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.  

Eltmann- Aschaffenburg

Perhaps today was our longest day driving to date - not necessarily by choice, but more by circumstances. One hundred and fifty kilometres later we were parked up in the shade at Aschaffenburg - not far from Frankfurt.  

The overnight stop at Eltmann, by the Main River, last evening was quite idyllic - with the music from the village beer festival, cruise boats smoothly gliding by, good company and a cooling breeze, all making the stopover very pleasant. 

We left this morning with our Dutch neighbours enjoying the good life -  breakfast on the banks of the Main. It was interesting to hear their view on Brexit - basically, “...that’s the English and, it won’t effect us.” But they also expressed “sadness, in a sense, because England is part of the Western Europe family and all together we are strong.”

Monday morning, so, a replenishment of our supplies was required before setting a course to Lohr am Main. This took us through lovely forests and very productive farm land in the midst of their harvesting. The medieval villages along the way hadn’t changed much in the last 400 years - wooden framed houses with steep slopping rooves appeared to be in the majority.

We arrived at our destination in Lohr and found that the circus had been set up on the area where the stellplatz normally would be found. So, lunch in Lohr and then decided to drive through the Bayerisher Forest - another scenic route through a national park. 

Arriving at Aschaffenburg we located our stellplatz and found some beautiful trees providing plenty of shade as the temperature had climbed to 30+ degrees. Here we stayed for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  

A scary chart in the Guardian newspaper today on world climate:

A simulation of maximum temperatures on 21 July. Photograph: Climate Reanalyzer/Climate Change Institute/University of Maine. 

Bamberg

Still raining this morning when we left Kulmbach for Bamberg. A much cooler day was forecasted for the rest of the day. 

We drove through the Fränkische Schweiz region which is a major area of natural beauty - but there was fog almost all the way!  The area is densely forested - a very popular place for outdoor activities - but not for us today!

Being a Sunday, we were able to drive close to the centre of Bamberg, get a good parking space and be in easy access to the interesting old town. Being early, we thought that we would be ahead of the 10.00 am “fall-out” from the hotels etc, but no, the tour boat parties and other groups were out and about even earlier!  The town seemed to be quite crowded for an early Sunday morning. 

Bamberg is a real gem, being the reason why so many visitors have this on their places to visit list. . We joined the throngs taking in the Rathaus (Town Hall), perhaps the most photographed building in Germany. At this point there has been a bridge over the river since the 12th century. 

We later followed the throngs up the hill to the centre of the medieval wealth and power of the Bishop/Princes, the Dom and the Residenz. A visit to the rose garden, perhaps, is a more pleasing place to spend time with   the splendid views over the old medieval town. 

The Old Court, the former Bishop’s Palace, is a legacy of the Renaissance period whilst the new Bishop’s Palace is of the baroque period. 

With rain still threatening we headed back to  Hilton. Shortly after we set our satnav to Eltmann where we had planned to spend the afternoon and evening. 

Arriving in Eltmann we discoverd a beer festival underway, with what appeared to be the whole community involved. The band, The Young Ones, belting out 60s and 70s music to the delight of the crowd - all in English lyrics!  

The Houng One - all about our age!


Overnight on The Main River. 

Bayreuth-Kulmbach

Be careful what you wish for, so goes the old saying.  Wishing for cooler weather, and then when the rain comes we are not prepared for it.  

Stepped out this morning after breakfast to do our 10,000 steps (that’s for Maddie) around Bayreuth, with not a thought about the possibility of rain. About mid-walk it started!

The cloudy weather possibly didn’t present Bayreuth in the best possible light (pun not intended). The outlook did reflect  some of Wagner’s music - sorry Wagner fans! The city is all about Wagner, with the opera house (1748) being the main attraction for many, with its very highly decorative interior, reflecting the baroque nature of the city. 

Wagner and his dog!

The Margravial Opera House

Our wandering took us into the centre of the old town before moving on to the The Residenz (Royal Palace) and the Hofgarten which was described as the green heart of the city. Here Wagner took walks on a daily basis.  On exiting the Hofgarten we passed the New Palace (18th century) built after the old Residenz was partially destroyed by fire. 

We found ourselves approaching the Stadkirche church, an impressive gothic building from the outside, but we didn’t enter! We were back in the town centre, near the old Palace, once destroyed by fire, which now houses the administration of the city. Around the streets the marquees for the Bayreuth Festival were in evidence awaiting the rain to stop and the crowds to arrive. 

This was a good time for us to exit the umbrella-free, rain-walk and head back to Hilton. Another lovely walk along the tree lined river bank - and, flat!

The rain stayed with us all the way to Kulmbach where it was much heavier. 

Fortunately the rained eased during the afternoon which gave us chance to stretch our legs around the township. Kulmbach is noted for its beer, and it was obvious that it plays a big part in its affairs, for there were beer flags all around the town. With one of the largest breweries in Germany, and a beer festival each year, Kulmbach is known as the “The Secret Beer Capital” of Germany. 

Kulmbach is particularly noted for the Plassenburg (castle), one of the greatest Renaissance castles in Germany. We didn’t visit it due to the rain.

The castle on the hill and Catholic Church. 

The town is quite picturesque with a mixture of medieval, baroque and rocco buildings - due to the fact that parts have been destroyed as a result of various wars over the centuries. 

The very elegant Rocco Rathaus(Town Hall). 

The market square. 

Castle overlooking the town square. And, the Luitpold fountain, which was built in 1898.  Previously the Zinnsfeld fountain, built in 1660 and symbolising the town's market freedoms, stood on the same spot. It is now in the Holzmarkt. During the Nasis era the fountain was dismantled and stored, but rebuilt in 1994. Surrounded by the town hall, market square, numerous cafés and shops it forms one of the social centrepieces of Kulmbach.

We later returned to Hilton to rest our weary legs, and to escape the persistent rain. Very cozy in Hilton whilst the weather outside is anything but. 

Interesting back garden. 

And, a little bit of Australia!  

Just a note:

There is a big sold out concert in Kulmbach tonight with the Bavarian iconic band Haindling playing to an outdoor audience - thank goodness the rain has stopped.  They have recorded a very popular Bavarian song, now sung at all beer festivals in Bavaria. Have a listen. https://youtu.be/h5PM3oYeKy8 

Unfortunately we are too far away to hear!