La France, l'Allemagne et plus 2019

Sunday here is like it used to be in New Zealand.   Nothing is open, well almost nothing – the exceptions are petrol stations and restaurants.   It always means a bit of adjusting when I come to Europe.   The Rhine Falls were recommended as a place to visit.  They are in Switzerland so that meant going through a border.  The border we went through was without an official so we happily sailed through it.   We took the scenic route which was lovely and the road we took literally went into Switzerland for a couple of kilometres and then we were in Germany again before going back over the border.   Parking near the falls was difficult to find.   Eventually we found one.   I looked to see whether we had to pay. As far I could determine you didn’t need to on Sunday.   Two or three hours later we returned to find a ticket.   I then looked at the parking meter again and it looked like there was a ten minute...

We met our lovely hosts in the morning who wanted to check all was ok with our accommodation.   The accommodation was great except the combination of a very warm apartment and a duvet thick enough to keep one warm in the arctic was not conducive to sleep.   A couple of blankets were supplied along with some ideas for things to do here.   It had been our intention to do some cycling while we were here but the weather put paid to that as it was about 7 degrees outside and showers were regularly coming through.   The bike gear we had would not have been sufficient to keep us warm.    We had been given a couple of recommendations for eating and we went along to one of them which was  a local traditional  restaurant.  We had a lovely meal and even got to speak to a young couple who were seated with us.  They were social care workers from near Freiberg and they were visiting the young woman's parents who were being...

Bev and our host Gabriele It was a bit later than intended when we left for our next stopover.   The day was fine and warm, but overcast.   Prior to leaving we took the Katrin cable car up to a mountain top overlooking Bad Ischl.   It was great as we could see much of the area which we had driven around the previous day.   It was truly an impressive sight despite the haze.   The next six or seven hours was spent driving from there to Radolfzell am Bodensee, which is near Konstanz (also known in English as Constance) and the lake as Lake Constance.   Soon after we left Salzberg it began to rain which slowed everyone down.   We had thought our trip was going to be a bit faster, but the weather and the need for me to have a rest stop meant it was much longer.   A few kilometres prior to our destination of Radolfzell am Bodensee descended down through a village and I was expected the road to continue along the waterfront only to find ...

600 years old and still a family home One of the views from our window It was a glorious day for our last day in Bad Ischl.   Our host, Gabriele, was a delightful woman who was a perfect host.   The breakfast she provided was sufficient to last for the day and we joined two other couples who were also staying there. The house we stayed in was around 600 years old and her family had been occupying it for the last 200 years. Apparently yet another generation was interested in doing so.   It was a charming place, that was clearly built for the weather.   Small windows and thick walls, also with double glazing.   The temperature inside didn’t seem to change from day to night.   No wonder Europeans freeze during winter in New Zealand.   Gabriele also provided some ideas for our day out.   First stop was to a lake called Altausee which she said was quintessentially Austrian.   It was reached by climbing over a pass from which you coul...

We liked Munich and it would have been good to stay there a bit longer and be captivated by its charms.   Susi, our friend had left a list of suggestions and we only managed about third of them.   In particular, we would have loved to hire a bike and take the many cycleways to explore the place.   Our breakfast at the NYX Hotel has to be the best I have had in a hotel.   The range of food available was great.   We had a large breakfast to sustain us for the rest of the day.   Then it was back on the autobahn to get to Salzberg.   There were lovely views of the mountains as we approached the city.   There was still snow clinging to the mountains which made for a wonderful backdrop to our journey.   There was the obligatory driving at snail’s pace at times, due to road works, with one tail back being about five kilometres or more.   It was worse on the other side of the autobahn.  So much for no speed limits!   Sal...