the easy option and hopped onto a horse and cart which took us around the corner and up a valley to this spectacular landmark. As it was lunch time and quite a wait for a tour, we settled for a walk around the grounds. Back along the road to our camp just out of Prague. A 24 hour pass on the underground meant that we could go into the city for a quick look around, and a beer while watching the sites. The Czech Republic is where Budweiser originated from and there has been huge fight going on with the American company since the 19th century. It is a great looking city and we will explore it more thoroughly tomorrow.

31 August – Back on the metro into Prague. This must be the fastest underground train we have ever been on. It really flies! We change once to end up near Prague Castle which overlooks the city. Quite a place with great views and buildings including the basilica. This is the president’s official home so there are guards at each entrance. We waited for them to change at midday but nothing happened. Perhaps they are on overtime! We walked down into the old town over the Charles Bridge with great views of the river and the town. The Astronomical Clock on the old town hall struck 1:00pm and we watched the twelve apostles appear in the windows while a trumpeter played from the tower. Everyone cheered. This is in Winceslas Square where there are about 4 stunning churches. We finished our walk at the Municipal House a very ornate art deco building before catching the metro back to “Lefty”.

1 September – September already! Boy how the time has flown. Out GPS/navigator let us down and tried to take use thru the centre of Prague. We abandoned it when it tried to take us thru a 3m high arch and onto the Charles Bridge (walking only). Eventually we found the motorway and used it until we crossed the Elbe River which we then followed along a picturesque road to Konigstein. We are now back in Germany. We are camped right beside the Elbe River and enjoy watching the many tourist boats going up and down. We cycled into the village and found the tourist info office to plan our day tomorrow.

2 September – We rode down a great cycleway along the Elbe River and thru the gorge to Pirna, passing several cute villages. (26 kms). This cycleway follows the Elbe river from the German/Czech border to the North Sea (869 kms). Many groups were doing this part as it is probably the best bit. After lunch and a look around the village we caught a paddle steamer back to Konigstein. There are 11 paddle steamers plying the river between here and Dresden. They are the largest and oldest fleet in the world. Our boat was launched in 1898 and is far from the oldest. They all still have there original steam engines but the boilers are now fuelled with oil. A great 2 hour trip with a National Park on one side with spectacular cliffs. Unfortunately the main railway line follows the river and passes the camp making it quite noisy especially at night.

3 September - Another sunny day. Boy have we been lucky with the weather! After a shop we followed north west up the autobahn (260 kms) to our camp just out of Potsdam from where we will visit Berlin. The autobahn is boring but you can certainly cover the miles on them. While we do 100 kph in the right hand lane some cars fly past at amazing speeds. This camp has a nice lake and beach. We had a refreshing swim as it is hot again.

4 September – We bought a day pass on the Berlin transport system and caught a bus to Potsdam and the S Bann into the main Berlin railway station and then the Metro to the Brandenburg Gate (a 2 hour trip all up!) The huge square in front of the Gate is very busy with tourists etc. We walked thru the Gate and around the Reichstag (Parliament) and the Holocaust Memorial. (a strange maze made up of various sized concrete columns.) We walked back thru the gate and had lunch watching the sites. The Unter Den Linder (a large boulevard) took us Cathedral. Next we passed the Opera House and two more cathedrals before hopping on the Metro to Check Point Charlie and the Berlin Wall. At the Berlin wall there was a sobering exhibition of the history of Wall and Nazi period. We sat at Check Point Charlie and had a coffee and cake while watching the tourists being photographed in front of the check point with a fake American guard. The trip back to “Lefty” only took 1 ½ hours as the bus took a different route. We cooled off in the lake again. It rained in the night.

5 September – As soon as I mention the weather it packs up! It has rained off and on for most of the day but is still warm. We spent the morning planning our route thru the rest of Germany and the Netherlands and back to England. After lunch we hopped on our bikes and followed the cycleway to Potsdam. This was the Prussian Royal Seat and has many palaces and gardens and a mixture of architecture. An interesting building was Cecilienhof where Starlin, Churchill and Truman divided up Germany after the WW2. We also saw the Glienicker Bridge where spy exchanges were made between USA/Britain and Russia during the Cold War. The sites are spread out and by the time we returned to “Lefty” we reckon we have covered 34 kms. Tomorrow we will head south west on our zigzag tour of Germany.

12 August – Just a short drive from the Wolfgangssee, past Salzburg to Berchtesgaden crossing the border into Germany. There is a legend that the angels got a fright when god growled at them for taking so long to distribute the beauty spots around the world and they dropped them all in this area. I think they probably dropped a few in NZ first! It is a beautiful valley with the spectacular Berchtesgaden Alps on all sides. We rode our bikes along a great cycleway beside the river, past Berchtesgaden village and thru to the emerald green lake Konigssee. The area was packed with tourists. We caught a small electric ferry (no power boats) down the lake to the little St Batholoma church. Beautiful but very touristy. It started to drizzle while we were there and everyone suddenly wanted to return so we had to wait in a huge queue for a ferry. We stopped in Berchtesgaden village on the way home. Very cute.

13 August – It rained in the night and the cloud was down over the mountains. It did not look good for a visit to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest, built for his 50th birthday by Martin Bormann in 1937. At lunch time the skies cleared a bit so we rode to town and caught the local bus up the hill where the next bus took us up a private road (spectacular) to the car park below the Eagle’s Nest. The last 124m was in an ornate brass lift which ended in the building. It was easy to imagine the old Mercedes Benz cars dropping off Hitler and his officers and them going up the lift. Unfortunately the building is now a restaurant so there is no admission. We walked around the building and climbed the last few 100m up to summit of the Kehlstein at 1837m. The views were great. The building itself was a bit disappointing however. We had decided to walk down from the summit to the local bus stop about 6 kms. The first 4 kms were on a great track but the last part we had to follow the road. We were a bit leg weary when we got back to our camp.

14 August – A beautiful clear day and stunning drive thru the mountains and villages to Innsbruck. We crossed the border back into Austria. The camp is 7 kms from the city with views of the mountains all around. It is very flash with a man-made swimming lake and a man on a Segway to show you to your site, but expensive! We caught the free bus into the city which has hosted 2 Winter Olympics (easy to see why) and enjoyed the old town with some unusual buildings. We sat and had a beer at a café watching the sights go by. Many people actually wear traditional Austrian costumes. It’s like they are all going to a fancy dress party. The Inn River flows thru the town (hardly a brook) looking like a typical glacier fed river. (grey/green) The whole city is dominated by the towering mountains in every direction. We are still a bit stiff and sore after our down hill hike yesterday.

15 August – Another great drive thru alpine mountains and villages to Fussen. We are back in Germany and this is the starting point for the Romantic Road which we will follow for a bit. We are in a camp about 4 kms out of the village on the shores of a lake. The area is dominated by two castles built by King Ludwig II. We biked to the most spectacular one, the Neuschwanstein Castle. It was built in 1869 and is a fairy tale theme. The Walt Disney Castle is based on this one. As usual there were heaps of tourists and we joined them to walk around the castle. We did not queue up to go inside as it is only partially completed. We walked up the hill behind the castle for a view from a bridge. This bridge crosses a water fall 100m below. It was packed with tourists also there for the view. We both got a bit nervous as it just seemed to be too many people on the bridge. After a quick photo we got off. Perhaps they have not heard of Cave Creek here! We biked back to Fussen. Halfway there the skies opened and it teemed. We were soaked to the skin despite our parkas. Unfortunately we got lost going back to the camp which was a bit miserable. We have never biked in such heavy rain!

16 August – We continued up the Romantic Road thru pleasant farming country. After a shop up we turned right (off the Romantic Road) towards Munich and stopped about 30 kms outside the city at a nice camp with another lake. After lunch we enjoyed a swim in the lake and a lie in the sun. We rode to the bahnhof (railway station) to investigate our visit to Munich tomorrow.

17 August – After a relaxing morning we had an early lunch and rode the short distance to the bahnhof and after some help from a kind lady bought a day partner pass for the S Bahn to Munich. (3/4 hours). We eventually found the tourist information in the huge central railway station and set off into the city. The whole centre is pedestrian only with very wide streets, shops on each side and cafes and bars down the centre. We climbed the St Peter’s Cathedral tower for a great view of the city, which is flat. The city was busy but as the streets were so wide it did not seem crowded. We passed the town hall with its famous clock and eventually found the Hofbrauhaus (the famous beer hall) and felt obliged to have a beer. We sat with a local who told us of the beer hall and its history. As it was still early, and the band was having its 2 hour break (it plays from 11pm until 4 pm and then from 6 pm until??) we walked to the English Gardens, a huge park bigger than Central Park, in NY. Hundreds of people were sun bathing and swimming in the very swift river that follows thru it. We passed the Chinese Tower with a Bavarian band playing for a huge crowd in the beer garden. Boy, do these Munich citizens know how to drink! We headed back to the Hofbrauhaus and found a table (they are actually long benches which you share. Part of the charm.) The band started and we got our beers. Luckily it was before 6 pm so Val could have a ½ litre stein. After 6pm they only serve 1 litres! The music was “um-pa-pa” Bavarian stuff with everyone standing and drinking for an Ein Prosit every 20 minutes. We had a typical Bavarian meal, roast pork and dumplings and pickled pork knuckle. The waitresses are huge frauleins in traditional costumes. Great muscles from carrying the huge steins! We retraced our steps to the Bahnhof (railway station) and caught a train labelled back to our town. Two stops from the town the driver made an announcement (in German naturally) and we stopped. The train was almost empty so we sat waiting to continue. The next thing the lights go out and the doors lock. We pushed an emergency button and the lights came back on and the doors unlocked. The driver spoke no English but signalled that we should wait and eventually a train would come and take us the rest of the trip. Fortunately he was right and we were reunited with our bikes for a ride home in the dark.

18 August – We rejoined the Romantic Road. It has been a bit disappointing as it is poorly signed. We passed thru the large town/city of Augsburg before ended up on the motorway to our camp near Donauworth, where the Danube River follows thru. After lunch and a rest we cycled the 6 kms to the town on a cycleway thru beautiful farming country with fields of corn, turnips, chives and parsley. The town was great with 2 beautiful churches. The Holy Cross Monastery had some fantastic frescoes. After an ice-cream in the square we returned to our camp. We will follow the Danube east for a couple of days now.

19 August – We headed east along the Danube River. It very quickly changed into a wide navigatable waterway. We have not had internet for the last few days so we stopped at a McDonalds to clear our emails. We are at a great camp on the banks of the Naab River, a tributary of the Danube. We have a great site 3m from the river. The camp game for young and old is to walk up stream and float down the slow flowing river to your site. The water was cool but very enjoyable. There are many canoes and kayaks on the river. Some thunder and rain. It is cool at night and damp in the morning.

20 August – After washing, we biked 28 kms (return) up the Naab River along a great cycleway passed some beautiful little villages. Every village, regardless of its size, has a spectacular church, most with stunning interiors and frescoes. There were lots of people enjoying the cycleway or on the river. Back to the camp for a late lunch and some more “floating down the river”. There plenty of signs of fish in the river but no one fishing seriously.