Germany to Belgium

Last day in Germany! 

The weather has been the great talking point for the past fortnight- everywhere folk are doing what they can to minimise the effects of the heatwave here in Germany. And, the sun keeps shining!   

The shutters were kept closed on the van early this morning in an  effort to keep the heat out - nevertheless, it didn’t take long to warm up. We had breakfast, did some jobs and then sadly said our farewells to our camping buddies, Brigitte,Dirk and Butch.

Indeed a very special part of our time in Europe was spending time with them.

We were on our way to Arlon in Belgium, but first we needed to take in supplies so a stop at the supermarket, and for some LPG, at Wittlich was our first target. Found some shade there and contemplated staying the day, but the show must go on!

The maze looked under stress - not many cobs,  nor any of a good size - definitely due to lack of rain. 

Not long after this we were near the old northern Roman capital of Trier - tempted to stop but too hot, and, we had visited there a couple of years ago. 

We crossed the Moselle on a number of occasions. 

Now we were only half an hour from the Luxembourg border. As we approached the border the biggest petrol station you could image was just on the other side - we’re told the cheapest petrol in Europe - and it was crowded. At €1.10 per litre, that still puts it around $1.75 per litre in Aus$. 

Cheapest petrol in Europe - so we are told!

We arrived in Arlon and parked with other motorhomes at a very warm aire de camping! Not many places to beat the heat here. 

Arlon is part of the Walloon municipality of Belgium. It was once a Roman settlement and now houses a well thought of museum of Roman sculptures and funerary (funeral) art. It’s main industrial employer is Ferrero Rocher chocolate. 

We settled down for the afternoon and evening attempting to dodge any sunshine that might come our way. Eventually the cool of the evening gave us some respite! 

An interesting building we passed on the way today. 

Some flowers have survived the heat where others have struggled. 

The Pulvermaar - The deepest “Eye of the Eifel”

Woke to the the very pleasant views down across the ancient volcanic landscape. The sun was showing its colours early, with the day beginning to shape as another hot one.  

We had breakfast and then took a walk to the “Maar” - the term in this area of Eifel for a lake of volcanic origin. This maar, the Pulvermaar, was formed somewhere around 20,000 years ago - Neanderthal man would have seen these eruptions! 

Pulvermaar is famous for it’s almost circular shape - being about 700m in diameter. The maar is filled only by rainwater, with no streams flowing into it. It’s depth at the moment is around 70 metres, only a fraction of its original depth of 300m. Because of it’s great depth the temperature remains at a constant 4 degrees Celsius. 

The very popular maar is set up for a number of water sports with swimming being the most popular. The area reminds us of the Basin in Launceston, Tasmania.

During the day a number of jet fighters flew overhead, and also, what we thought was an American Super Galaxy supply aircraft. The largest American airforce base in Germany is situated just north of where we are, and it is the centre for supplying forces in the Middle East. 

We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, had our evening meal before settling into an evening of 

Rummikub. 

Still very warm when we said our good nights and headed for bed. 

Limburg an der Lahn

No more rain overnight - perhaps that’s the end of it for the moment. The cloud cover this morning was ideal for us to explore the old medieval centre of Limburg.  

The old town is said to be one of the best preserved medieval centres in Germany - and there are quite a few of these! The old entrance to the town, and the best view of the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral, is via the 14th century Lahn Bridge. 

From here you enter into a world of narrow alleyways and  half-timbered houses with colourful decorations. 

The most outstanding feature, visible from all approaches to the town, is the colourful cathedral. Originally built in the 13th century, it became a popular place of worship during the Middle Ages. The external part of the church was restored in the 1960s with a return to its original colours. 

Each building had a story with the house of the 7 deadly sins attracting our particular attention. Built in the 16th century and now delicately restored, the seven deadly sins are represented by carved faces in the woodwork representing the human vices of pride, greed, envy, lust, gluttony, rage and sloth. 

Having had our fill of the half-timbered houses of Limburg, we returned to the van and began our trip to Gillenfeld in the volcanic country north of the Moselle. On the way, we again noticed just how dry the landscape had become, and how little water there appeared to be in the mighty Rhine River as we crossed it in Koblenz. 

We arrived in the early afternoon at the stellplatz at the Pulvermaar, the volcanic lake. The whole region has the name of Vulkaneifel. 

Dirk and Brigitte arrived at the stellplatz a little later in the day. We enjoyed our meal together and played Rummikub until it was bedtime. 

Some extra pics from today:


The baker has gone an extra yard in his promotion. 

Love the ladies smoking!

A great effort!

Brochköbel-Limburg an der Lahn

Another great sleep regardless of the hot weather. The day was warming rather rapidly but by the end of the day we had experienced the vagaries of the weather - sun shine, thunder storms, hail and hot and humid conditions after the storm.

We joined Dirk and Brigitte for our last breakfast with them at their house, we will be meeting up with them in a day’s time at Gillenfeld, said our farewells and away by mid morning. 

The supermarket was our first stop to replenish our empty fridge and cupboard. This out of the way, we were then on our way to Limburg an der Lahn. 

Passing the Frankfurt Airport we passed the very different building called The Square - it looked more like a Zeppelin or a big whale! What ever it looked like - it was impressive - and one of the tenants of the building was The Hilton! It is rated as the number one conference centre in Germany. 

We couldn’t help but notice how dry the landscape was, given that it is harvest season and many of the cereal crops have been harvested, but much of the surrounding fields appeared to be very dry after this extended period of very high temperatures and no rainfall for weeks.

On reaching Limburg we had a real change in the weather - thunderstorms swept through on three occasions - with one of these bringing huge hail stones with it, but as usual Hilton proved  to be very waterproof and able to withstand what was thrown at him! 

After arriving at Limburg we decided to delay our visit to the town in the cool of Sunday morning. A cool breeze kept things very comfortable for the rest of the afternoon and evening. 

Bruchköbel 3

Another day of 38 degrees - this is getting a little beyond a joke!

Slept well considering the heat. The evenings have given a little respite from the heat of the day. 

Another relaxing day with Dirk and Brigitte. 

We had a lovely surprise this morning with a wonderful gift From Dirk and Brigitte - a photobook. This was a photo story of our first meeting,  and the the following years when we have met up in Meissenheim, Frankfurt, St Quinten, Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique, Mutigny, Mannheim am Rhein and Sainte-Marie-du-Lac-Nuisement. We will treasure these memories in the years ahead. 

For our evening meal Brigitte prepared a traditional Frankfurt meal, one we had been introduced to on previous visit, with eggs, potato and the Grüne Sause - a very tasty explosion of flavours. 

Bruchköbel 2

We are still being exposed to temperatures in the late thirties, so our visit  to Dirk and Brigitte has happened at the right time. We are planning a joint motorhome trip so we are looking for sites that have a good amount of shade.  

I must report that the blackcurrant jam made yesterday is quite outstanding - a great addition to the breakfast table. 

Nothing much to report but the day has simply flown. We did learn and played a new game tonight call Rummikub. Winnings were shared amongst three of the players,  but one unfortunate player missed his chance of fame!  

The cooler weather has moved into the UK and northern France but we are not expecting a change in the near future- over thirty for the next week. This is most unusual weather for this time of the year in this part of Germany. 

So, another warm night’s sleep!

Bruchköbel

A most relaxing day with Dirk and Brigitte at their home in Bruchköbel. With the temperatures well over the mid-thirties we tended to bunker down all day. 

Blackcurrant jam was the main focus for part of the day. The blackcurrants came from the bushes at the pickings last year when we were camping together at Coucy le Chateau Auffrique in France. 

Photo from last year’s picking - 2017. 

Dirk and Brigitte had kept the black currants frozen for the past year, so, it was appropriate that we finished what we all started last year. The jam turned out perfectly and delicious - well done team. 

Later in the evening  the temperature has cooled enough to barbecue for the evening meal. Chatted to late in the evening and then off to bed.  

Aschaffenburg

A big blue sunny sky greeted us this morning. It didn’t take long before we moved the van into a shady area of the stellplatz. We could hear the river barges, only metres away, at work on the River Main but blocked from view by the large trees - not a problem because they were our protection from the sun.  

We had our breakfast and ventured into Aschaffenburg before it got too hot. We crossed over the bridge of the River Main to reach the centre of the town. From here we had wonderful views of the Johannisburg Palace. 

This red sandstone Palace is claimed to be one of the most significant and beautiful Renaissance buildings in Germany - many have claimed this about other buildings as well in our travels! The setting and the enormous size certainly puts it up there - we’ll leave it to the experts to determine the other claims! 

The history of Aschaffenburg reflects that of many other towns in Germany. Conflicts over the past 500 years have had a severe impact on the town on each occasion; The Peasant War of 1525, the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), Napoleonic War and WWII. In 1945 there was great destruction when the Americans attempted to take the town. The Palace was greatly damaged but rebuilt in a short time after 1945. 

Other sights around the town worth seeing were, dare I say it, the ancient Abbey Basilica of St Peter and Alexander- founded back in the 10th century, and for 800 years the Archbishop of Mainz had the control of the town and area. There were some interesting pieces of religious art worth seeing. 

The Löwenapothete (Lion Chemist!) was an old central German half timbered house dating from the 15th century but destroyed in 1945. The building was rebuilt in the same style in the early 1990s. 

The former residence of the Counts of Schönbonner help form a very picturesque central area along with the Basilica and the Löenapotheke.  

The morning, or more truthfully, the rising temperature, was catching up with us so we headed for the shelter of the trees and Hilton. 

We later drove into Frankfurt where we met Dirk and Brigitte. In the evening, we went out for dinner to a Mediterranean restaurant where we enjoyed wonderful food and company. 

Returning to Brigitte and Dirk’s home we finished the evening by being served Brigitte’s “Baby Cake”, a German cheese cake, made specially for the birthday celebrations! Thank you Brigitte!

A call from both James and Maddie made for a completely enjoyable day.