Berlin Bound...And Beyond

After an incredible few days in Wachtberg we throw ourselves straight back into camper van life. After 154 km we arrive at our first stop, Seige. We have no gas or electricity which makes for a long cold night. Our next stop is 258 km away in Hofgeismar. We spend the night in a quiet carpark in the centre of the small town alongside two other campers. We stock up on yet more blankets from a discount textile store in the village before moving on once again.

Hofgeismar, Germany

Hofgeismar, Germany

We drive 80 km East to Einbeck. The drive is beautiful, quiet country roads lined with huge trees the leaves are brown to gold and every colour in between. We count hundreds of discreet hides camouflaged in trees lining the the fields around us used to hunt deer. After driving for two hours in the beautiful countryside we reach our stop. We are staying in a carpark next to a swimming pool and are one of two campers. We head out for a leg stretch with Oscar and search for the town centre when we pass a very excitable dog and his owner. We get talking to the lady and she kindly invites us along with her on a dog walk. She tells us all about her dog Chief who she rescued from America last year. Her story was heart breaking, she found him on the side of the highway chasing cars and took him to a shelter where she was told to take him back to the highway because the shelter was too full and they would only have to put him down in a few days. By now she'd grown attached to him and obviously wasn't prepared to leave him by the side of the road. She had him flown back to Germany for a grand total of $2000. She explained that he is hard work at times but he looked so happy and grateful of some love and attention. Just the cutest story. So whilst we quizzed his owner on the village and surrounding areas Chief and Oscar spent the walk chasing each other in and out of the river and across muddy fields. The walk takes an hour or so and afterwards the lady walks us into the city centre to show us around. This place is unbelievably beautiful. A famous beer producing city, dating back to prehistoric times. The entire place was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1540. The fire was started by an arsonist, Heinrich Diek who was convicted and died in an iron cage which is now on display in the town hall. We spend the morning wandering around before setting off again.

Einbeck, Germany

Einbeck, Germany

We travel 582 km east making a stop in Klosterberg before arriving in Berlin. After attempting to check into three different campsites to no avail we finally find a camper parking site in Kopenick 20 minutes outside Berlin city centre. After a busy day we wander into the town and stare in awe through all the shop windows shivering in our inadequate winter coats. An hour later Jac and I are the proud owners of new, very practical winter coats. Feeling guilty after blowing our budget we wander back and settle in the van to watch a couple of episodes of Dexter before getting an early night ready to meet my cousin Aaron at Schonefeld airport the following morning.

Today is November 14th, we've been away 29 weeks and are overly excited about seeing a familiar face. We catch the train from Kopenick to Ostkreuz (Central) then onto the airport. We wait anxiously in the arrival lounge, our eyes lighting up every time the double doors open to reveal another passenger. After what seems like an age Aaron finally appears and we briefly catch up outside in the bitterness. We are about to head back to the train station when the doors open once again and to my shock/horror/surprise........my dad and uncle Tony walk through, suitcases in tow.

Best. Surprise. Ever.

By this point I'm bounding around like an overexcited puppy and nobody can get a word of sense out of me. We spend the whole train journey gabbling like a flock of geese before dropping their cases in the hotel and heading out for some food. We enjoy a marathon catch up over steak, burgers and beer at 'Ribs & More' and spend the rest of the night in cocktail bar.

So excited to see my Dad



Jac, Aaron, Uncle Tony & Dad at Ribs & More

The following morning we are nursing our hangovers like bears with sore heads, we struggle to shower and dress ourselves before meeting Aaron, Dad and Uncle Tony at their hotel. We try and fail miserably at finding something that resembles an English breakfast before giving in and consuming a mountain of eggs and fruit. Feeling slightly more human we head, on the train to Oranienburg where we walk 2 km to Sachenhausen Concentration Camp. This is the third camp Jac and I have visited so whilst the others take a look around we educate ourselves in the library and warm up with a hot chocolate.  Later that afternoon we head to the Brandenburg Gate, built as a triumphal arch city gate in 1791. Next we head to the Reichstag, the 19th century home of the German Parliament, remodelled in 1999 by Norman Foster when an impressive glass cupola was added. This now serves as a huge tourist attraction with a restaurant affording views over the new government quarter that has developed around the Reichstag available to visit by appointment only. Next on the list is the Holocaust Memorial, officially known as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. A moving arrangement of 2711 upright concrete slabs of varying height designed by Peter Eisenman and Buro Happold. The memorial took 20 months to construct at a cost of 25 million Euros. There is also an underground information centre holding the names of all known Jewish Holocaust victims.  We head back through the Brandenburg Gate and stop in an Italian restaurant near Pariser Platz for dinner. We walk back to the hotel with the others and enjoy a couple of drinks in the hotel bar. Jac and I leave around midnight to head back to the camper.

My Dad and Jac at breakfast



Sachenhausen Concentration Camp, Berlin



Berlin, Germany





Brandenburg Gate, Berlin



The Reichstag, Berlin



The Holocaust Memorial



These four in their 'Boy Band' pose

The following morning we meet at the underground station to head out for another day of sightseeing. All three of them (Dad, Aaron and Uncle Tony) look shattered and are struggling. It doesn't take them long to confess that they managed to run up a 150 Euro bill in the bar last night. We get the tube to Prinzenstrasse where we visit Checkpoint Charlie the best known Berlin Wall crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War.  None of them are particularly chatty until they get a McDonalds breakfast (or two) inside them. After breakfast we head to the Berlin Wall open air display where we learn about the construction, failed and successful escape attempts and are able to see a portion of the wall. We follow a trail which takes us along the former course of the wall until we reach Friedrichstrasse where a large part of the wall still stands. Here we are also able to see parts of the former Gestapo and SS Headquarters which now houses a huge photography exhibition named Topography of Terror. After a morning of sightseeing in the rain the others head back to the city centre to do some shopping whilst Jac and I head back to the Brandenburg Gate for a hot chocolate. We meet at the hotel where the guys are printing bording passes and getting ready to fly home early the following morning. We head out for dinner and a few drinks to celebrate a great weekend and say goodbye before heading back to the camper in Kopernick. An amazing action packed 3 days has left us exhausted so we spend the following day relaxing before leaving Berlin.

Harry & Lloyd looking worse for wear

 

Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin



Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin



Oscar at the Berlin Wall



At the Berlin Wall & former Gestapo and SS Headquarters



My Dad and I after a busy day of sightseeing

Next stop...Poland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



A Week With The Clay's - Wachtberg

Whilst we were exploring Amsterdam I got a call to say my Auntie Julie was in Germany visiting her brother and sister in-law who recently moved over from America. I've not seen her for months so accepted without hesitation when she invited us to visit them. We drove 368 km across Holland and just over the border into Germany. We arrived at the Clay residence in Wachtberg, approximately 25 km outside of Bonn mid afternoon. We were greeted by Nigel, Auntie Julies brother and Murphy their Labradoodle. Not long after we arrived Auntie Julie, Michele, Nigel's wife and their 5 year old daughter Natalie returned from a girls shopping trip. We caught up over an amazing finger buffet of bread, cheese, meat and olives for lunch before heading out with the dogs across some farmland behind their beautiful house. In the distance Nigel points out seven hills on the other side of the Rhine known as the Siebengebirge and an impressive collection of castles adorning them. This makes for a pretty impressive view in the morning.

It doesnt take long for us to settle in, Auntie Julie kindly gives up her bedroom in the basement and moves into Natalie's room with her. Michele insists we make full use of the laundry room to get all of our washing done whilst we are there. Clean bedsheets and towels should help to make returning to the van just about bearable in a few days time. Jac is on bedtime story duty and Oscar and Murphy are sleeping on the sofa worn out from an afternoon of playing together. We enjoy hearty home made toad in the hole for dinner and spend the evening catching up. The prospect of a proper bed for the first time in 7 months is just too much, we are tucked up and sound asleep by 11. I'm not sure who is more excited, us or Oscar.

Jac, Natalie, Gavin & Murphy enjoying a bed time story

Auntie Julie & her brother Nigel

Murphy & Oscar asleep after playing together all day



Its the little things

The following morning Nigel and Michele take us to visit Rheinfels Castle in St Goar. The castle dates back to 1245 and is the largest and most imposing on the River Rhine it also ranks in the top three castles in Rhineland. We start a walking tour around the castle from the clock tower. The castle is huge and in 1692 withstood an attack of 20,000 French troops.  We spend the afternoon exploring caves, tunnels and staircases before heading back to the house to see what Oscar and Murphy have been up to. Jac cooks poached salmon, steamed vegetables and new potatoes for dinner and we open a couple of bottles of wine. We spend the evening watching Justin Timberlakes SNL videos and share some of our travelling photographs. 

A view of the Rhine from the castle

Gavin at Rheinfels Castle

Rheinfels Castle

A view along the Rhine

A view from the castle

 

L-R Gavin, Michele, Natalie and Nigel

The following morning we are up early and ready to make the most of the day with Auntie Julie as she flies back to the UK tonight. We head to a town called Linz, about 20 minutes from Wachtberg. We drive along the Rhine before catching a quick car ferry to the other side, it takes less than 5 minutes and costs 3€. We spend the day popping in and out of the quaint little shops in the town and looking at the beautiful little houses. We find a small pub to escape the cold and sample some local beer and some currywurst. Later that evening we drive Auntie Julie to the airport and wave her on her way.

Natalie kindly lends me her sweat band....



Linz, Germany



Linz, Germany




Linz, Germany



Saying goodbye to Auntie Ju

We return to the house where it's my turn for bed time story duty. I begin reading Natalie's book of choice, Puff The Magic Dragon. Less than 2 pages in she informs me I should be 'singing' the story not just reading it. After a slightly embarrassing 10 pages we are finished and Natalie attempts to comfort me by telling me my singing 'isn't that bad'. Next it's Gavin's turn, he's picked an equally challenging read, Dr Suess. A book of rhymes and riddles and although I dont have to sing this one it saw me tongue tied after only a cupple of pages. I muddle my way through to the end and Gavin seems satisfied with my attempts and happily goes off to bed. We spend the rest of the evening watching a film with Michele and Nigel.

The following day is a relaxed and slow paced as both the children are full of a cold. Michele takes me to the local shopping centre where I stock up on fleeces and blankets for the camper whilst Jac walks Murphy and Oscar and Nigel watches the children. By mid afternoon the children have perked up so Jac and I take them to the park whilst Michele spends the afternoon preparing a traditional Amercian Roast. Later that evening we sit down to dinner, a slow cooked beef joint roasted with chunky vegetables and red wine served with potatoes and bacon and butter brussel sprouts. For afters we sample four small desserts. Absolutely incredible!!

Gavin at the park



Ready to try our first American Roast



Those cakes...

Today we are up early and preparing to leave. We gather our things and try and restore some order in the camper. It's going to be hard to settle back in after a few days in a spacious house with unlimited hot water and a washing machine. Our time with The Clays has been brilliant, we've had some much fun and they've been the best hosts. They've filled us with amazing food, shown us some beautiful sights and given us the most comfortable nights sleep we've had in months. We can't thank them enough.

 

Saying goodbye to The Clay's after an amazing stay

 

 

 

 

A New Travel Companion - Oktoberfest

Following our long awaited reunion with Spike we decided to head straight out of Austria to Germany’s largest federal state, Bavaria. We crossed the border with no formalities, hoping to catch the last couple of days of the world famous beer festival Oktoberfest. We packed in 330 km before arriving at our campsite in the state capital Munich. We wasted no time and as soon as we were registered and parked in a pitch we headed to the bar. A typical wooden lodge type affair full of long benches packed end to end with rowdy lederhosen wearing men glugging beer by the litre and eating chicken like it was their last meal. We sat down and ordered 3 steins, 4 shots and 2 half roast chickens and before we knew it we too were glugging beer by the litre and eating chicken like it was our last meal. The atmosphere was excellent and it got us excited to see the real thing the following day. We stumbled back to the camper and settled down for the night. Excited at the prospect of another person in the camper Oscar decided to sleep on Spikes chest, breathing directly into his face. Realising that he had 10 nights like this ahead of him Spike nipped it in the bud and directed Oscar to the bottom of the bed to keep his feet warm.

Oscar, excited at the prospect of a cosy nights sleep

The following morning brought a slow start, Spike and I bimbled around in the camper whilst Jac threw up the entire contents of his stomach from the night before outside. After breakfast and a shower we attempted our journey to the Theresienwiese Fairground. We paid 11€ for a metro ticket and walked to the nearest station. Our train arrived shortly after we did and after making it 3 stops down the line Jac needed to vacate to throw up again, this pattern repeated itself for most of the morning. As Spike and I professionally diagnosed Jac with a 24 hour sickness bug we decided not to waste our day riding back and forth on the underground and to try again the following day. We had paid an astonishing 50€ to stay at the Oktoberfest Campsite the previous night and although we were there for a blowout we decided to save some of the fun tokens and wild camp at the Allianz Arena 11 km down the road. We arrived at the wild camp and were pleasantly surprised to find that there was free electricity, we settled in and spent the afternoon relaxing in the sun with fairly unusual surroundings. The stadium was pretty spectacular, a grand spherical structure comprised entirely of large glass bubble effect panels and as night fell the stadium lit up white, red and blue.

The Allianz Arena, Munich

The following morning Jac woke feeling right as reign, we set off for the metro and our second attempt at Oktoberfest. It took us around 20 minutes to reach Mozart Street and as we climbed the steps to the street the cold hit us, it was freezing however the cold weather was no deterrent, for anyone. The pavements were a sea of men, women and children all wearing traditional clothing and huge smiles heading for the festival. The three of us were hugely excited and what greeted us when we reached the gates took our breath away. This was short lived as a police officer approached us and told us we weren’t allowed in with Oscar. Feeling defeated and like nothing was going our way we stood dumbfounded for a few minutes. The police officer took pity on us and  explained that there were cameras monitoring this entrance so he could not let us in but that there was another entrance 200m down the road where we would stand more of a chance. We followed the path along the perimeter of the fairground until we reached another entrance, there didn’t appear to be anyone there so we took a brisk walk through. No sooner than Oscar’s first paw was over the threshold we heard loud sirens behind us and were ready to give up when an ambulance sped past us into the fairground to tend to a casualty. Nothing like a bit of paranoia to get the adrenalin pumping.

Oktoberfest 2014

Oktoberfest is held for 16 days from the penultimate Saturday in September. It is described as an orgy of beer drinking spiced up by fairground rides that are so hairy they’re banned in the U.S. The fairgrounds are divided along four main avenues creating a city within a city heaving from morning till night. The event began as a fair held to celebrate a Bavarian royal wedding in 1810 and proved so popular it’s continued ever since. It’s now so popular an astonishing 6 million people visit every year. There were people as far as the eye could see, mostly in traditional clothing but lots of people were in fancy dress. Avenues were lined with beer gardens, food stalls and games. We crept into the first beer garden we reached not wanting to attract too much attention to ourselves and Oscar. We found a table and ordered three beers and a couple of bratwurst. Before long we were joined by two families, one from Cologne and one from Munich. They spoke very good English and spent the afternoon educating us on Oktoberfest, traditions, food and beer. Both families were so kind and invited us to visit them at their houses after Oktoberfest.  We haven’t been able to yet but hope to visit in December.

These two wasted no time and headed straight for the bar

Sharing a beer & a kiss

One of the families we met at Oktoberfest

The afternoon flew by and feeling like we had more of an insight in the German way of life we decided to have a look around. We stopped at a food stall for Nutella crepes and pastries before venturing further along the avenues. My sweet tooth honed in on a stall selling the prettiest gingerbread biscuits. They came in every shape and size and were beautifully decorated, I stood admiring them for ages hoping I’d be able to afford a few to keep and take home. At 7€, possibly THE most expensive biscuit I've ever bought I settled for one. I turned to show off my purchase to Jac and Spike but they were nowhere to be seen. Needless to say I wasn’t lost for long; I stumbled upon them at a bar where they were lining up shots of Cinnamon Tequila, Sambuca and Passoa. Inevitably this would be the end of our night.

Oktoberfest 2014

Oktoberfest 2014

The following morning we woke feeling worse for wear, we packed up and left the Allianz Arena and headed for our next stop, via Burger King. We reached the northern edge of Munich and the town of Dachau, the site of Germanys first Concentration Camp. We tagged along on a guided tour although the slow paced tour with hundreds of questions was hard to bear on a hangover so we made our own way around the site. We entered through the main gate where we were greeted with the moto Arbeit Macht Frei, “work sets you free”. We wandered around a large photo exhibition detailing the history of the Third Reich where a strong stomach was needed. The pictures were graphic, some gruesome, showing thousands of malnourished prisoners, some dead some alive, some working, some trying to escape and some that survived until liberation. Next we visited the gas chambers and crematoriums, again this is no weak feat, these places further confirm the atrocities that were carried out here. We walked the perimeter of the camp where the tall fences topped with barbed wire and electrical currents still stand before visiting a Jewish memorial. 

Dachau Concentration Camp

Jewish Memorial at Dachau

 

The perimeter fence at Dachau

87 km away in Gunzburg we relaxed on a campsite for the night. We spent the majority of the following day travelling 320 km west along the Rhine and across the border into France where we arrived at a Municipal Campsite late in the afternoon. We checked in for two nights and spent the rest of the evening playing cards and enjoying a vegetable curry that Jac made.  Molshiem is a fairly small town dating back to the 14^th Century famous for its Bugatti Museum. We started at a café where we tried hot chocolate, coffee and pastries before exploring the rest of the town. We saw The Butchers House, built in 1583 for the Butchers Corporation, The County Court, built in 1906 by Maximilien Metzenthin, The Chapel, The Jesuit Church, a Powder Keg Wall and The Blacksmiths Gate as well as a winery and a house covered in ornaments, statues, tiles and gnomes. Something you have to see to believe (see pictures below). We walked Oscar around 3 km along the River Bruche to the next village. We bought pizza and beer on the way back and spent the evening playing cards.

Molsheim, France

Spike & Mr Bugatti

 

Molsheim, France

An unusually decorated house in Molsheim

Molsheim, France

Walking the dog along the River Brunche

Molsheim, France

Our next stop is Rastatt, 136 km back across the Rhine and into Germany. We found a camper parking area at the back of a sauna car park and went for a walk. We came across a small quiet town with a few shops and the first thing we have seen that semi resembles a pub. We stayed for a couple of drinks before leaving in search of a pack of cards. For the rest of that day (and night) we could be found at a table in the corner of a tiny back street casino playing Benny, breaking up each game with a salami baguette. In the days that followed this routine did not change, we would drive from town to town, do some sightseeing,  find a bar, sample food and drink before moving on to the next one. Numerous pastries, pretzels, donuts and half roast chickens.

Rastatt, Germany

Rastatt, Germany

Drunkenly displaying my excellent photography skills

 

10 games of Benny later.......

After visiting a town named Karlsruhe we travelled 95km to our penultimate stop Bad Durkheim. We checked into a campsite in the middle of nowhere surrounded on every side by farmland and steep vineyards. The campsite was quiet so we took a walk into the town. We saw some beautiful hotels and restaurants and browsed around a few shops to kill a bit of time. We were heading back to the camper later that afternoon when we spotted an Irish bar named Molly Malone’s, the first we’ve seen since we’ve been away. We decided to go in for a drink and game of cards (for a change). We sampled a Pink Panther and a Green ‘somethingorother’ which tasted like a pint of apple sours before running back to the camper in the pouring rain. The rest of the evening involved 2 pizzas, tomato and mozzarella balls, a bit of karaoke and family guy. The following day we passed through Frankfurt on our way to a wild camp near Hahn Airport. We spent the majority of the day driving and had an early night ready for a 4am start the next day. We were up and ready on Spikes last day and dropped him at the airport for 5. We spent an amazing 10 days travelling around a small part of Austria, Germany and France and when the time came we didn’t want him to leave. We had so much fun although it’s now time for a long overdue detox. No beer or pizza for a week.

After waving goodbye to Spike we drove 192 km back across the border into France and headed north to a town called Burton Court. We relaxed here for two days before heading off towards Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg, otherwise known as Benelux.