fillingthegaps

After ‘flirting’ with the borders of various countries while travelling through Germany, we have finally said goodbye to the Reich. Although yesterday’s stopover was actually right on the border between Germany  and Holland– it ran smack through the middle of the little town of Dinxsperlo. (the yellow markers are the border)

Dinxperlo gave me my first real taste of a Dutch town. It was not a big place; small and  cute. It was impossibly neat and tidy. Not just the odd street, but every street we walked down or drove past: neatly clipped hedges, immaculately groomed shrubs and mass-plantings in pocket-handkerchief front gardens; large picture-windows in every house, looking out on to the street, and each one displaying a precise arrangement of flowers or pottery or lace-work etc.

We saw  interesting signs of spring here too, with new growth glowing bright green against the previous season’s more mature shades. We  saw pine-cones looking like Christmas decorations on one of the garden shrubs.

Every home looked as if it were expecting a visit from the Queen, and I came to the conclusion that this tidiness must be built in to the national psyche.

We were fortunate in Dinxperlo: when we arrived we discovered that the designated parking area was closed and so we cautiously nosed our way down the street and found another parking area, attached to the same large sports complex. It had been raining most of the day, and as we edged our way back into dripping trees a man on a bike, wearing size 15 clogs, came along and told us we were not allowed to park there. Our hearts were sinking when he advised us, ‘but you can park just out there’ What a relief. And the timing turned out to be just in  time: no sooner had we got ourselves wriggled into position than this quiet parking lot suddenly became inundated with cars. The reason soon became apparent: group after group of young kids and youths came marching down the street, chanting slogans and carrying banners. It was obviously a festival/rally of some sort and it seemed that the whole town had turned up to  cheer them on.

And at least half the town arrived on bikes. I have never seen so many ordinary commuter-style bikes in one place before. We took a walk down the street while the people were milling about and I found it interesting, looking at the Dutch bikes. Being a keen biker myself I am always interested to see what other countries are doing with bikes. The Dutch have the advantage of living in a dead flat country. Boring it may well be, but it sure makes for easy cycling! With  no hills to contend with, the Dutch have developed the ultimate in commuter –biking comfort. Weight is obviously of no concern, although there are many aluminium framed bikes to be seen. All have sturdy mudguards, stylish chain protectors, streamlined built-in headlights, dynamo hubs, sturdy carriers and panniers, elaborate handlebar configurations and often 8-speed hub gears. (electric power-assisted bikes are also popular – but they are not cheap – overE1000)

All riders adopt an extreme upright position with backs ramrod straight and at 90 deg to the road, consequently handlebars are mounted well above saddle height. So cycling is a dignified and sedate business, and one sees all manner of people riding: workers in ordinary garb, bankers in pin-striped suits, mothers with kids in a baby seat at the back, (or in a tow-along carriage), ladies in high heels and snazzy hair-do’s, and everyone in between. The verdict: in Holland cycling is universal.

And the layout of the streets confirm this: a wide clearly-marked bike lane down either side of the street with a narrow strip left in the middle for 2-way traffic! Cyclists cruise with no fear for cars – they know cars will always politely give way to them. Incredible!

Dinxperlo has two features that make it unusual. The first is that the town actually straddles the border between Germany and Holland: it has a foot in each country. Ironically it has two supermarkets, almost opposite each other. Oneisin Germany and the otherin Holland. Although all prices are in Euros, the pricing structures are different. For instance, milk in Germany is almost half the price of milk over the road, in Holland! The border passes down the main street and a row of yellow diamonds on the road, show you which country yoiu happen to be in.

The other claim to fame is Dinxperlo’s ‘Smallest Church in Europe’ This is a really neat little church, about 8×6 metres in size. How or why it was built was not clear, but it appeared that the church was still in use, I imagine a congregation of 6 plus a preacher, would fill it nicely.

The next day we moved further north to a little town called Burgen. (from where  I am writing this) Burgen is ‘Mixture as before’ – tidy streets and houses and neat little garden plots.

We are parked on the side of a marina connected to the canal/dyke system. This is a million-dollar spot: we are right next to the jetty and watch the coming and going of various launches and yachts.

Just around the corner is the canal proper and on it ply the same massive barge-like traders that we saw all the time on the Rhine. Behind us is a large grassed area with a kids playground. The town itself is just 5-10 mins walk away so everything is dandy. Unfortunately the rain is chasing us at the moment and so our activities have been a bit restricted. However the kids have had a good time on the playground and this afternoon we all went for a walk to explore the town.

We found a colourful rack of clogs, which confirmed that we were indeed in Holland.

On our return we made a  close inspection of a couple of 2nd hand folding bikes that were sitting outside the harbour-master’s office. We have found our two old clunkers so handy that we have been keeping an eye open for more bargains to add to the stable. A thorough test-ride on each bike plus a run through on the folding action indicated that these bikes were in fair condition for their age. He wanted E45 for one and E35 for the other. Total E80. Without prompting he said we could have the two for E75. After some discussion among ourselves, and after testing the bikes, Jgirl14 made him an offer of E70 for the two. After about 4 secs hesitation he accepted, so now we have 4 bikes and a baby-carrier in our stable!The older kids are very excited to be getting back on wheels. I can’t see us acquiring any more, but this will mean that the older ones can get further afield in their exploring of an area.

By the way while in the town this morning (on a lone stroll) I got myself a desperately-needed haircut. Due to a slight mis-understanding of meaning, I ended up with a no.2 all over. Talk about ‘lost in translation’! However, the lass that sheared me was very pleasant and took about an hour to perform the operation – much better value than my recent cataract operation! The haircut was so severe that after Tgirl5 inspected me closely, she said to me, “I know you are still Grandpa because I recognise your blue jacket”! (even my son was prompted to comment that I look considerably better with longer hair)

We have had a really shivery few days, just lately. Temperatures dropped to a frigid 11 degrees today and what added to the discomfort was the rain. It’s rained solidly today and so we have used the day to move further north and  to do some more hunting for small bits and pieces for the vans.  Driving in the rain is never much fun, and today was no exception. However we finished the day with  a brilliant beef curry and rice, which warmed up  everyone’s cockles.

But in spite of the recent cool temperatures, we have enjoyed exploring some magical spots along the way. We are still hugging the Rheine – a brilliant road follows its course very closely and the last couple of days have been exceptional. Around every bend in the road the eye is greeted with another castle, either perched on a hill, or some remains looming against the road itself.

We passed through many picturesque small townships, and across the river on the other side we saw neat and tidy ‘story-book’ villages nestled on the banks.

Countless vineyards cascaded down the steep slopes of the hills behind the villages – making the scenery almost impossibly beautiful.

As good fortune would have it, we came across a big parking area on the river side, just opposite an interesting-looking town.

We stopped, intending to stretch the legs before moving on, but as it turned out, we stopped and stayed for the night. This gave us the chance to have a really leisurely walk around the town – Bacharach by name. It took us completely by surprise, as if you suddenly strolled onto an historic film set. But there was nothing artificial about this 5-600 years old town and it was buzzing with ordinary life. (we even bought a couple of cheap camp chairs there)

We parked overnight on the banks of the Rheine and got away in the morning to continue our feast of historic buildings.

We finally came across an interesting castle set high on a hill,

and managed to find a spot to park the two vans. (always a bit of a limiting factor when wanting to stop somewhere)

We walked up the steep path and came upon the notice “closed for renovations until 2011.” (believe me at least half of  Germany is being renovated. Heaps of the castles and stately homes are being renovated and countless 100’s of kilometers of autobahn and highway are being ripped up and re-made. Not to mention the bridges that have been closed or partially closed. We know – we have experienced most of it!)) Well we only had an hour or two so could not wait for the Grand re-Opening. Nevertheless the notice advised that you could still get up to the castle terrace – it was the interior that was totally closed.  So on we went. What a fascinating place!

I must apologise if you are getting sick of castles and ancient towns. I thought I would, myself, but surprisingly I continue to be amazed at the creativity of MAN. We may know more today, but we are certainly no smarter than our ancestors!

Here  we are in a Womo park virtually on the banks of the Rheine.

The sun is shining, there is a gentle breeze and it’s about 25C. Very nice. The owner of this park ( a no-nonsense but pleasant enough lady) runs a very tight ship. The place is well laid out and kept in immaculate condition.

We have everything we need here: fresh water; somewhere to dump our toilet tanks and our ‘grey water’ ; a washing machine and the internet available (for a price) on wi-fi. No toilet block or showers but we have those on board, so no worries.

We don’t always have it this good. If it is getting late in the day and we still have not found the park that was supposed to be ‘there’ we head for a parking lay-bye on the autobahn or a quiet free-parking zone by a park somewhere. But even that is not bad – and the cost is a lot less than booking in to a flash holiday park for the night.

But as I said, this place is situated close to the banks of the Rheine so while Rob and Jgirl14 took the bikes , baskets and back-packs for a 4km shopping trip into Bingham,

 and while the other kids were either doing math’s, drawing or just playing – I went for a quiet stroll down to the river.

The Rheine is one big river. Here we are, several hundred kms inland and the river must be at least 1/2  km wide. Not only wide but deep: some seriously large shipping can be seen cruising up and down. A mixture of touristy sight-seeing boats and some very large barge-like ships carrying all manner of things.

Which prompts a thought: this nation certainly uses every type of transport available – and all seem to be fully patronised. At this camp  we are also close to a rail system – 3 lines pass by – and the frequency of passing  trains is astounding. While I was out on a 1/2 hr stroll by the lines, at least 5 trains went by – 12 coach passenger trains and a series of 2, 4 and 6 coach commuter-type trains. Goods trains we hear going past in the night. All, I might say, gliding smoothly over smooth tracks at great speed. On the river, large boats haul goods and people. On the roads huge truck rigs roar along in a seemingly endless procession. (and at Rest stops it is not unusual to see 20 or more trucks parked). Any gaps the trucks leave on the road are filled with cars – and on the autobahns these can be travelling at up to 130kmph! Motor homes are most prolific – there must be 1000’s of them on the roads. And the road network is really impressive and generally in excellent condition. I don’t doubt that the airlines are busy too. It makes NZ’s pathetic efforts seem ridiculous.

Another significant characteristic we have noticed is the natural tidiness of the German people. Probably some Germans would laugh at the notion, but to a Kiwi it is most noticeable. ALL the houses we have seen, in villages and cities, have been well-kept with neat and tidy gardens, flower-boxes etc. Most seemed to be in good condition and those that are not are being renovated! The streets are clean. The shops are neat and tidy. The people in the street all seem to be in their Sunday-best. The occasional jack-booted tattoo-ed person, or the greasy long-haired youth are a rarity. Body-piercing is not common, but bushy moustaches and beer-pots are ‘in’. All the vans in our park are immaculate (and on average the cost would be in the E45k-E90k range) and people sit around at night in their snazzy outdoor furniture settings. Really this is a picture of an affluent, contented people who like to do everything ‘right’ and have the ‘right’ things to do it with. An example ; I bought some washing powder the other day. It was one of a vast  array of choices in the clothes washing/soap powder aisle. I picked one of the most economical, with pictures of shirts,sheets and a blow-up of a mesh of some sort. Looked ok to me so I bought it. (and have used it for hand washing stuff quite successfully) When I took the packet over to the wash-house today the proprietor would not let me use it in his machine. We eventually established that this was a powder for washing net curtains only. Now why would you need a special-purpose detergent for net curtains? They probably have a special one for socks too, but I did not go looking for that. But the Germans seem to have a love-affair with Rules and Regulations and happily obey them all, VERY different from the Kiwi attitude!

German road signage is a language you must learn as you are learning to walk. There is a sign for every conceivable situation on the road and a sign that tells you when the regulation is applicable and another sign to tell you when it is not, There is a sign to tell you the name of the place when you enter it and another (the name with a red cross through it) to tell you that you have left. They do not like the NZ style use of yellow lines on the road – so simple to install and to observe but have signs for no stopping, no overtaking, no parking this side, or that side, or both sides etc etc. But motorists are incredibly polite and safe drivers. They always seem to give way to pedestrians, cyclists and merging traffic. I haven’t seen a fist  (or finger) raised in anger but have always encountered polite consideration from drivers. It has certainly lessened the stress of our introduction to driving vans in Europe.

Well today I tried out another aspect of German culture-the breakfast. When I set off on a quiet walk this morning I had no intention of having another breakfast. But as I walked past a small cafe right on the banks of the river, and observed how  pleasant it seemed to stop and have a coffee in the sun, I went and checked the menu. I had been told that Germans love their sausage or salami for breakfast and sure enough here on the menu was a variety of sausages on offer, served with roll or chips. I ordered the roll with a beef sausage and a cup of coffee, The coffee came first, with 2 little pots of creamy milk, 2 wrapped lumps of sugar and a small biscuit, also wrapped. Shortly after, my sausage and roll was ready – served with generous dollop of mild mustard. A crisp, crunchy roll and a spicy sausage about 8 inches long! Tucking into that with the sun on my back and the Rheine spread out before me – castles sitting on the hillside across the water – was a really enjoyable experience.

The German breakfast met with my approval! But maybe not every morning – or I may start to  get that contented roly-poly look that so many Germans have!

-place names, not a company of solicitors.

We have been travelling through some delightful German countryside for the past few days and have seen a veritable kaleidoscope of cathedrals, castles, quaint old towns and peaceful parks and gardens.

We have also been tested with our driving skills – taking our ‘Vomos’ into places where none have gone before.

Rach had the toughest test the other day – we were hoping to stay in Gothenburg and were trawling around this ancient city designed for horse and cart, looking for the Van park. We (Rach driving) ended up crawling up and down the side of the hill, winding through impossibly narrow streets, doing hill starts etc and finding absolutely nowhere to park.

Where the streets were wider, they had ripped up half of the road just to keep you on your toes. Rach  (following Rob, driving the bigger vehicle) passed the Stage 4 test in great style. Disappointingly, we had to leave Gothenburg unexplored. The following day I had a ‘grade 3’ test when closed roads forced us to take to some back-country roads through some narrow village streets plus a session of reversing etc. So we are both getting more comfortable with the beast. Meanwhile Rob has been nibbling at the repairs and the damage is getting less evident each day.

All of which has nothing to do with the heading but needed reporting anyway.

Rather than spell out what each picture is, I thought I would just give you a selection of views. We have been inside some incredibly ornate cathedrals and churches.

The carvings, sculptures, statues and murals have been quite mind-blowing.

Although no doubt all done to the glory of God, I have uneasy thoughts about who paid for all this and how the raising of money glorified our God. Certainly a very far cry from the school hall where our church meets. But just looking at the magnificence of the buildings, one cant help but marvel at the workmanship of 3-500 years ago.

The kids found a spidery playground in the cathedral grounds,  

much to their liking and as we relaxed and had our lunch nearby, we listened to the strains of an Organ-grinder duo. Closer inspection of the music-makers led to some of the kids (including Rob) being allowed to have a swing on the handle.

 Also in the cathedral grounds we found a musician playing softly on a set of Vibraphones. Nearby a ‘statue-man’ posed as steady as a rock. All in the dappled sunlight filtering through huge chestnut trees. A tranquil setting that was a real treat.

Also on the fun side we came across a large grill in a town square which was blasting air upwards. An exhaust from who knows what. But it gave the kids some fun, feeling themselves ballooning up in the strong draught as they stood over the grill.

Another interesting few days…….

The day broke cloudy and cold – a brisk wind blowing which after a while, chilled to the bone. At least it chilled this old codger’s bones and I think a few more of the party were none too warm.

We had determined to take a hike from our van park in Kehl (which is in Germany) to Strasbourg, (which is in France) just a ‘short walk’ after crossing the Rhine, which at this point forms the border between the two countries. We packed a lunch, determined to not let the weather deter us, and off we went.

This happens to be a most well-endowed little township (maybe it is a city?) and where we were staying, we were right next to beautiful river-side parks and gardens, with copious sporting facilities and well-equipped children’s playgrounds. At the start of the walk one of the kids would ask “can we go to the playground?” but always came back the answer –“on the way home – let’s get to where we are going first”

On we walked, past a delightful Biblical garden – beautifully set out to depict important events in Biblical history in granite sculptures and appropriate plantings,

On and over one of the most ingenious and genuinely artistic bits of bridge engineering I have seen,

Past a circus and then a school for budding circus performers; still no sign of Strasbourg, and we were a little hesitant as to which direction to take next. Time to try out the 65-year-old French rusting away in the grey cells: ‘pardon m’sieur, mais parlez-vous l’anglais?” “Non!” came back the less-than-encouraging response. However after I manfully struggled on to enquire the way to the old Town, and the guy took pity on me and made it known that the Old Town was that-away and it would be a 40 minute walk. After a brief conference, we decided to press on, leaving the comfort of parks and circuses and hitting the hard pavements.

Eventually we came to a park and here was the Citadel – not in the Old Town but getting closer (so we thought) Anyway, a children’s playground, a park bench, and it was time to have a lunch break. Pity about that freezing wind……

Spying a lady on a park bench, and emboldened by my success(?) on the previous occasion I sallied forth to ask the lady in my best French if she could direct us to the old town. Quickly she established that she and her husband (who had a map but had gone for a walk) were  German, and her English was better than my French! But I did learn that our objective was still at least 1/2 hour’s walk distant. We had determined that we would do it, and when the friendly husband turned up with his map it enabled us to set our course once more.

Well eventually we did reach Strasbourg Old Town – and it really was worth the effort, a charming, graceful  , character-filled town that delighted us all.

In addition it had the most amazing cathedral that enthralled all but the littlest among us.

After that we decided that having already walked about 12km, we would catch a bus/tram or train back towards our home base. Diligent study of some excellent maps at the tram stop showed that we could catch a tram to the nearest bus stop. We were delighted: the trams and buses had impressed us with their swish styling

and I for one was itching to  take a ride in one (my legs were feeling it too!) We  discovered that we could get a group ticket qt reduced cost and joyfully advanced on the ticket-machine. Frustration! The machines only accept coins – and we needed 10 Euros. Off I  went to the nearest shop – a pharmacy- to get some coins. Explaining to the lady that I required some ‘medecin pour le mal de tete’ I then added that I would like some Euro coins to pay  for le Tram! She evidently understood my tortured words for the transaction was completed to everyone’s satisfaction and I came back with a pocket full of Euro pieces.

So away we went on the Super-Tram. More like a train than a tram, and when it dived into a tunnel, it just rocketted along-faster than a speeding bullet!

To add to the interest. we found ourselves getting off at Strasbourg’s main railway station –a really impressive bit of architecture,

Then to the bus. ‘Ou se trouve l’autobus nombre deux? I asked a bus driver. ‘La – devant vous’! and there it was right next to the bus stop where we were standing!

A good bus ride and we were back at the circus – still a long walk thorough the parks and over the bridge but these kids have an endless supply of energy and when we got to the playground they had a ball.

While Mum and Dad and J14 went back to the vans to prepare dinner I kept watch on the rest. After 1/2 hour we finished off the day’s activities by climbing the 199 steps up a magnificent wooden viewing tower to take a bird’s-eye view of our neighbourhhood. By the end of the day the sun had finally broken through and it looked beautiful.

A 14km walk – a bunch of exercise – lots of interesting things to see and do, A good day was had by all.

it was always a story that appealed to me, as I read it to my kids when they were small. I can’t remember the outcome, but doubtless the penniless tailor ended up by marrying the princess – and lived happily aver after.

Anyway, on this day we did something which I thought was equally impressive – we drove through 3 countries in one day. We started in Germany, nipped into Austria, slipped across a corner of Switzerland and ended up back in Germany. (Rach tells me that the real facts are: Germany, went into Austria, back into Germany, back into Austria, into Switzerland then finally back into Germany)

I’m not sure that that was the intention when we started, but the GPS went looking for a town of the same name as the one we were wanting and it was some time before the discrepancy between our actual route and the required route, was detected. However the result was that we drove through some spectacular Alpine countryside, with superb scenery. Sorry – no pictures. I was driving and believe me, with the memory of my recent ‘off-road’ experience still fresh in my mind, all my concentration went on watching the clearance between wheels and grass verges and/or white centre-line in my rear-view mirrors. The Vomo took up a full half of the narrow twisty mountain roads so it was not the time for gazing at scenery!`

Our mid-journey deviation back into Germany was to visit the ‘King’s Castle” “Konnigschlosser” was the name I think. Areal ‘fairy-tale’ castle and most famous in Europe. Unfortunately, half of Europe thought it was a good idea too, so we drove into the town, wriggled our way through masses of traffic and people and drove out until we could find somewhere quiet to park and have lunch. It was very peaceful and pretty too.

And in the distance, through the summer haze the castle could be seen!

After lunch we pressed on and finally arrived at our destination, on the shore of Lake Konstanz. Actually the address we had turned out to be an abandoned parking lot but after deciding to bite the bullet and book into the fancy Caravan park, we discovered the cheaper version right next door. There seemed to be no spaces left, but rather miraculously someone decided to leave as we arrived (maybe they saw the 8 kids?) and then Rach politely asked a group (who had themselves comfortably spread over 3 lots with chairs and tables etc.,) in her best German, if it was permitted to park in their space, and they graciously admitted it was permitted! So we had our 2 spaces!

We plan to stay here for a day or two while we try and replace the pump out of the other Vomo’s main tank (for showers etc) This decided to  pack it in just after I had used it yesterday. And we will also be looking for the last bits and pieces to  fix the front of said van. The Lake is a few minutes walk away and we have discovered a quiet spot for a paddle and a swim, so hopefully the kids will be happy.

what a treat this place is!

We have seen plenty of historic buildings since we have been in Europe. People living in houses that were constructed long before New Zealand was even discovered (by Europeans, that is) We have almost become blasé about ancient dwellings. But Oberammergau is a real gem: almost impossibly pretty, so much so that you suspect that you have walked into a ‘working model’. And yet this is very much a business-as-usual township. That Tourism is the business is obvious, but to have the whole town engaged in the vision is really extraordinary. Even the most humble of dwellings, away from the main thoroughfares, is kept neat and tidy, and is a pleasure to behold.

But the main streets are a real picture. Literally, many of the houses sport decorative murals or motifs that make each one worthy of a thorough inspection. Religious themes:

folk-tale stories:

or simple decoration for the sake of it – all are here in abundance.

And of course the semi-Alpine nature of the architecture gives each building a charm of its own.  Then the whole town nestles in the valley between craggy Alpine outcrops – a jagged skyline softened by green swards of pasture lying like green blankets on the hillsides.

They say this place comes alive at the once-a-decade Easter Passion celebration, but frankly I would not want to see it any busier than it has been today. The cobbled sidewalks are awash with tables and chairs filled with folk enjoying a beverage and a tasty tid-bit. Cycle-tourists, cars and pedestrians mingle fairly seamlessly in this buzzing township and give the place a lively atmosphere. A real treat to have been here.

We walked part of The Great Wall in China; we walked right around the Wall surrounding the city of Xi’an and now we have experienced the European counterpart – the walled city of Rothenberg.

Rach had found us a very pleasant Van Park in Rothenberg, and we discovered to our pleasant surprise that it was only 5 minutes walk away from the walled city.

The weather was too threatening for us to start repairs to the van, so we took a walk into the Old Town before starting off on our next leg.

What a formidable sight, is this Walled City. Had I been an invader, I think I would have taken one look at the moat, the massive walls, the solid port-cullissed (?)gateway, the hundreds of arrow slits in the walls, and I would have said”let’s go home lads – this nut will be too tough to crack”

The defences were massive and the architecture impressive. Goodness knows how long these sorts of castles took to build, but one would have thought that the person who designed and commissioned the structure would have been long dead before it was completed. They must have had a real sense of continuity, and a confidence that their ancestors would still be in control to continue the Project.

Inside the wall, (entered through massive gateways)

 a thriving township  was built (and no doubt re-built over the ages.) Today a most picturesque town exists,

 climbing gracefully up the side of a gentle hill. Old buildings they may be, but they all house people and businesses.

Several of the buildings are home to bakeries and all produce a variations on the town’s specialty: a thing called a Schneeball (‘Snowball’ ) These are a cricket-ball-sized ball of twisted pastry strips, deep-fried and then enhanced with a variety of dips, drizzles and flavourings. They  were not cheap, but we had to try such an interesting piece of German culture!

The  Square was towards the high end of the  town, a feature of most European towns that I really like. This one was on a slope being placed on the side of the hill.

As usual, cafes spilled over onto the sidewalks in a profusion of tables and chairs, lending a casual, relaxed air to the township. Very pleasant!

I have to confess there have been many times in recent years when those nagging doubts that invade the minds of the ‘Elderly’, have certainly made their assault on my grey cells. Non-positive thoughts such as: old, useless, in-the-way, nothing –to-contribute,etc. etc  frequently invade the  mind of this ancient, fairly deaf, getting physically less-able, out-of-touch old codger.

Today was just the second day into our  motor home adventures and it was set to be a glorious day. The sun shone from a cloudless sky, barely a breath of wind, the countryside alive with birdsong and Spring’s first radiant flush of brightest greens and yellows. Ah the world looked good, and indeed it was – and still is.

We travelled in convoy with Rob and Rach in the  lead – trail-blazing with the aid of map and trusty GPS. I was getting more and more  comfortable with the job of driving the second vehicle – we were even overtaking heavy trucks on the autobahn, on the long slow-ish climbs, and tooling along at 90 ks felt fine. (Oh how the mighty have fallen! )

Driving along a quiet secondary road, towards the end of the day’s run, my attention must have wandered and suddenly I found the  outside wheels of the van were in the soft shoulder of the road.  Immediately the van veered onto the grass verge and started bucking like a wild bronco. I was wrestling very hard to maintain a semi-straight course. trying hard to regain the seal. Well I was getting there ok but unfortunately  the Germans had decided to put up a sign on a pole,right in my way. I was still struggling to keep the van from getting right out of control, so avoiding action was not an option. With a tremendous thud the pole was demolished and we lurched on. back to the safety of the road.

A stop at a rest point shortly thereafter gave us an opportunity to survey the damage.

Horrors. It was far worse than I had feared: the canopy that overhangs the van’s cab (sleeping quarters for two) had taken the full force of the blow and was very severely dented. Wrecked would be a more descriptive way of putting it. The damage is severe, It will have to be fixed and that will take time, not to mention money.

Now you know why I started with those negative thoughts, Believe me they are hard to shake off when you do something really stupid like this.

Rob and Rach are very gracious and have not vented there frustrations upon me. But at times like this I have to wonder – maybe it’s time to act your age and go home and have a nice cup of tea and a nap.

We finally arrived in Rothenberg and parked at a very nice Van Park close to town.

Next day. We spent most of today trying to sort out someone to repair the van. This turned out to be another saga – which we are getting accustomed to with things relating to vans. Rach & I found a friendly mechanic who did all he could to help. In the end he suggested we try a caravan repair place in a town 30 kms away. So off Rob and I went and found the town. Passing through we noticed a large motor home dealers so we called  in there before moving on to the recommended place. The dealership was full of luxury super-homes and as we trundled in with our sad & sorry-looking 1983 Fiat you could almost feel the immaculately-suited gents recoil in horror. They really did not want our thing spoiling the look of their display. We climbed down and asked if they could effect the repairs. They looked pityingly at us and said the repairs would cost at least E3000 and the van was only worth E800! “please go away” was the message we got. So away we went and found a friendly service station guy further down the road. When we described the place we were looking for it quickly became obvious that that was where we had just been! Our options had dwindled to one – do it yourself. So off we went to the local ‘Mitre 10’ and bought up tools and bits and pieces which we hope are going to be sufficient for  us to tidy things up and make it all watertight. Today it rained so repairs were out of the question, Instead we drove down to Oberammergau, nestled in the foot of the Alps. Beautiful countryside and we found a nice cheap place to park the vans

More later.

We have been in Berlin now for nearly 2 weeks. Enough time you would say, to see all the significant spots at a comfortable pace. Unfortunately it has not been the case due to the ongoing saga of purchasing 2 motor homes (plus getting a replacement Bank card as a side-issue) We have dealt with (and finally overcome) Germany’s bureaucracy to become officially Registered, thus enabling subsequent steps of Insuring the vehicles, then getting vehicle registration (after confirming with certificates that they have the necessary TUF (warrant of fitness) and then Number-plates for the two vehicles. In NZ this would be an afternoon’s work at the Post Office. Here it has taken over a week with a lot of blood, sweat and tears (well, almost). We had great help from some of the guys at the couch-surfing place where we were staying. The lady we were purchasing one vehicle from met us at the German AA office, but their combined efforts ended with them saying that it looked impossible to do! The AA tried to be helpful but just did not have the experience that we needed to solve the issues.

So here we are, proud possessors of one vehicle

and with the other one due to be ready at the end of the week, the delay being due to work necessary (at the Dealer’s expense) to get the ‘TUF’ certificate.

However we have squeezed in a fair bit of sight-seeing in between all the tripping to and fro’ and we have become seasoned users of the Berlin U-bahn,(metro) S-bahn (rail) systems, trams and Shanks’s ponies. We have walked the streets, played and pic-nicked in their parks,

and more recently driven a motor-home through the heart of the city and successfully navigated to an obscure camping supplies shop to buy a ‘Porter-potty’ for the other van. (for this last feat all credit goes to Rob for his driving skills and his trusty GPS)

I managed a walk down to The Brandenburg Gate

and the Parliament buildings

just yesterday, and in addition to the historic places there were a lot of interesting other sights, such as the full size puppet manhandled by about 6 people.

Plus an interesting assortment of pedal=powered machines.

……and today we got to see Checkpoint Charlie and Potsdamer Platz – both of which I have to say, were pretty much non-events. Important in the history of Berlin no doubt, but visually very ordinary. Far more impressive was Berlin’s central railway station – a marvelous suspended glass structure.

We ran out of booking space at the first couch-surfing place, so we had to move last night to a new couch-surfing host. Here some of us are very comfortable. I say some of us because they have managed to find space for 3 of us, the rest having to sleep in the van. Of course the van is comfortable enough but is not in a Camping ground – it is parked in front of a row of shops about 1/2 km from the apartment. We are not sure how legal this is, but we are keeping a low profile!

The whole tribe comes over to the apartment to eat breakfast and dinner at night and to get washed up etc. It is not the most convenient, but it is a real God-send until we get the second  van and head off into the wide blue yonder to be completely independent. Then things will really be looking up!

And to add to the satisfaction of the day, I have just learned that my new Bank card has arrived at the first address we had in Berlin, so tomorrow I will be off to pick that up, and start to get solvent once more!

We are being hosted by 3 young ladies: a Social Science student, a nurse and a Receptionist. They have (by European standards) a really large apartment with probably 5 large rooms, a small kitchen and 2 toilets (one of which has a shower/bath) The 3 of us are in one bedroom, all to ourselves, which is something of a luxury and we are very comfortable.

On the down side, many of us are plagued by a wretched cough and some have heavy colds, so we are not at our sparkling best – but the sun is shining, the days are getting longer and warmer – summer is coming and we will soon be bouncing again.

We are really looking forward to this next stage in our wanderings.  Internet connections may not be so readily available but I’m sure we will stay in touch.