Germany – Page 4 – Travelling reflections

Odyssey Day 31 and Heidelberg

Feeling blessed. The room has both a Gideon Bible and a Mormon Book of Prayer.

The University Botanical Gardens are a pretty sanctuary and open on Corpus Christy, the public holiday. Reunited with frogs and their mating noises.

Friday and all is back to normal. Heidelberg feels a young town despite its antiquity. The University days back to 1400s, and still dominates. The Church in the market Square is old too, with links to the Lutherans (first time in ages George Wishart’s name has appeared). Wonderful stained glass and a great tower. The rotating perspex cross casts different light. Perhaps more eloquent than the heat of the Catholic-Protestant claim to the church. Until 1936 it was divided down the aisle by a partition.

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Tomorrow flatter again.

Germany, Odyssey, Uncategorized

Odyssey Day 30 Dillingen to Schwabisch-Hall

You really get a sense of Germany as a fertile bread basket in this area. Most fields are unfenced and with varied crops. We’re in Baden-Wurttemberg.

Spring flowers abound, we’re probably following then north. Today’s river is the Kucher which splits Schwabisch-Hall.

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This has a history of salt production. Today it’s more known for the pretty Alltstadt with St Michael’s Church in the square with the largest dry of steroids you’ll have seen to enter it. Also used as a stage: tonight they agree rehearsing “Everyman”, which looks a bundle of laughs.

It’s also twinned with Loughborough, which might explain the uk Telephone box.

Inside the church you read, as in Innsbruck, of the local Christians that opposed Hitler and were persecuted.

Germany, Odyssey

Odyssey Day 29 Munich to Dillingen

A different day today, seeing life from the perspective of the support crew. They work well together, facing challenges with a positive and quick response. WhatsApp is used a lot and links the various strands together.

Munich traffic is just crazy in both directions, though the out stream at least moves. You get a sense of the size of the river plain, just enormous. Pristine villages and well tendered crops makes me wonder if Bavarians are close to the Germanic Swiss. Nothing is out of place.

Which is why is was fun to find an delapidated house in Lauingen together with a cigarette machine. No doubt the large and numerous churches keep the flock in line.

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The Danube dominates.

Germany, Odyssey

Munich

Had a different day benefitting from the excellent skins of the Bavarian Health Service. And having EHIC : another Brexit disaster looms.

Barbara explored the city for both of us, including a just amazing sports shop. She’ll do some notes…. that’s a hint!

Tbe Beer Cellar last night was a must do tourist trap.

Germany, Odyssey

Odyssey Day 28 Garmisch to Munich 62 miles 600m

A completely different landscape: river plain, meandering down and some rolling hills. The start was framed by mist covered forested hills.

Bavaria feels prosperous, traditional (as evidenced by numerous villagers in traditional dress going to church, and friendly. High Maypoles set the challenge. Sheep, cattle and horses in more abundance.

The friendliness seemed to change tbe closer we got to Munich: our greetings often ignored or people just passed by. Maybe a big city thing. Maybe us of course, going slower than the speeding local cyclists.

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What a way to enter a city though. Following the river and then, bam!, centre of town.

Prices have just rocketed since we left Trieste.

I discovered the cost of a momentary lapse of concentration on a gravel path. Gravel won. Nurses Tate and Balasz did a great job and we got to Munich.