Deleted account rno
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Our annual bike pilgrimage to our base in Jockgrim, Germany began with a run down to Newcastle for the overnight DFDS ferry. I learned a harsh lesson on the way south: make sure that your Stich is fully zipped up. I left one of the zippers open a fraction and got a bit wet during a really heavy downpour just over the border. It didn't help that the rain became so heavy that I had to open my visor to see and the rain then ran down inside my helmet invading the neck of my Stich. I soon dried off on arrival at the ferry port.
We took the direct Autobahn route south to our base and spent our first day relaxing and seeing my family. It's a bit of a bore during the 360 odd mile hike south and next year I might take a wee detour and use more minor and biker friendly roads. The temptation to get "home" to Jockgrim via the quickest route is high though. I never tire of the place, especially Hinterstadtel (the old part of the village) where my family roots are.
There was an annual festival beginning in Jockgrim on our second day there. The Fussball Dorfmeisterschaft Fest is a football tournament that goes on for whole week. It's main attraction is the bier tent. My Dad informed us that we would need to arrive early to ensure a seat because "it'll be mobbed" so I took his advice. I think my Dad might have just been a bit thirsty and desperate to get down there for a pint.
We had a good view of the game mind you...
On the Sunday, we took a run across the border into Alsace and visited part of the Maginot Line. The French border at Lauterbourg is only a few kilometres from Jockgrim and some of the roads and villages in the area are quite spectacular.
Lauterbourg is the most easternly town in the whole of France and I remember in the old days of Francs, Deutsche Marks and Border Guards, queuing up at the Douane to cross over and buy cheap cigarettes.
The Customs Zoll at Lauterbourg is now a wee museum and cafe but the photo on the wall is how it used to look. I remember it well.
The Maginot Line is really interesting and there are bunkers scattered all over the region here in Northern Alsace.
The museum at Hatten is well worth a visit and has warfare equipment from as late as the Cold War on display as well as WW11 relics.
The distant hills in the background are north Schwarzwald
The impact of a mortar round on the re-enforced concrete had little real effect
Hatten is a lovely little town and it's hard to equate the damage and suffering that went on here during hand to hand combat that went from house to house during January 1945. Much of the town needed to be rebuilt after the war. Apparently, there is a monument in Strassbourg based on the tragic story of a woman from this area who lost both her sons in WW11. Her first son died in the early days of the war fighting in the French army against the Germans. Her second son was later conscripted into the German army and he was killed in action fighting the Allies.
An hour long film of the battle of Hatten and the surrounding area is continually shown in the museum cinema. Although narrated in French, the B/W cine footage of the battles and local history is really powerful viewing.
They even have part of the Berlin Wall on display
This part of France was formerly part of Germany (and formerly part of France...and formerly part of Germany etc, etc). Anyway, the names of the villages are undoubtably part of their German heritage. Names like Offendorf, Munchhausen, Beinheim and Betschdorf and the half timbered design of the houses give the area a very German feel. Some of the village names are more German than others mind you...
The Siegfried Line ran through the Bienwald on the outskirts of Jockgrim and we found an old munitions bunker. Like the rest of the bunkers, they were detroyed by the Americans during and just after the war
The following day, Frau Ronno and I had a run up into the Pfälzerwald. We chose to go there on a weekday as some of the roads are closed to bikes at the weekend.
The Pfälzerwald becomes the northern Vosges when you cross the border and the roads here are really something on a bike. First off we rode up to Hinterweidenthal near Annweiler and had a wee treck up to Teufelstuesch (the Devil's Table), a vast sandstone pillar that dominates the skyline here.
We then headed up the famous Johanneskruez road, a mecca for German bikers. They come here from all over Germany and luckily for me, it's on our doorstep in Jockgrim. Fast, sweeping bends and tight hairpins are great fun but the sparodic roadside shrines are a reminder of how quickly a misjudged bend or poor riding can result in disaster. The roads here are very narrow in places and bad driving and road positioning by car drivers must surely play a part in the high number of accidents.
There were only a handful of bikes at the hotel when we stopped for a bar lunch. This should have been a warning but I didn't pick up on it. Most other times that I've visited has seen dozens of bikes and bikers around the hotel.
There were no menues available which I found a bit odd and the waiter quickly told us what food was available. Steak and pepper sauce or Wild Boar was a bit too much for lunch so we opted for a ham ommelette and bread combo type dish, which seemed to please Christine (Frau Ronno). The earlier treck must have given her an appetite.
The dishes arrived and TBH, one between us both would have done. There must have been 5 or 6 eggs in each dish.
It was fairly tasty and we swithered about having a coffee to finish. Neither of us could eat all of our lunch so we passed on the coffee too. Thank God. The bill for two (including two pints of bier Shandy): 42 Euros! (FFS that's nearly forty quid for a bar lunch). We spoke to two German guys outside who'd just paid 11 Euros for 2 coffees. I hate getting ripped off. Needless to say, we wont be back to the Johanneskruez Hotel. There's a really nice (and biker busy) pub about 300 metres north of here. I know that now.
The next day, we headed back over into Alsace. I'm just getting to know this area (criminally on my part) despite it only being a few kilometres away. I've always tended to stick to the German roads.
We headed for Wissembourg, a really beautiful and historic town, rich in splendid architecture
It was really hot and the temperature rose to 34 degrees. While sitting at a cafe, a nubile young femme cycled past. I nearly spat my drink out. Too late in getting the camera out, I was cursing myself. Then God smiled on me. She was off the bike and walking towards us. Remembering all my intense training on an Espionage Course (or was it on a Perverts Course? I've been on both you know), I swung into action. I aimed my camera in the direction that she was walking and allowed her to stroll from behind me into camera shot. Hey Presto.
She merely confirmed what I'd already learned that day: you get a sweaty arse riding a bike in those temperatures. Frau Ronno was still shaking her head at me when we headed back off on the bike.
Our next day took us into the wine and Spa land of Bad Duerkheim. We met my mate Rene who was born and raised in Jockgrim but now lives in Speyer. His long departed dad and my Old Man were best friends and I've known Rene all my life. He bought an R80 last year and got back into biking after about 25 years out of the saddle. Rene owns a holiday cottage in the vinyards high in the hills overlooking Bad Duerkheim. It's a cracking spot in the world. We could only spend the morning with him but we stayed on in the town for a wander around. The famous Duerkheimer Faß is now a restaurant but when it was constructed, it was the biggest wine barrel in the world.
1.7 million litres is a lot of wine in anybody's book of consumption
We then had a trundle around some of the nearby picturesque wine villages in the north part of the Deutscher Weinstraße. Places like Wachenheim and Deidesheim are steeped in wine gowing history.
Although just a very small village, Deidesheim boasts a 5 star hotel which has hosted heads of state from all over the world including Bill Clinton and John Major from the time of Helmut Kohl being German Bundeskanzler (Kohl comes from the area here). It's a stunning place. I bet their prices are still cheaper than the hotel at Johnneskruez
We then rode up high into the nearby vinyards where the view takes you over the Rhein valley into the Odenwald and south into Schwarzwald
The statue is of Eve and the local area is presumably meant to represent the Garden of Eden
Our next wee trip took us back over into Alsace. The road between Lauterbourg and Wissembourg is about 20 kms of vast straights coupled with sweeping bends that you can take at 80 mph plus. We hardly saw another vehicle.
Villages like Seebach and Hunspach are spotlessly clean and the locals were extremely friendly (maybe it's their German ancestory
)
The following day, we headed back to team up with Rene at his cottage. I've seen worse views than the one from his wee holiday haus.
Christine stayed at the cottage and let me and Rene out for the afternoon on the bikes. He knows some great little back roads that sweep through the dense forest high into the Pfälzerwald, west of Bad Duerkheim. We stopped off at an amazing place (the name of which now escapes me
). It's an old castle that's now a Youth Hostel. It has a fabulous outdoor pool and equally impressive cafe and restaurant. When we called in, the place had been taken over by the German chapter of The Blue Knights, who are all Policemen so I'm led to believe. They were in the process of setting up for a weekend event. A great venue for a "Do" but the Knights were all a bit too Club-like and very organised for my liking. That said, they were all very friendly so maybe it's me that's wrong.
Rene then then took us into Medieval villages like Neuleiningen and Freinsheim. Neither of them seemed in any way "touristy" which I found strange given the stunning architecture and scenic backdrops. These places are less then 30 miles from Jockgrim. My sister and parents have been to neither village and in fact had not even heard of Neulieningen. Secret jewels in the Rheinland Pfalz crown perhaps?
I hadn't even noticed that Rene was wearing camouflage clothing until we stopped outside the church tower in Neulieningen
Nearby Freinsheim is surrounded by a Medieval wall which has a narrow, cobbled path running around the inside of it.
It felt quite strange running on this route on the bikes. You somehow felt that horseback should be the mode of travel and when we were sitting later having a coffee, I kept waiting on knights on horseback galloping though the archway entrance to the village
The only Knights that we saw were two from the earlier Youth Hostel event who had run out of milk.
The next day saw the beginning of what was for me the highlight of the entire trip: a run down to Berchtesgaden in Bavaria. I've never been before but have promised myself this for ages. Earlier intended trips had been cancelled for various reasons.
It's well over 320 miles from Jockgrim to Berchtesgaden and a run that my GPS told me should be four and a bit hours took almost seven due to horrific traffic jams on the A8 Autobahn. Even leaving the Autobahn for spells didn't help that much as it was a holiday weekend. Filtering was the order of the day but sometimes impossible due to roadworks and single lane traffic.
Anyway, we arrived at Konigsee near Berchtesgaden at the back of 6 p.m. We hadn't booked in anywhere as I like to live life on the edge but after numerous "Zimmer Belegte" signs had me sweating like a young French lassie on a bike, we found a rather nice place with a "Zimmer Frei" sign. Phew....
A lovely elderly couple invited us warmly into their charming alpine home. 25 Euros pppn bed and breakfast. Not to be scoffed at even in these dark days of piss poor exchange rates. The view from our balcony wasn't too shabby either. The mighty Watzmann mountain.
We went out for a good scoff and drink at a nearby small hotel. Again, the prices were really excellent and the local bier called Berchtesgadner was one of the best pints I've ever tasted. The good people that we were in digs with even had a hospitality bar where you just wrote your name in the book and helped yourself to bottles of bier, wine and soft drinks. The bottles of bier were particularly tasty sitting on the balcony with a Waltzmann backdrop.
We were up early next morning for a ride up to Obersalzburg where the public road ends en route to the Kehlsteinhaus (Hitler's Eagle's Nest to you and me). Entry to the Eagle's Nest is actually free: if you take the 2.5 hours to walk up from the main bus car park. It was about 30 degrees at 09:00 this morning so (any excuse) we took the bus up. The last part of the 20 minute journey is made via tunnel and elevator which takes you up the remaining 100 metres or so. Then you reach here: The Eagle's Nest
Spectacular is the only word (for me anyway) to describe it here. The sense of drama, history and occasion was a very strange experience for me. It's quite hard to describe. You could look down on Konigsee and see the water shimmering in the searing sunshine
Looking into the distance, you can see Salzburg itself (Obersalzburg. It's well named I suppose)
The views are astonishing and photographs just don't do them justice. I could only point and snap and do my best
In this one, you can see the road snaking up on both sides of the mountain below
We stopped in at the cafe bar for a bier and a glass of wine and soak up some more of the atmosphere
Little has apparently changed at Kehlstein since the days when Hitler held meetings and conferences here and looking around you certainly sense a feeling of history (however unsavoury that history may be)
You'd have thought that with his money, he could have afforded sunglasses?
After about two and a half hours at the summit, we decided to head down to the bus again. On the way, I thought we'd met Proff. Couldn't have been. They don't sell cider up here...
We did meet a guy from Linlithgow who has moved to Bavaria and works as an Alpine photographer.
The sunshine and shadows were playing tricks here. I admit that I was wearing my Lederhosen but the Hitler 'tache is an optical illusion. Honest.
We decided to walk back to the bus and miss the elevator. Fairly easy going downhill I'll admit
Next time we go, we're going to do the walk up to the Kehlstein. Pity you can't use your bike. Those bends look like fun...
Back at the Bus Pick Up Point, you can see the tunnel leading to the elevator and the summit with the Kehlsteinhaus restaurant
Berchtesgaden itself is a bit dreary and run down but some of the roads and villages in the nearby countryside are stunning. I can't remember the name of this place but I doubt if I'll have been the first person who thought that this view might make a half decent photograph
I was going to stick my GS somewhere in the pic and then decided against it
We also did the touristy trip on the boat along Konigsee. I'm glad that we did but wouldn't do it again. It was simply "OK". One highlight was when the ship's electric motor got shut down and the guide opened a door wide on the boat. He then played a trumpet which echoed around the alpine mountains. Sounds corny I know but it was breathtaking at the time
We only stayed here for a couple of days but it was well worth making the trip. Now that we know the area a bit better, we'll aim off for a four or five day stay next time. We'll definitely come back to the same BnB. It was brilliant.
Back in Jockgrim, Frau Ronno had that "getting ready for the long journey home" feeling and wasn't too keen on any bike trips. Good news for me then. I got out to play on my own.
I started off in St Martin, a village on the Weinstrasse. I had a coffee here
and then had my annual Holiday Faux Pas.
I ordered a coffee sitting outside and while waiting, I got up and had a wee wander around taking a few photos. It's a nice village.
I then sat down again, waiting on my coffee. And waited. And waited. I was beginning to despair after a good 7 or 8 minutes and I wondered what had happened to the famed German efficiency. I was on the verge of getting up to leave when I noticed a cup of coffee siting on the next unattended table. The one that I'd been sitting at when I placed my order I reached over, took the cup and allowed the stone cold coffee to slide back my throat. I then made a slight nodding motion with my head for the benefit of the other patrons who were watching me, as if to say to them, "Ah, freezing cold: exactly the way I like my coffee." I then paid and left. Twat.
I left St Martin, taking the 17 km long Totenkopfstrasse (Death's Head Road) route over Elmstein Tal to Johanneskruz (again). The roads really are brilliant here. The photos simply don't do them justice
I stopped at the now discovered "good pub" at Johanneskruez and wasn't surprised to find it much busier than the hotel
I then rode a further 40 kms from Johanneskreuz through Annweiler to pick up the Weinstrasse route to the French border. There were a few bikes heading down towards Annweiler
I crossed into France at Wissembourg using an old road that still has the Zoll/Douane box in place. I reckon that the Passport Control crossing system changed here at the advent of computers. There wouldn't have been room for one after the Customs Officer got his flask and radio out on the desk
It's hard to imagine this being a direct route from Germany into France
I then stopped off on my way back to Jockgrim at the neighbouring village of Hatzenbuhl. They still grow tobacco here and dry it in high sheds. When I was a kid, my Oma used to have a tobacco field and I remember helping to sew the leaves together. Just goes to show how different our climates must be.
The smell of the drying leaves took me back to my childhood in an instant
Next day, it was tearfull farewells to loved ones and then we then set off north towards Ijmuiden for the ferry. We were stopping overnight half way so we took the scenic route and stopped for a bite to eat at Bacharach on the Rhein. It's a cracking wee place with one of the best roads I've ever been on
A couple of dusky damsels seemed a bit confused
Maybe they were wondering how many glasses of wine one fat lass needed
Or maybe they were amazed at how much stuff one lass needed for a two week bike trip.
We spent our last night at a smashing wee pub in Erpel, on the opposite bank of the Rhein from Remagen. Really good digs and a great meal and friendly staff. We'll defintely use this again as our "half way hoose" for futrue trips.
Erpel itself was a nice wee place and I found a nearby pub with a Lloyd Alexander car parked outside. I've seen some bigger looking GSA's
The bridge at Remagen/Erpel was destroyed during the war but it must have been some construction. The battlement bridgends are still in place and are huge
And then it was off for the last leg of our journey. The ferry and then home. Like most holidays, once you get home, you feel as if you've never been away. I must admit though that this one was especially enjoyable for both Frau Ronno and myself.
Roll on next year.
We took the direct Autobahn route south to our base and spent our first day relaxing and seeing my family. It's a bit of a bore during the 360 odd mile hike south and next year I might take a wee detour and use more minor and biker friendly roads. The temptation to get "home" to Jockgrim via the quickest route is high though. I never tire of the place, especially Hinterstadtel (the old part of the village) where my family roots are.
There was an annual festival beginning in Jockgrim on our second day there. The Fussball Dorfmeisterschaft Fest is a football tournament that goes on for whole week. It's main attraction is the bier tent. My Dad informed us that we would need to arrive early to ensure a seat because "it'll be mobbed" so I took his advice. I think my Dad might have just been a bit thirsty and desperate to get down there for a pint.
We had a good view of the game mind you...
On the Sunday, we took a run across the border into Alsace and visited part of the Maginot Line. The French border at Lauterbourg is only a few kilometres from Jockgrim and some of the roads and villages in the area are quite spectacular.
Lauterbourg is the most easternly town in the whole of France and I remember in the old days of Francs, Deutsche Marks and Border Guards, queuing up at the Douane to cross over and buy cheap cigarettes.
The Customs Zoll at Lauterbourg is now a wee museum and cafe but the photo on the wall is how it used to look. I remember it well.
The Maginot Line is really interesting and there are bunkers scattered all over the region here in Northern Alsace.
The museum at Hatten is well worth a visit and has warfare equipment from as late as the Cold War on display as well as WW11 relics.
The distant hills in the background are north Schwarzwald
The impact of a mortar round on the re-enforced concrete had little real effect
Hatten is a lovely little town and it's hard to equate the damage and suffering that went on here during hand to hand combat that went from house to house during January 1945. Much of the town needed to be rebuilt after the war. Apparently, there is a monument in Strassbourg based on the tragic story of a woman from this area who lost both her sons in WW11. Her first son died in the early days of the war fighting in the French army against the Germans. Her second son was later conscripted into the German army and he was killed in action fighting the Allies.
An hour long film of the battle of Hatten and the surrounding area is continually shown in the museum cinema. Although narrated in French, the B/W cine footage of the battles and local history is really powerful viewing.
They even have part of the Berlin Wall on display
This part of France was formerly part of Germany (and formerly part of France...and formerly part of Germany etc, etc). Anyway, the names of the villages are undoubtably part of their German heritage. Names like Offendorf, Munchhausen, Beinheim and Betschdorf and the half timbered design of the houses give the area a very German feel. Some of the village names are more German than others mind you...
The Siegfried Line ran through the Bienwald on the outskirts of Jockgrim and we found an old munitions bunker. Like the rest of the bunkers, they were detroyed by the Americans during and just after the war
The following day, Frau Ronno and I had a run up into the Pfälzerwald. We chose to go there on a weekday as some of the roads are closed to bikes at the weekend.
The Pfälzerwald becomes the northern Vosges when you cross the border and the roads here are really something on a bike. First off we rode up to Hinterweidenthal near Annweiler and had a wee treck up to Teufelstuesch (the Devil's Table), a vast sandstone pillar that dominates the skyline here.
We then headed up the famous Johanneskruez road, a mecca for German bikers. They come here from all over Germany and luckily for me, it's on our doorstep in Jockgrim. Fast, sweeping bends and tight hairpins are great fun but the sparodic roadside shrines are a reminder of how quickly a misjudged bend or poor riding can result in disaster. The roads here are very narrow in places and bad driving and road positioning by car drivers must surely play a part in the high number of accidents.
There were only a handful of bikes at the hotel when we stopped for a bar lunch. This should have been a warning but I didn't pick up on it. Most other times that I've visited has seen dozens of bikes and bikers around the hotel.
There were no menues available which I found a bit odd and the waiter quickly told us what food was available. Steak and pepper sauce or Wild Boar was a bit too much for lunch so we opted for a ham ommelette and bread combo type dish, which seemed to please Christine (Frau Ronno). The earlier treck must have given her an appetite.
The dishes arrived and TBH, one between us both would have done. There must have been 5 or 6 eggs in each dish.
It was fairly tasty and we swithered about having a coffee to finish. Neither of us could eat all of our lunch so we passed on the coffee too. Thank God. The bill for two (including two pints of bier Shandy): 42 Euros! (FFS that's nearly forty quid for a bar lunch). We spoke to two German guys outside who'd just paid 11 Euros for 2 coffees. I hate getting ripped off. Needless to say, we wont be back to the Johanneskruez Hotel. There's a really nice (and biker busy) pub about 300 metres north of here. I know that now.
The next day, we headed back over into Alsace. I'm just getting to know this area (criminally on my part) despite it only being a few kilometres away. I've always tended to stick to the German roads.
We headed for Wissembourg, a really beautiful and historic town, rich in splendid architecture
It was really hot and the temperature rose to 34 degrees. While sitting at a cafe, a nubile young femme cycled past. I nearly spat my drink out. Too late in getting the camera out, I was cursing myself. Then God smiled on me. She was off the bike and walking towards us. Remembering all my intense training on an Espionage Course (or was it on a Perverts Course? I've been on both you know), I swung into action. I aimed my camera in the direction that she was walking and allowed her to stroll from behind me into camera shot. Hey Presto.
She merely confirmed what I'd already learned that day: you get a sweaty arse riding a bike in those temperatures. Frau Ronno was still shaking her head at me when we headed back off on the bike.
Our next day took us into the wine and Spa land of Bad Duerkheim. We met my mate Rene who was born and raised in Jockgrim but now lives in Speyer. His long departed dad and my Old Man were best friends and I've known Rene all my life. He bought an R80 last year and got back into biking after about 25 years out of the saddle. Rene owns a holiday cottage in the vinyards high in the hills overlooking Bad Duerkheim. It's a cracking spot in the world. We could only spend the morning with him but we stayed on in the town for a wander around. The famous Duerkheimer Faß is now a restaurant but when it was constructed, it was the biggest wine barrel in the world.
1.7 million litres is a lot of wine in anybody's book of consumption
We then had a trundle around some of the nearby picturesque wine villages in the north part of the Deutscher Weinstraße. Places like Wachenheim and Deidesheim are steeped in wine gowing history.
Although just a very small village, Deidesheim boasts a 5 star hotel which has hosted heads of state from all over the world including Bill Clinton and John Major from the time of Helmut Kohl being German Bundeskanzler (Kohl comes from the area here). It's a stunning place. I bet their prices are still cheaper than the hotel at Johnneskruez
We then rode up high into the nearby vinyards where the view takes you over the Rhein valley into the Odenwald and south into Schwarzwald
The statue is of Eve and the local area is presumably meant to represent the Garden of Eden
Our next wee trip took us back over into Alsace. The road between Lauterbourg and Wissembourg is about 20 kms of vast straights coupled with sweeping bends that you can take at 80 mph plus. We hardly saw another vehicle.
Villages like Seebach and Hunspach are spotlessly clean and the locals were extremely friendly (maybe it's their German ancestory
)
The following day, we headed back to team up with Rene at his cottage. I've seen worse views than the one from his wee holiday haus.
Christine stayed at the cottage and let me and Rene out for the afternoon on the bikes. He knows some great little back roads that sweep through the dense forest high into the Pfälzerwald, west of Bad Duerkheim. We stopped off at an amazing place (the name of which now escapes me
). It's an old castle that's now a Youth Hostel. It has a fabulous outdoor pool and equally impressive cafe and restaurant. When we called in, the place had been taken over by the German chapter of The Blue Knights, who are all Policemen so I'm led to believe. They were in the process of setting up for a weekend event. A great venue for a "Do" but the Knights were all a bit too Club-like and very organised for my liking. That said, they were all very friendly so maybe it's me that's wrong.
Rene then then took us into Medieval villages like Neuleiningen and Freinsheim. Neither of them seemed in any way "touristy" which I found strange given the stunning architecture and scenic backdrops. These places are less then 30 miles from Jockgrim. My sister and parents have been to neither village and in fact had not even heard of Neulieningen. Secret jewels in the Rheinland Pfalz crown perhaps?
I hadn't even noticed that Rene was wearing camouflage clothing until we stopped outside the church tower in Neulieningen
Nearby Freinsheim is surrounded by a Medieval wall which has a narrow, cobbled path running around the inside of it.
It felt quite strange running on this route on the bikes. You somehow felt that horseback should be the mode of travel and when we were sitting later having a coffee, I kept waiting on knights on horseback galloping though the archway entrance to the village
The only Knights that we saw were two from the earlier Youth Hostel event who had run out of milk.
The next day saw the beginning of what was for me the highlight of the entire trip: a run down to Berchtesgaden in Bavaria. I've never been before but have promised myself this for ages. Earlier intended trips had been cancelled for various reasons.
It's well over 320 miles from Jockgrim to Berchtesgaden and a run that my GPS told me should be four and a bit hours took almost seven due to horrific traffic jams on the A8 Autobahn. Even leaving the Autobahn for spells didn't help that much as it was a holiday weekend. Filtering was the order of the day but sometimes impossible due to roadworks and single lane traffic.
Anyway, we arrived at Konigsee near Berchtesgaden at the back of 6 p.m. We hadn't booked in anywhere as I like to live life on the edge but after numerous "Zimmer Belegte" signs had me sweating like a young French lassie on a bike, we found a rather nice place with a "Zimmer Frei" sign. Phew....
A lovely elderly couple invited us warmly into their charming alpine home. 25 Euros pppn bed and breakfast. Not to be scoffed at even in these dark days of piss poor exchange rates. The view from our balcony wasn't too shabby either. The mighty Watzmann mountain.
We went out for a good scoff and drink at a nearby small hotel. Again, the prices were really excellent and the local bier called Berchtesgadner was one of the best pints I've ever tasted. The good people that we were in digs with even had a hospitality bar where you just wrote your name in the book and helped yourself to bottles of bier, wine and soft drinks. The bottles of bier were particularly tasty sitting on the balcony with a Waltzmann backdrop.
We were up early next morning for a ride up to Obersalzburg where the public road ends en route to the Kehlsteinhaus (Hitler's Eagle's Nest to you and me). Entry to the Eagle's Nest is actually free: if you take the 2.5 hours to walk up from the main bus car park. It was about 30 degrees at 09:00 this morning so (any excuse) we took the bus up. The last part of the 20 minute journey is made via tunnel and elevator which takes you up the remaining 100 metres or so. Then you reach here: The Eagle's Nest
Spectacular is the only word (for me anyway) to describe it here. The sense of drama, history and occasion was a very strange experience for me. It's quite hard to describe. You could look down on Konigsee and see the water shimmering in the searing sunshine
Looking into the distance, you can see Salzburg itself (Obersalzburg. It's well named I suppose)
The views are astonishing and photographs just don't do them justice. I could only point and snap and do my best
In this one, you can see the road snaking up on both sides of the mountain below
We stopped in at the cafe bar for a bier and a glass of wine and soak up some more of the atmosphere
Little has apparently changed at Kehlstein since the days when Hitler held meetings and conferences here and looking around you certainly sense a feeling of history (however unsavoury that history may be)
You'd have thought that with his money, he could have afforded sunglasses?
After about two and a half hours at the summit, we decided to head down to the bus again. On the way, I thought we'd met Proff. Couldn't have been. They don't sell cider up here...
We did meet a guy from Linlithgow who has moved to Bavaria and works as an Alpine photographer.
The sunshine and shadows were playing tricks here. I admit that I was wearing my Lederhosen but the Hitler 'tache is an optical illusion. Honest.
We decided to walk back to the bus and miss the elevator. Fairly easy going downhill I'll admit
Next time we go, we're going to do the walk up to the Kehlstein. Pity you can't use your bike. Those bends look like fun...
Back at the Bus Pick Up Point, you can see the tunnel leading to the elevator and the summit with the Kehlsteinhaus restaurant
Berchtesgaden itself is a bit dreary and run down but some of the roads and villages in the nearby countryside are stunning. I can't remember the name of this place but I doubt if I'll have been the first person who thought that this view might make a half decent photograph
I was going to stick my GS somewhere in the pic and then decided against it
We also did the touristy trip on the boat along Konigsee. I'm glad that we did but wouldn't do it again. It was simply "OK". One highlight was when the ship's electric motor got shut down and the guide opened a door wide on the boat. He then played a trumpet which echoed around the alpine mountains. Sounds corny I know but it was breathtaking at the time
We only stayed here for a couple of days but it was well worth making the trip. Now that we know the area a bit better, we'll aim off for a four or five day stay next time. We'll definitely come back to the same BnB. It was brilliant.
Back in Jockgrim, Frau Ronno had that "getting ready for the long journey home" feeling and wasn't too keen on any bike trips. Good news for me then. I got out to play on my own.
I started off in St Martin, a village on the Weinstrasse. I had a coffee here
and then had my annual Holiday Faux Pas.
I ordered a coffee sitting outside and while waiting, I got up and had a wee wander around taking a few photos. It's a nice village.
I then sat down again, waiting on my coffee. And waited. And waited. I was beginning to despair after a good 7 or 8 minutes and I wondered what had happened to the famed German efficiency. I was on the verge of getting up to leave when I noticed a cup of coffee siting on the next unattended table. The one that I'd been sitting at when I placed my order
I reached over, took the cup and allowed the stone cold coffee to slide back my throat. I then made a slight nodding motion with my head for the benefit of the other patrons who were watching me, as if to say to them, "Ah, freezing cold: exactly the way I like my coffee." I then paid and left. Twat.I left St Martin, taking the 17 km long Totenkopfstrasse (Death's Head Road) route over Elmstein Tal to Johanneskruz (again). The roads really are brilliant here. The photos simply don't do them justice
I stopped at the now discovered "good pub" at Johanneskruez and wasn't surprised to find it much busier than the hotel
I then rode a further 40 kms from Johanneskreuz through Annweiler to pick up the Weinstrasse route to the French border. There were a few bikes heading down towards Annweiler
I crossed into France at Wissembourg using an old road that still has the Zoll/Douane box in place. I reckon that the Passport Control crossing system changed here at the advent of computers. There wouldn't have been room for one after the Customs Officer got his flask and radio out on the desk
It's hard to imagine this being a direct route from Germany into France
I then stopped off on my way back to Jockgrim at the neighbouring village of Hatzenbuhl. They still grow tobacco here and dry it in high sheds. When I was a kid, my Oma used to have a tobacco field and I remember helping to sew the leaves together. Just goes to show how different our climates must be.
The smell of the drying leaves took me back to my childhood in an instant
Next day, it was tearfull farewells to loved ones and then we then set off north towards Ijmuiden for the ferry. We were stopping overnight half way so we took the scenic route and stopped for a bite to eat at Bacharach on the Rhein. It's a cracking wee place with one of the best roads I've ever been on
A couple of dusky damsels seemed a bit confused
Maybe they were wondering how many glasses of wine one fat lass needed
Or maybe they were amazed at how much stuff one lass needed for a two week bike trip.
We spent our last night at a smashing wee pub in Erpel, on the opposite bank of the Rhein from Remagen. Really good digs and a great meal and friendly staff. We'll defintely use this again as our "half way hoose" for futrue trips.
Erpel itself was a nice wee place and I found a nearby pub with a Lloyd Alexander car parked outside. I've seen some bigger looking GSA's
The bridge at Remagen/Erpel was destroyed during the war but it must have been some construction. The battlement bridgends are still in place and are huge
And then it was off for the last leg of our journey. The ferry and then home. Like most holidays, once you get home, you feel as if you've never been away. I must admit though that this one was especially enjoyable for both Frau Ronno and myself.
Roll on next year.
