Synopsis: Spent time on lake Ammersee, in Laura and Uwe’s caravan, for walking, cycling and sight-seeing. Then time in Uhingen for time with Helen and Can, and more of the same. It was a great time.
(selection of photos from Flickr photo set – use link above to view album)
I was up early to catch the 8:40 National Express coach to Heathrow. The coach journey was punctual. The flight from Heathrow was delayed by about 30 minutes, but nothing else untoward. Laura and Uwe were at Stuttgart Airport to greet me on arrival. How nice it was to see them once again. Laura drove us back to their place in Esslingen. Uwe had kindly prepared a curry for our supper, which we ate on their terrace, with a backdrop of thunder and lightning. When it started to rain, we decided to retreat indoors.
We had a cup of tea and Laura cleaned out Sophie's (the chinchilla) cage and organised the auto feeder to ensure she got a feed every day whilst we were away. Uwe told me he had some ideas for walks he'd found on the German Rambler's web site. We decided to load the routes to my Garmin, so we set about doing a load of the Garmin Base Camp software so that we could do that. It took longer than one might think, but finally we had achieved what we had set out to do. By then we were all tired, and so we turned in for the night.
We were up early and had a quick breakfast and had the caravan hitched from its place in the road, and were on our way by 9:15. The drive to Utting went smoothly enough, although some traffic congestion delayed us a little. We arrived at the campsite at 12:30, just as they were about to close for lunch, which was lucky, as they processed us and allowed us on to site so that we could pitch the caravan. Five minutes later and we would have had to wait for 2 hours.
We had lunch in the little restaurant on the campsite. Laura kindly paid, as she said it was Father's day in Germany, so she wanted to pay for lunch. I had a lovely schnitzel with camembert cheese with potato salad. The weather was pleasant enough (just) for us to sit out and eat our lunch.
The weather brightened as the afternoon drew on, so we decided to take a little cycle ride to the northern end of the lake, where the River Amper flows from the lake. It was nice to relax in the peaceful surroundings of the lakeside. We stopped by a jetty to view the lake. It was a little muddy in places, and Laura in particular, was soon covered in mud.
Helen and Can were to join us today, on a visit to Schloss Linderhof. As they were driving up from their home in Uhingen, they said that they would meet us there. As we had some time to spare, Laura, Uwe and myself drove into Diesen where we strolled around the pottery market. From the size of the car park on the outskirts of the village, it was obvious this was going to be a major event. We came upon exhibitors from various countries. Laura and Uwe discovered a little jug they liked, which I bought for them as a thank you for their having invited me to stay in their caravan.
It was a little damp upon our arrival at Schloss Linderhof. We were slightly ahead of Helen and Can, but it wasn't long before they met up with us. We bought our tickets for the palace and gardens, entry being on a timed basis. As we had about 45 minutes till we were due our entry, we decided to grab a bite to eat. There was a small café selling food nearby. I had the traditional Bavarian white sausage and sauerkraut.
We approached the palace just as we were due to enter. We had booked ourselves on an English language tour, which was just as well, for me at least. It is a very sumptuous palace, filled with amazing ornament. The Meisen pottery sculptures were worth the visit alone. Of all of King Ludwig's II palaces, it is said that Schloss Linderhof has the most complete and ornate interior.
After the tour of the palace we made our own way around the palace gardens. It was still raining a little. Unfortunately we couldn't see the peaks of the high mountains all around, as these were shrouded in mist. But in a way, the dampness and the mountain mist added to the atmosphere. I would think the highlight of the gardens has to be the grotto. Apparently this was blasted out of the hillside with dynamite. Well, I suppose every palace must have its grotto.
We were in some disarray driving back to our caravan, as both Uwe and Can wanted to get Lotto tickets, as, apparently, there was a €93m prize in the next round. Uwe had enormous trouble finding a place selling tickets, but eventually he had acquired some.
We checked Helen and Can into the campsite for the two nights they were to stay with us. We had a cold cheese and meats platter for supper during the evening, as we were all quite full from our lunch. Can took the bunk bed above me, whilst we needed to sort out a bed in the dining area for Helen. It was perfect sleeping accommodation for the five of us.
A friend of Helen and Can's, Laura and Uwe's, was to join us for our trip to Kloster Andechs today. He was due to arrive at 9:00 with his bike. Bikes needed to be sorted at the nearby cycle hire centre for Helen and Can. They soon met us at the caravan with a couple of very new looking mountain bikes. Alme had by then joined us too, so we were ready to set off.
We circled around the northern end of Ammersee and then cut down to Stegen. Here we were directed away from the lakeside and had a considerable hill to climb before we were crossing the countryside on tracks heading in the direction of Herrschling. The weather had improved considerably on the previous day, and by now the sun was shining and the day warming fast.
We had planned a short break at Herrschling. This we found to be a most attractive place. Little wooden boathouses were interspersed with wooden jetties on which one could sit in the glow of the sun. Helen saw a tree that she fancied, and was soon climbing it. Can, not to be outdone, was soon in the tree too.
It proved well that we did break our journey in Herrschling, as the final part of our cycle tour to Kloster Andechs was hard going. The way was steep and along a very rough track with tree roots spanning our way and making it impossible to cycle. There was nothing for it but to get off and push. And the final stretch involved a dramatic drop before a steep climb up steps to the entrance of Kloster Andechs. I think we were all exhausted by the time we arrived.
We padlocked our bikes and then found a table in the beer garden. Then we queued for food, which wasn't a long wait, as everything was taking place with expected German efficiency. Next thing I knew a large litre glass of beer was placed next to me. What with this, and the enormous joint of pork I'd just acquired, I had a feast before me to contend with. The favourite beer I tasted was the Andechser Dopplebock Dunkel.
I was amazed at the number of people there. Almost all the tables were full. Some people were in traditional dress. Everyone was having a great time. The atmosphere was infectious. It proved rather hot in the early afternoon sun, but the beer kept flowing, and I suppose that kept us cool (or at the very least, we weren't that aware of the heat).
There were religious services seemingly taking place all day long. I am told that it was an important time in the calendar of the German church. It was difficult to determine which were the greater in number, the religious pilgrims, or the beer drinking pilgrims. I was definitely of the latter.
Note: the day of our visit (Saturday 16th May) coincided with the weekend of Feast of The Ascension (German: Christi Himmelfahrt).
After we had acquired the obligatory fridge magnets, we descended the main approach to the monastery. At the bottom of the hill we took the road to Herrschling. It was only a short ride along the hill ridge before dropping steeply into Herrschling. Uwe had it in mind that we all needed an ice cream, and perhaps we did. We stopped briefly at an ice cream parlour not far from the ferry jetty, and stood on the pavement eating our various ice creams.
Our ferry to Utting was due at 18:20, so we had little time to waste. Soon after acquiring our tickets the boat came into sight and it wasn't long before we were on our way. I think we were all grateful to see the ferry, as I believe we were all tired by this time.
Laura and Uwe planned to cook us a spaghetti Bolognese for our supper, which was the perfect way to round off the day. Before we knew what was happening, Can and Alme said they were headed to Edeka, the local supermarket, for some beer, and came rolling back with a dozen bottles of beer from Kloster Andechs.
Later that evening we played 'Guess Who I Am', where we were each given a secret name, and had to ask the others questions to determine who we were. Helen was Leibnitz, Can Meat Loaf, Laura Angela Merkel, Uwe Dracula, Alme King Ludwig II, and I was Prince George. Laura won, and I came a close second.
After the game, we were beat. Alme retired to his car, as that was where he intended to spend the night. Sleeping arrangements for the rest of us were in the caravan as on the previous night.
We decided we'd pop into Diesen to take another look at the pottery market, as we thought Helen and Can would like to see it. Today, there was no hope of parking in the railway car park, as cars were being barred from entering the village centre. They were obviously expecting a lot of visitors today. Uwe parked our car up on the main road and we walked down.
The day had started rather dull, but at least it wasn't raining. There was a band playing what I assume to be traditional German country music. I shot a short video so as to capture the sound (see video: WP_20150517_001).
We then all piled back into the car, and Uwe drove us to Partnachklamm. It was about an hour's drive, back into the alps. We parked up, and then made our way along a country lane in the direction of the gorge. There were horses drawing passenger carts ferrying people to-and-fro the gorge. The river we followed was a turquoise colour, as all the rivers are in these parts. I assume as a result of sediment from the limestone mountains through which they flow. The sun had come out and the day was warming nicely, and we were beginning to think that we had overdressed with our many layers of clothing.
We came upon a little chalet house serving food just short of the gorge entrance, and so we decided we'd eat there. We found a picnic table in the sun, with bird cages stocked with pheasants and hens nearby. The lunch was substantial and good, providing good quality food, and all the sustenance we needed for the gorge.
Although walking towards the gorge we had questioned our dress, we were glad of our jackets once through the entrance gate. The gorge is dark and dripping with water, and no sun penetrates into the chasm, so it was quite chilly and damp.
The gorge impressed us all. It is very imposing. The large volume of water was gushing down the narrow channel in the steeply sided gorge. In places the path comes very close to the water, which creates a thunderous roar as it flowed at speed beneath us. The gorge walls had been scalloped by erosion from the flow of the water through many years. We stood and gaped in awe at this spectacular force of nature.
At the head of the gorge we suddenly popped out into a light and airy valley. There was a shingle beach at the water's edge, and the river was flowing at a sedentary pace when compared to the flow we witnessed in the gorge. It is as if the river flows towards a high wall of of almost vertical rock, which it has decided to carve its way through rather than go round.
We looked at the map provided on an information board at this point, to determine a route back. We'd noticed some people standing on an iron bridge over the gorge, and a path circling the valley top and leading to this bridge we identified on the map. This we decided to follow.
After a very steep climb we eventually found ourselves in what might be viewed as a typical alpine meadow scene. The sun was shining, and there was little evidence of the gorge below. The mottled greens of the forest covered mountains were very picturesque.
Our path took us down a small incline to the old iron bridge. It looked a little rickety, and the planks were rather loose, but we chanced our luck. The bridge certainly affords a superb view looking down into the gorge far below. It was a good choice to have come this way.
We traced the lane back to where our car was parked near the old Olympic Stadium. There was a notice board providing information on the stadium's history. It dates back to the Munich Olympics of 1936, the Hitler Olympics one might say. This was the venue of the winter sports of that event. The architecture is interesting, as it is so obviously of that nationalistic period in Germany's history.
It took us about an hour to drive back to the caravan. Laura and Uwe, Helen and Can, soon set off on their journeys home, as they had work the following day. I made myself a sandwich and then took a little stroll down by lake Ammersee. It was a mild sunny evening. It seemed awfully quiet being on my own, after such a busy weekend.
This was a glorious hot sunny day. It was forecast to be possibly the best day for weather in the week, so I was determined to make the most of it. I first attempted to find a cycle route on the Internet, with Starnbergsee my intended cycle destination. I couldn't get good enough WiFi reception at the caravan, so I wandered down to the small campsite restaurant area, found an outside table, and once again attempted to connect to the Internet. Still I had no success, and the day was already slipping away, so I decided to make sandwiches and set off on my bicycle and determine my route as I went.
I circled around the north of lake Ammersee, as we'd done a couple of times before. And then, just past Stegen, I broke off northwards, in the direction of Seefeld. I came upon some nice trails that led me through woods and across meadows, before dropping down to Worthsee.
There were people sunbathing in the parks adjacent to Worthsee, and on the jetties. The water was looking marvellous in the sun light. I followed the picturesque banks of Worthsee for a while, before heading off in the direction of Pilsensee.
At Seefeld, close to Pilsensee, where there is an old schloss, I stopped to ponder whether I could cycle a trail around Pilsensee, but this didn't seem possible. I therefore decided to park up and stop for some lunch under the shade of a tree not far from the entrance to Schloss Seefeld. As I ate my lunch, with blazing sun all around and the day already hot, I considered whether I'd have the stamina and endurance to make Starnbergsee, as the heat would certainly make it hard work. I decided I had to try, so after lunch I plastered myself in sun tan lotion, and set of for Starnbergsee.
It was quite a climb out of Seefeld, but once at the top of the hill, the going wasn't too difficult, and I made good time. It wasn’t long before I began to drop down into Starnberger. The naming is a little confusing (as it always is for me in Germany). Starnberger, the town, is on Starnbergsee, the lake.
I discovered a grass park on the very edge of the lake on arriving in Starnberger. Children were playing in the park, ducks were swimming in the lake, and people were strolling the promenade. And that is exactly what this area is called, so I discovered from information on a nearby noticeboard. Apparently in the 1920 the promenade was laid out, and this area, with its pebble beaches, jetties and boat houses, is very quaint and charming, and makes for a perfect place to take a stroll. There is even a marked 'beach' area.
When it came time to move on, I headed south, with the intention of following the shoreline of the lake as best I could. But, although not far from the lake, there were very few opportunities to view the lake. I soon found myself on a busy road with traffic whizzing by me, and was glad to reach the point where I turned west, in the direction of my return route.
I climbed for a while, but soon found myself on the plains with meadows all around. Part of my route was an off-road cycle trail, which was pleasant to cycle. It wasn't very long before Kloster Andechs came into sight on the horizon ahead of me, spurring me on. My plan was to pick up the route past Andechs that we had used on our visit on Saturday, and once again drop down into Herrsching.
Today, Andechs, as I passed it by, wasn't looking quite as busy as it had been on our visit on Saturday. After some distance along the high plain, I picked up the road that drops steeply through trees, snaking its way into Herrsching.
It was still sunny and hot upon my arrival in Herrsching, which is a very pretty place. I found myself a place to sit on a bench not far from the ferry jetty. Taking a drink, I noticed a woman with small children with her walk by carrying pizza boxes. That looked most appetising. I sought out a small shack nearby where pizza and ice cream was being sold, and bought myself a slice of pizza. It was delicious, and just what I needed.
My plan now was to catch the ferry back to Utting, just as we had done on Saturday. Half way through eating my pizza my ferry boat came into sight, so I had to rather hurriedly finish my meal so as not to miss my boat.
I shot a short video as we disembarked from Herrsching, and as I did so two young ladies on a motorboat came by, laughing and waving at us as they went. I was grateful when the jetty at Utting came into sight, as all I wanted to do by this time was get back to the caravan, shower and then crash out. It had been a wonderful, but very tiring day. I was so glad that I hadn't given up on the idea, and that I completed my planned cycle ride. The day had been glorious.
After lunch I strolled over to the railway station in Utting. I wanted to check the ticket machine, to see if it was something I could use. I discovered that, once the ticket machine was switched into English, it was very easy to use, and I soon found the route into Munich and printed out the itinerary.
I then walked over to the local Edeka and did a shop. Whilst doing so, it had started to rain. I packed my shopping into the various bags I'd brought with me, put on my rain coat, and headed back to the caravan. The rain continued for the rest of the day, so I did little more than a little Internet surfing during the afternoon and evening. I cooked up the spaghetti remaining from the weekend, and had this with a chilli concarni that I had bought at the supermarket.
Today was a day of continuous rain. Not only was it raining, but it was also quite cold too. Although I had thought I might take a trip on the train into Munich, the weather was so bad, I decided not to do this in the end. Instead, I spent my time sorting my photos and videos and uploading these to Flickr. In the evening I cooked myself some burgers that I'd bought on the previous day.
Cycle ride around Worthsee, Pilsensee and Ammersee. I decided to take a second look at Pilsensee, as I hadn't really seen it on the cycle ride of Monday. And I also decided to take in a little more of Worthsee, the northern tip, that I hadn't seen on Monday's cycle ride.
I stopped in Stegen to take a panoramic photo of a restaurant on Ammersee's shores. There wasn't a soul about, except me, and the chef, smoking a cigarette in the shelter of his doorway.
The trail I took in the direction of Worthsee was mostly off-road, and very pleasant to cycle. On arriving in Worthsee, I came upon a bench by the waterside, and chose to stop there for my picnic lunch. By this time it was threatening to rain, so I was soon on my way again.
This time I approached Pilsensee from a different direction to that of Monday. This meant that I could pick up a trail that followed the shores of Pilsensee. But, even though I had done this successfully, I discovered I couldn't see the lake. And so, to this day, the lake remains a mystery to me.
My route followed a trail parallel to the railway line, both of which crossed the marshes at the southern end of Pilsensee. The end of this trail deposited me on the outskirts of Herrsching, which I cycled through heading towards the shores of lake Ammersee.
On arriving at the lake shore near to the ferry jetty, I noticed that the pizza stall that I'd used on Monday was deserted and dripping with rain. I stopped to take a photo of this rather desolate scene. As I was taking the photo I noticed a ferry come into shot. Checking my watch, I could see it was approaching 18:20, the time of the ferry I'd used on two previous occasions. This, it seemed to me, was too good an opportunity to miss.
Although it had been my intention to cycle back around the northern tip of lake Ammersee, on my return journey to Utting, it was by now raining quite hard, and it wouldn't have made for pleasant cycling. So, instead, I took the lazy option, and once again boarded the ferry.
There were very few people on the ferry, and it didn't even stop at the ferry jetty of Holhausen, one prior to my stop. I was however very glad to reach Utting once again. On returning to the caravan, I took a quick shower to warm up, and then had a simple ravioli meal for my supper.
I did a little bit of cleaning and tidying of the caravan.
In the evening, Laura, Uwe and Helen joined me at the caravan. They'd brought a picnic with them. This we took down to Alte Villa, on the lake shore, adjacent to the campsite. We were the only ones there. But Uwe and Helen managed to get beers for us all (a little coercion was necessary), and these we drank with our picnic. Laura had baked a quiche, which was delicious, and we all enjoyed very much.
We did a lovely hike to the top of the Jochberg mountain (ht: 1,565 metres), near Walchensee and Kochlesee. The clouds were low and the visibility wasn't good, but it stayed largely dry. It was a long steady ascent up a broad track until we reached the alm, a refuge on a mountain ridge once used by cow herders, but now mostly a place used by hikers for rest and sustenance.
We were served by a rather surly old gentleman, and his wife was obviously doing the cooking in the back. She brought out our soups and buttermilk. It was really cosy and warm in the alm. The interior doors were decorated with colourful painted patterns.
The toilet facilities at the alm (Jocher Alm - ht: 1,381 metres) were rather basic. A watering can was placed strategically near the toilet seat, and this provided the means to flush the toilet. If the watering can was empty, it had to filled from the water butt outside the door. Basic, but serviceable.
We then set out for the final leg of our hike, the narrow winding path rising steeply to the summit. None of the walking was excessively demanding, but by now it had begun to rain a little and it was quite cold. We stayed long enough to take a photo to prove we had made it to the summit, and looked at the information board which showed a wonderful panoramic view of the lakes far below, which we would have seen on a clear day, but today we saw nothing but clouds.
On our descent, after clambering down a steep zig-zag path, we came out in a meadow between the mountain peaks. We arrived at another alm, this one named Kotalm (or Kot-Alm - ht: 1,133 metres), which seemed deserted. From here the narrow path became a broad track, very easy to follow, that led us down through forests.
Just a little way along this track we came across this wonderful waterfall, the most impressive of our walk. Even on a dull day like this, it made for an imposing photo.
Although the views were very limited today, because of the low cloud, it had been a great hike, and we'd all enjoyed it a lot. The height of Jochberg proved perfect for us, as any higher and we could have found ourselves in a significant amount of snow.
We were so close to Walchensee and Kochelsee, we decided to drive around the lakes to take a closer look at them. We were glad we did, for even on this damp and misty day, the lakes, particularly Walchensee looked splendid. The waters were a kind of aquamarine blue/green colour, I think coloured like this by the limestone mountains through which the waters flow. We stopped briefly at a café on Walchensee where we had coffees and cakes before the drive back to the caravan.
Laura and Uwe cooked us kaesespaetzle in the evening. A really lovely and filling meal, which was just what we needed.
Everyone went for a canoe trip except for myself. I felt it would be too much physically for me. The rivers that we had drove past during the previous week were all swollen with the recent rains, and were flowing very fast. I felt that should I fall in the water, I would have great difficulty getting out again.
I heard later that Can had fallen in three times early in the canoe trip and decided to not go the full length. The others did. Helen did alright until near the end where a weir had to be negotiated. A channel of fast flowing water to the side of the weir was very turbulent, and upset Helen's canoe. Helen decided to only do the trip once, but the others returned to the start point for some lunch, and then decided to repeat the canoe trip. Laura canoed the stretch of water twice without falling in. Apparently Uwe fell in once.
In the evening we went down to the restaurant beside the lake in Utting to have supper. Alme and Holgau joined us for this meal. I had a really nice fish (spangle?) dish. Later that evening we played Uno for a while in the caravan.
We packed down the caravan awning and loaded the bicycles into the caravan for the journey home. Laura, Uwe, Helen and me travelled in Uwe's car. We stopped off in Ulm for a KFC lunch. Uwe and Laura dropped off Helen and I at Helen's place.
Helen and I went for a swim in Goppingen. In the evening we had pizzas for supper. We then watched the film Medicus (The Physician) on DVD. A really good film – highly recommended.
We rode a 55 km cycle ride today. Headed out to Adelberg lake, which is where Helen and I stopped for our picnic lunch. There's a favourite spot of ours that overlooks the length of Adelberg. See photo of our lunch stop at Adelberg linked to Helen's Runtatastic activity [photo].
After our lunch we continued around the lake a short distance before we diverted onto a track upon which we climbed the hill behind the lake. Quite by chance we came upon the Kaiserstraessle cycle trail. We were doing rather well at this stage, and therefore Helen and I decided we would extend our ride by following this trail in the direction of Plochingen. This turned out to be a good plan.
We deviated from the Kaiserstraessle near to Ploching, and followed a track that looped back, taking us to a spot high above Plochingen. This was a superb, if rather haphazard strategy, as we found ourselves in quiet orchards and vineyards looking out over Plochingen, with excellent views over the town and the Neckar valley.
Dropping down into Plochingen, we parked up our bikes and sought out a café where we had ice coffees. Then we went for a brief stroll around the old quarter of Plochingen, including the market square and peeping in on the Hundertwasser district, full of very modern and colourful buildings in a highly artistic style.
Then we set off for home, first of all following the course of the river Neckar for a short way, and then following the course of the river Fils till we reached home in Uhingen. See the route for this cycle ride on Runtastic.
I find it's difficult to take photographs when cycling, and that's why there are fewer than you might imagine for this lovely day. I did shoot some rather amusing video though, which you might wish to take a peek at.
We (um, well, Helen) cooked Kaiserschmarrn for supper.
Helen and I visited the Urwelt fossil museum in the morning, near Kirkheim. Huge fossils of ichthyosaurus and other animals of that time can be seen. There were also mock-ups of what the prehistoric animals are thought to have looked like, such as those shown in this photograph.
Some of the fossils are quite staggering, such as the huge tree trunk with water lilies living off it, which covers the space of a vast wall.
Helen and I had a picnic lunch in the car on Teckburg, then climbed the hill to the castle. We went out to the view point, from where there is this spectacular view. There were many gliders on the hillside. There must have been some good up-currents today, as they were climbing ever higher and higher.
We saw a small mouse as we returned to the car. He was just so cute, hopping across the track. I daren't hope that I could catch him on my smartphone camera, but somehow I did capature this half-decent shot of him.
Cooked Knodel (dumplings made from bread crumbs) in the evening. We visited the Irish pub in Goppingen later in the evening for a quiz. Laura and Can joined us for the quiz. We scored 28/42, but the highest score of the evening was 41/42. Ok, so we didn't exactly shine, but we had fun all the same.
Helen and I went for a swim in Goppingen. Helen fried maultaschen, along with leftovers from our knodel supper of the previous evening. This we ate with a salad.
Helen had some teaching to give later in the day, so she took some time out to prepare her lessons. I used this time to update my blog and tidy my photos and videos.
I went for an evening walk in the warm sunshine to Schloss Filseck, and then to the lake Charlottensee. This was a walk I did from Helen and Can's home in Uhingen. There was a lot of work taking place at Schloss Filseck, where the carpark and gardens were in the process of being relayed. I recall having seen Helen and Laura at both Schloss Filseck and Charlottensee many years ago, on the first occasion of my visiting them in Germany in 2000.
I ate up the remainder of the knodle and maultaschen from lunchtime for my supper.
Helen and I did some shopping in Goppingen in the morning. Helen needed to get some light bulbs, which we did first, by visiting a couple of DIY stores (Toome & OBI). We then visited a cycle shop where we were able to buy a replacement mudguard for Uwe's father's bike, as the bracket had snapped on the one that had been attached to the bike. Whilst there, I also bought Helen a floor-mounted pump with a tyre pressure gauge, so that she could properly inflate her bicycle tires in future. We then popped into Media Markt. Helen was distracted by the Microsoft Surface machines that were on display. These look good, but weren't really what we had visited the store to get. What we wanted was a water filter. The water in Germany is very hard, and I have always found it rather unpleasant. We were able to purchase a filter jug and a set of filters to go with it.
We then drove into the centre of town and purchased a couple of donor kebabs for our lunch. Helen said we could eat these in her Helen Duron teaching building, which was just across the road from the donor kebab café. There was no one there when we arrived, but just as we were finishing our lunch Helen's boss Sylvie showed up. She had a pupil for whom she was giving an hour's lesson at 13:00. Helen had some documents that she downloaded from OneDrive to Sylvie's laptop, which she felt might help Sylvie with her class.
Helen then drove us out to Wäschenbeuren where we parked in the village car park and spent a few minutes walking around the centre of the village. There is a lovely revolving fountain, with exquisite sculptures all around it, that fascinated me. I shot this brief video sequence which shows the fountain I speak of.
Helen then drove us on to Washerschloss Castle, on the outskirts of the village. The castle has a very ancient history and a lot of historical information is presented inside the castle. It was a very interesting visit.
Helen had spotted a garden nursery as we had driven into Wäschenbeuren, so we popped in on our way out. I was looking for a plant for Uwe's father, who had kindly leant me his bicycle to use during my stay in Germany. I was lucky enough to find just the thing, a plant with white flowers. And we picked up a lovely bright red geranium for Helen too, Helen's favourite colour.
Laura and Uwe joined us for supper. Helen planned a vegetable pesto dish for our supper, but Laura and Uwe had already had pasta for lunch, so they decided to get pizza for their supper. Can joined us later, once he'd finished work. We got the water filter working, and started to make use of the filtered water it produced. Later in the evening we played Wizard, a card game of Helen's. Uwe, having never played it before, won. I came second, then Laura, then Helen, and finally Can.
Laura and Uwe agreed to meet up with Helen and I for a cycle ride, although Uwe said he would have to break off some way into the ride, since he had a work commitment during the afternoon. Helen and I caught the train from Uhingen down to Plochingen, where we had agreed to meet at 10:15. We set off punctually at that time, headed out of Plochingen following the course of the River Neckar.
Our objective was a small lake, the Burgersee, not far from Kirchheim. As we neared this lake, Uwe said he'd have to head back, because of his work commitment. Helen, Laura and I continued on our way, arriving at Burgersee at about midday. We were all rather hungry by this time, so we decided to have lunch. Apparently, when the weather is fine, it can be very difficult to get a table at this place, but today, being cool, overcast, and on occasion a little damp, that was not a problem.
The place was very quiet. Just a solitary fisherman on the banks of the lake, and us. Aircraft from a nearby airfield skimmed the sky just a little above our heads. We later discovered this was the very same airfield at which Helen, Can, Mum and I had visited a couple of years previously, when there had been an 'Old Timers' air display there (see my blog post of that day).
After lunch we circled the lake and headed towards Kirchheim. There were splendid views from the track across the meadows and to the mountain ridge in the distance, with Teckberg clearly visible as the dominant peak. The sky darkened until it was nearly black, and this made for a very dramatic back-drop to this scene, producing a vivid colour palette before our eyes.
It wasn’t long before we were entering Kirchheim. We headed to the centre where we parked our bikes so that we might have a stroll around the old quarter. I discovered Kirchheim to be a very attractive place, with a high proportion of old timber-framed buildings. And there was a street market taking place at the time of our visit, which provided additional local colour.
I thought the place was charming. We popped into the church (St Martin's) where we could hear the organ being played. We were greeted with a blast of Bach's Toccata and Fugue from the organist. Helen shot some video of the playing. It was very atmospheric.
We then returned to our bikes and sought a route out of Kirchheim. We were on roads for a while but were soon able to pick up a cycle trail away from the traffic. We had to climb a hill before entering into woods. We followed a track through these woods for quite some distance, until we reached Hattenoffen, where we stopped near the snail fountain for a break.
We then made our way back to Uhingen, part of the way on roads, part on cycle trails.
I gave Uwe's father's bicycle a wash, making use of Helen's maintenance stand to make it less of a back breaking exercise. I then washed down the patio furniture before giving Helen a hand in the kitchen. Several of Helen and Can's friends came around to watch a football match and participate in a barbecue (Yvonne, Stefan, Anneka, Holgau, Alme), and Laura and Uwe joined us too.
Wolfsburg beat Berlin 3-1, which, apparently, wasn't the favoured result that was hoped for. It was mostly men sat around the coffee table watching football, and women sat around the dining table, chatting. I was in this latter group. We had barbecued burgers, marinated chicken, sausages and salad for our supper.
Helen and I did some tidying up about the house, after the barbecue and football watching of the night before. I then showed Helen how to create a QR code for her Facebook page, which she stored in her OneDrive folders. Couldn't quite figure why Heleen's One Drive app on her laptop wasn't showing her OneDrive folders as my app does. I'll need to investigate that when I get home. (Addendum: ah ha! need to configure synchronization settings, and then all is well.)
Helen and I had planned to do a run this morning. She told me she had a series of runs along the valley of the River Fils, of varying distances, the shortest of which was 8 km, to a bridge over the river. Although my longest distance since my return to running was only 6 km, I said I thought that I might be able to manage this. So, changed into shorts and T-shirts, off we set. Can said the night before that he intended to join us, but was still in bed asleep when we set off. The day was beginning to warm up, so it was as well that we didn't leave it any later. We both ran well, at a steady pace at first, which we quickened slightly (overall pace 7.13 min/km) as we approached Uhingen on our return. We both then took desperately needed showers. After our showers, we sat down to a cold snack lunch of anti-pasti dishes and leftovers from the barbecue which Can had prepared. And of course some baklava to finish – delicious, and we’d earned it.
In the afternoon, Christine (Can's mother), Laura and Uwe joined us for a game of crazy golf, at a place just outside Uhingen. It was quite hot and sunny, and we were glad of ice cold Coca Cola drinks half way round. Uwe and I tied for first place, with Can in third place. The ladies showed flair, but were trailing somewhat behind.
After our crazy golf, we returned to Helen and Can's, before setting off for Gerber Brau. This used to be an old tannery originally, but was converted to a brewery. It still makes its own beer, but only a small amount for consumption on the premises. Today the place is mainly a hotel and restaurant. Gerber Brau was to be our supper venue. When the six of us arrived, we found the place very busy, as apparently it always is, when the weather is nice, as it was on this evening. We found a pleasant table in some shade.
A little bit of confusion arose over some of the dishes ordered. First, Laura and Uwe ordered a ham platter starter, that they thought would come with asparagus (spargel), but it didn't apparently (despite this being shown as a sample dish). But they were able to order some spargel, which soon had them sorted. And then Can's meal, despite his having asked if a dish was free of pork, came with pork. The waiter admitted his mistake, and Can ordered a replacement dish, which was soon delivered. The food was very good, and the beer too (Helen and I had the dark Edel beer, which was very much like a traditional English beer). So, the evening turned out well despite the hick-ups.
Afterwards, I said my goodbyes to Laura and Uwe, as this would be the last I would see of them on this visit. Uwe was on support duties for his work and had received an emergency call about a leak on a high pressure hose, and was going to have to go into work on his return home. Helen, Can, Christine and I returned home to Uhingen. Christine decided she would go straight on home, leaving Helen, Can and myself to have a quiet cup of tea before retiring for the night.
Helen drove me to Stuttgart airport. The roads were quiet, so we arrived early. There was no point Helen paying a car park fee, since I knew my way well enough. Helen therefore stopped at the drop-off zone and I quickly unloaded my bags from the car. We said a hasty goodbye, before Helen set off for home.
The journey back to England was quite uneventful. The flight from Stuttgart to Heathrow was on schedule, and only delayed a little at Heathrow as the plane was put into a holding loop for about 15 minutes, awaiting a landing slot. I arrived at the Central Bus Station over 2 hours early for my booked coach. Aware that the 13:25 501 service coach (I was booked on the 15:25 coach) was waiting in its bay, I did enquire of the driver whether there were any free seats, but unfortunately for me it was very busy, and there was only one free seat, and someone was ahead of me in the queue for that one. I found myself a seat in the waiting area, had my picnic lunch (I'd made some sandwiches at Helen and Can's), and did some sorting of my photos on my tablet PC.
I surfed the Internet a little on the journey home, to pass the time. It rained, and it wasn't very warm, and I was tired from all the travelling, and therefore was glad to arrive punctually back in Exeter. A dished up a quick chicken burger and chips supper for myself. Let Helen, Laura and Mum know that I was safely back home. Then I spent a little time sorting my mail and uploading some more holiday photos to Flickr, before retiring, exhausted, to bed.
It had been a great holiday, and of course marvellous to see Helen and Laura, and the lads, and I was feeling good, but very tired. I slept soundly that night.
My homework: I did quite a lot of background reading for this holiday in Germany, in particular, making good use of two excellent guide books from Dorling Kindersley, those being:
1. Munich and the Bavarian Alps (Amazon)
2. Top 10 Munich (Amazon)
Notes I took from the above guides, and information from various web sites, I compiled as a Google Map, and this can be viewed from the following link:
Germany - Ammersee - Google Map
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