After a couple of relaxing days I became inpatient to get on my bike again and go on. My only problem was to find a route north through terrain unknown to me. I decided follow the Naab first and then go east to the border. I was still keen on seeing some more castles and made a stop at castle Flossenbürg which is an impressive ruin.
In Bärnau I visited a historical reconstructed village. They built there the mother of castles, a "Motte", the very first fortification used in the year 800 CA.
I drove on into the Fichtelgebirge. There time has stopped several years ago as you can see from the prices in the local pub. But the place Mehlmeisel is so remote and deserted that the pub was already closed when I walked there after I had erected my tent on the local campsite. It was 8 o'clock. Good night Mehlmeisel, without beer then.
Have I already told you how lucky I was. The day at walchensee and the night in Mehlmeisel was the only time I had rain. The rest of the time the weather was good. And lucky I was, to put my tent into one concave spot on the campsite which was flooded with water 5 cm deep. When you wake up and have the feeling you are lying on a water bed you don't regret any euro you spent for your tent as long the inside of the tent is still dry.
After spending a lot of time driving in circles in the Fichtelgebirge I finally reached Kulmbach and was greeted by an impressive castle.
Leaving Kronach behind I reached the Thüringer Wald and found a very nicely placed campsite near Ilmenau at the Lütsche barrier lake.
The next day I visited the famous Wartburg in Eisenach where Martin Luther was hiding for two years. The castle itself is a nice to see but very crowded. Still you have a good few from the castle.
My GPS kept trying to lead me some very small roads which I did not dare to take. Off road was not planned and I did not trust my abilities.
Finally I reached Tilleda where I met Thomas and his parents. From there we made two day trips into the Harz. In Stolberg we come in the middle of a crowd of Simsons. Roughly two hundred historic motorcycles and scooters swarm the small village. Loud, stinky and colorful. And exept for a few bikes with starting problems they are all gone within 15 minutes again.
We visited the Hexenberg, the witch hill, and stop for coffee in Quedlinburg …
As it was another nice summers day we definitely needed some cooling off in the "cold Bode". The Harz still has nature enough so we could enjoy a bath like we were made by nature.
But then there came the time, that I realized, that most of my time for the trip was over and I had to think about returning home. The nice thing on a long journey is the fact that you only realize its limits when you come close to the end. There is no "half time point" or anything like that. There is only the start, the getting used to, the doing it, and finally the realization, that it will end soon.
Strangely, once I realized that I had only a few days left I set myself a daily milage which put me under some pressure. Or was it the slight rain, which troubled me when visiting the Hermansdenkmal in Kassel. Anyways, this is not one of the must sees.
But the Edersee is. As one of the big barrier lakes in Germany it is surrounded by a small number of villages and lot of campsites. It is my second last night of the trip an I enjoy a few beers and another instant meal. And a nice chat with my tent neighbors, two women in an historic caravan expedition tent.
The Edersee said good night to me with a nice rainbow and I realized once more how lucky I was with the weather. Yes, it was horrible hot in the motorcycle cloth, not talking of the the winter trousers I started with, but for such a trip it is still better when its hot then when its raining. And in this respect I was really lucky.
Continuing home, I was took by surprise when I passed the village Münchhausen. I did not know, that the village of the fehrytales existed for real. But I could see no one flying by on a canon ball.
My final must see spot was the German corner, the estuary of the Mosel into the Rhein in Koblenz.
I could have driven home the same day, but I had an appointment with Maria in the Ahrtal. This valley is very beautiful and famous for its vineyards. But in Altenburg it is the cliffs which limit the narrow valley, which dominate the scenery.
We met at a small campsite directly the Ahr river. It gave some frech vegetables cooked on the camping stove for a change. Womans influence.
Then the trip really came to its end. The wide plane north of the Eifel had me back. But I was changed. I started as a bloody rookie on the motorcycle, not knowing what to expect an if I would like this form of traveling. I had troubles with corners, was unfamiliar with the heavy bike, did not know, where to park it. In short, I did know nothing of what it is to drive a bike. Now I had crossed the south of Germany, had gained three weeks of experience and had driven more than 3000 km on one of the smallest roads Germany could possibly throw at me. And I had learned, that this is one of the best ways to travel through a country.
In Bärnau I visited a historical reconstructed village. They built there the mother of castles, a "Motte", the very first fortification used in the year 800 CA.
I drove on into the Fichtelgebirge. There time has stopped several years ago as you can see from the prices in the local pub. But the place Mehlmeisel is so remote and deserted that the pub was already closed when I walked there after I had erected my tent on the local campsite. It was 8 o'clock. Good night Mehlmeisel, without beer then.
Have I already told you how lucky I was. The day at walchensee and the night in Mehlmeisel was the only time I had rain. The rest of the time the weather was good. And lucky I was, to put my tent into one concave spot on the campsite which was flooded with water 5 cm deep. When you wake up and have the feeling you are lying on a water bed you don't regret any euro you spent for your tent as long the inside of the tent is still dry.
Leaving Kronach behind I reached the Thüringer Wald and found a very nicely placed campsite near Ilmenau at the Lütsche barrier lake.
The next day I visited the famous Wartburg in Eisenach where Martin Luther was hiding for two years. The castle itself is a nice to see but very crowded. Still you have a good few from the castle.
My GPS kept trying to lead me some very small roads which I did not dare to take. Off road was not planned and I did not trust my abilities.
Finally I reached Tilleda where I met Thomas and his parents. From there we made two day trips into the Harz. In Stolberg we come in the middle of a crowd of Simsons. Roughly two hundred historic motorcycles and scooters swarm the small village. Loud, stinky and colorful. And exept for a few bikes with starting problems they are all gone within 15 minutes again.
We visited the Hexenberg, the witch hill, and stop for coffee in Quedlinburg …
As it was another nice summers day we definitely needed some cooling off in the "cold Bode". The Harz still has nature enough so we could enjoy a bath like we were made by nature.
But then there came the time, that I realized, that most of my time for the trip was over and I had to think about returning home. The nice thing on a long journey is the fact that you only realize its limits when you come close to the end. There is no "half time point" or anything like that. There is only the start, the getting used to, the doing it, and finally the realization, that it will end soon.
Strangely, once I realized that I had only a few days left I set myself a daily milage which put me under some pressure. Or was it the slight rain, which troubled me when visiting the Hermansdenkmal in Kassel. Anyways, this is not one of the must sees.
But the Edersee is. As one of the big barrier lakes in Germany it is surrounded by a small number of villages and lot of campsites. It is my second last night of the trip an I enjoy a few beers and another instant meal. And a nice chat with my tent neighbors, two women in an historic caravan expedition tent.
The Edersee said good night to me with a nice rainbow and I realized once more how lucky I was with the weather. Yes, it was horrible hot in the motorcycle cloth, not talking of the the winter trousers I started with, but for such a trip it is still better when its hot then when its raining. And in this respect I was really lucky.
Continuing home, I was took by surprise when I passed the village Münchhausen. I did not know, that the village of the fehrytales existed for real. But I could see no one flying by on a canon ball.
My final must see spot was the German corner, the estuary of the Mosel into the Rhein in Koblenz.
I could have driven home the same day, but I had an appointment with Maria in the Ahrtal. This valley is very beautiful and famous for its vineyards. But in Altenburg it is the cliffs which limit the narrow valley, which dominate the scenery.
We met at a small campsite directly the Ahr river. It gave some frech vegetables cooked on the camping stove for a change. Womans influence.
Then the trip really came to its end. The wide plane north of the Eifel had me back. But I was changed. I started as a bloody rookie on the motorcycle, not knowing what to expect an if I would like this form of traveling. I had troubles with corners, was unfamiliar with the heavy bike, did not know, where to park it. In short, I did know nothing of what it is to drive a bike. Now I had crossed the south of Germany, had gained three weeks of experience and had driven more than 3000 km on one of the smallest roads Germany could possibly throw at me. And I had learned, that this is one of the best ways to travel through a country.