We left Austria today as we make our way northwards over the coming week - the final one of our summer holiday. The journey back eastwards along the 178 before joining the northbound 176 was a real bonus as the mountain views were spectacular in parts. We need to head for Innsbruck when we are next in Austria, although I know Vienna is also on our bucket list! The sun was shining today, and the sky was blue so everything just looked awesome.
The journey was a long one to Wertheim, but it went fairly quickly without too many roadworks or delays. Wertheim am Main is the start of the Romantic Road south to Füssen, and there are many picturesque German towns along the way. We will hopefully get to visit the second stop on the route which is Würzburg.
When we arrived at the site, there had clearly been a lot of rain (apparently it was very heavy last night), and the ground was very muddy. All pitches are on grass and there was a very big, deep puddle near the pitch we were initially given. It proved a bit difficult getting into the pitch as we were near a tent that seemed to have encroached on some of our pitch space. Fortunately, the sites are much quieter so we were able to get a riverside pitch (at an extra cost). Kevin has chatted with a couple of English gents - one who is on his way to Augsburg, and the other to Grubhof! It’s funny because, when you have spent so much time on sites mainly with German speakers, when you see someone from the U.K., you talk to them as if they are your best friends! There is a sort of community spirit amongst the Brits - it’s a relief not to worry about the language I think.
This is the nearest we have been to a river in that we are at the same level. The River Main is busier than I expected it to be and we have seen barges, speedboats, pleasure boats and river cruises such as Viking passing by. On the other side of the side, there is a railway line and we seem to be on the Frankfurt Airport flight path. On the whole the site is quiet though so no complaints.
Today is a rest day as we have had a busy few days sight-seeing, and travelling yesterday. The weather is much better today and the sun has been shining. We had a walk to the supermarket (Norma, Lidl are both about a 10 minute walk away) to get some groceries. We are eating a lot of salad and going through a lot of milk! After lunch we just did our own thing as before - family tree, YouTube etc. I like the rest days - we must remember we are supposed to be on holiday as well, but Germany is such a lovely place that you want to make the most of your time in a particular place in case you don’t return. I rang Mam and Dad tonight. They had been picking plums off their tree (35lbs so far and only half of the tree done!). I think they will be pleased to see us back as I know they miss us when we are away.
It’s the big 6-0 for me today! I feel so lucky to have had the life I’ve had so far - especially over the last almost 7 years (I’ve probably valued those 7 more than any). I got a message from Aurora, and then FaceTimed her with Jonny and Holly which was lovely. She is growing up too fast and I can see a change in her already since we last saw her. Jonny and Holly send us photos and videos which we really love to get - it is so thoughtful. Kevin has booked a boat cruise along the River Main today so we are going to walk into Wertheim. Obviously there is no Sunday trading in Germany (apart from cafes and restaurants) so shops will be closed but we want to visit the Old Town.
We walked along the river and over the bridge into Wertheim. It is a pretty little German town with winding streets, traditional beam houses and a castle ruin. We walked to the river to check where were getting on the boat, and then we found a quiet place to sit to FaceTime Dan. He had been on Radio Merseyside this morning to promote his Night of Walt at the Tung Theatre in Liverpool. He is such a natural communicator - he shows no sign of nerves - and he said some lovely things about his Dad and how he influenced his musical taste which was lovely.
After chatting to Dan, we walked back to the river to get on the boat trip. It was a beautiful day today - warm and sunny. The trip was nice and relaxing - perfect for a birthday treat. The views weren’t as interesting as they had been from Heidelberg but it was just a lovely way to spend an afternoon. The views of the surrounding countryside were pretty, and there were many vineyards along the route.
We decided to walk up to the castle ruins after our boat trip. The walk is quite steep but, as we have learned many times in Germany, not many castles are built at the bottom of the hill! It was quite a hike in the heat, but it was totally worth it. What an amazing place - and huge! Built in the 12th Century, it was home to the Counts of Wertheim, and extensions to the castle continued until the 17th Century. In 1619, it was partially destroyed by an explosion and, during the Thirty Years War, was occupied by the Swedes where is was heavily bombarded by imperial troops. After that the ruins were left unoccupied until 1982 when restoration began to allow safe access for visitors. Stairs were installed so that visitors could access all areas of the site, and there is also a restaurant on the site.
Some of the site is available without paying but for only 2€ each, we entered a turnstile and could not believe how big the castle site was. We climbed right to the top of the stairs and were rewarded with fantastic views along the river and over the town. It really is a fantastic place to visit, and it wasn’t too busy either so we were able to climb the steep stairs at our own pace and enjoy the views.
We walked back to the town and got ourselves an ice-cream as it was very hot, then we walked back over the bridge and along the river to the campsite. My sixtieth birthday tea was fishfingers, new potatoes and salad, and it was very nice too! Another lovely day making memories.
Today we are visiting Würzburg, a city in Northern Bavaria. We are on the border of Bavaria and Baden Württemberg which runs through the centre of the river Main. It is about a 30-minute drive from Wertheim. As we were driving through Wertheim towards Würzburg, a police officer stepped out onto the road in front of us waving a stop sign. We gathered from him that, further back, an officer had apparently seen the driver using a mobile phone. That was not possible of course because Kevin only uses hands-free phone and Sat Nav. I had been using my phone to check the route, and we realised that that is what the officer must have seen and had not realised we were a right-hand drive. After radioing the officer further back, that was exactly what had happened! He laughed about it, and then waved us on. Thank goodness he could speak some English, and I could pick up a bit of what he was saying in German. I can’t see many police officers in County Durham being able to speak to a German in their own language …!
We headed for a Stellplatz near the river and there was ample parking when we arrived at about 11.30am. There are also many places with hook-up for overnight camping. We parked up and then walked along the river to the “Alte Mainbrücke” - main bridge which dates back to the last 15th Century. Along the bridge there are 12 statues of saints which were added around 1730. From the bridge you can see Fortress Marienberg, dating back to the 13th Century. There are many vineyards surrounding the fortress along the banks of the river.
As you walk over the bridge towards the town, you can see the two spires of the St. Kilian Cathedral which is straight ahead as you cross the bridge. We weren’t quite sure where we needed to be but we picked up a map from the tourist information centre, and headed for the Würzburg Residenz, an 18th Century palace built in the Baroque era. The Residenz is a very impressive building both inside and out with beautifully decorated rooms and some of the most beautiful gardens we have seen.
We toured many rooms in this stunning place, admiring magnificent stucco work, exquisite paintings and beautiful, handcrafted furniture. When we visit castles, palaces or stately homes, we always find at least one room that makes is unique. Here, there is a highly decorated staircase leading up to the rooms with the most striking painted ceiling by Venetian artist, Tiepolo. The colours and detail within the paintings are just stunning. When bombings damaged other parts of the Residenz in 1945, the main staircase and ceiling were left undamaged, although the roof above was missing. Urgent temporary measures were taken to protect the paintings and staircase until the roof could be replaced, thus saving them from damage. It was American art protection officer John Davis Skilton whose quick thinking, and knowledge of the value of the paintings saved them from being exposed to the elements.
There is also a beautiful Mirror Room which was completely destroyed in bombings in 1945, and was recreated between 1979 and 1987, using original techniques. The amazing thing about it for me was that coloured slides of the room were only taken in 1944 - a year earlier, which gave a unique and detailed record of what the room looked like or it would have been lost. Fragments of the original glass were on display in the Residenz.
Each room in the Residenz is beautifully decorated, and there is far too much to talk about in our travel log as we visited 40 rooms in total. The ceiling paintings were so detailed and brightly coloured, huge coloured tapestries hung on many of the walls, beautiful marquetry could be seen on each hand-crafted piece of furniture, and the stucco was very elaborate. It was interesting to see the information about the damaged rooms and how they were restored. Pieces of furniture yet to be restored were on display, and information about how fabrics and wallpapers are replicated and reproduced was interesting too. In one room, the background consists of a black and white image taken from a photograph as no colour photos existed of the room. Samples of fabric taken from salvaged furniture revealed that the room had originally been decorated in red silk, and the red upholstered furniture was displayed in front of the black and white image which was very striking and told the story of the room.
After visiting the inside, we had a stroll around the gardens, but we did not get to see them all today. We were starting to feel hungry so went back to the van for some lunch. We passed a nice Konditorei on the way back so got ourselves a little pastry as we hadn’t been able to find a cake shop in Austria - I had a lovely mandarin muffin (my birthday cake) and Kevin had an apple Danish pastry.
We walked back into the town and visited the Roman Catholic cathedral which also suffered much damage during the Second World war bombings in 1945, and large parts of the building - including the nave - collapsed in 1946. Much of the cathedral was rebuilt, and the consecration took place in 1967. The cathedral is a very beautiful building, and carefully combines details from the original plans on the outside as well as much simpler designs and decoration in the nave. Upon entering the cathedral, your attention is immediately drawn to a huge menorah at the beginning of the aisle. It depicts the movement from Judaism to Christianity as you move towards the cross suspended before the altar. The walls behind the altar are painted white which makes the suspended gold crucifix and the altar stand out.
I bought a pair of earrings which I’d seen nearby in a jewellers. Mam asked what I’d like for my birthday and I said I’d like a pair of everyday earrings, and she told me to have a look for some on holiday. I just like simple designs and these were perfect - she’ll be pleased when I go back with them!
Our last visit of the day was to the Marienkapelle Roman Catholic Church, built in the Gothic Style in the 14th Century, with its decorative spire. Built on the site of a former synagogue, much of the church was destroyed in the bombings, and it had also been used to store furniture during the war, and this fuelled fire. The stained glass behind the altar reminded me of the window in Coventry Cathedral as it consisted of abstract patterns of mainly red and blue glass which provided a contrast to the four panel paintings of the Madonna from 1514 on the main altar. The silver Madonna portrait was created in 1680 by Johann Kilian, who was an artist from Augsburg.
We walked back to the van, weary in the heat, and having done the most steps in a day of the holiday! We are so lucky to have had such beautiful weather!
Today we walked along the river to Wertheim old town. We didn’t get much opportunity to just have a wander on Sunday as all of the shops are closed, so we went back today with view to getting a couple of small gifts to take home for family. It is a pleasant walk in along the river, and again the cycle lanes, stellplatz and town were noticeably quieter now that the children have returned to school. The opening hours of the shops seemed to be a bit erratic - maybe that is due to the changeover of holiday season to quiet season. A Viking river cruise ship was docked nearby, and there were a number of American tourists in the town from there.
We picked up a little purple unicorn back pack for Aurora - it has been hard to find anything suitable for her this holiday - and the mandatory magnet for our holiday wall at home. The streets are narrow with typical half-timbered houses, small squares and alleyways. The shops are interesting as most are individual, sole-traders selling a variety of wares from traditional clothing, locally sourced food and drink, and souvenirs to bespoke jewellers, as well as a bakery, butcher’s shop and greengrocer’s market stall in the main square.
We visited the Stiftskirche which is Gothic, Protestant parish church. The organist was practising when we entered - there is nothing like the sound of church organ to create such a wave of emotion when you are inside a church. You really feel like it seeps right through your bones. The church itself was beautifully decorated especially above the altar where simple vines had been painted. Across the road, we went into ‘Kilianskapelle, a Gothic chapel dating back to 1472. It was not as you would expect a chapel to be as there was no altar - it was just like a large room with a large oil painting hanging on each of the four walls.
After another little wander around the town, we walked back along the river to the site and, spent the rest of the afternoon pottering before our long journey tomorrow. We enjoyed watching the boats sailing along the river for the last time, and had a relaxing evening.
We left Wertheim at about 9.30am for our next site near Utrecht. When we were on holiday last year, we chose a site close to a place we could visit before travelling on to Delft. This worked really well and meant we had an extra day to enjoy before heading for our last site before the ferry home. Kevin found this site as we are booked to visit Kasteel De Haar, the largest castle in the Netherlands.
Our journey was a long one - we arrived at Tabaksschuur at about 5.30pm, after taking just two short breaks on the way up. We drove past Frankfurt Airport which is huge! You could see the planes coming in one behind the other as you looked up into the sky. The Hilton Hotel looks like a giant airship and is a very impressive sight as you approach it.
We had to divert to avoid a traffic jam due to a road accident on Autobahn 3 near Dusseldorf, and it took us around some very narrow winding roads. We were glad to get back on the Autobahn higher up but it added to our journey time. Although the travel days are long, we are used to them, and they seem to pass by without being boring. I always find the last hour is the longest as we get nearer to our destination.
The site at Tabaksschuur is a typical Dutch site in that you travel along narrow tree-lined avenues, usually with a dyke running alongside the road, and many cyclists. It was within walking distance of the small village where we were told we could buy bread. The site has enclosed sections, enough for 4-6 caravans/motorhomes, and also has chalets for renting. It is quite a nice little site but access to the waste water point was not easily accessible, particularly as you had to drive through two rows of parked cars straight into the very small bay. It would be difficult to turn the van around if the car park was full. Showers are accessible with keys but toilets were open for use. When we were there, the ladies toilets had been closed off (permanently we think because of the reduced number of campers) so men and women were using the same set - which I do not like at all! It is a nice little site for a stop off but you would need to travel to places from here in the van as there was nothing close by. Still, it was ideal for what we wanted and we slept well as it was a very quiet site.
We set off for Kasteel De Haar which is about 45 minutes from Utrecht. It was easy to find as there were plenty of road signs directing us to the car park. Again, it was very quiet when we arrived so we found it easy to park up.
The castle you see today is build within the original footprint of a 15th Century castle. The 15th Century castle was no more than a ruin following various wars and storms of previous centuries when it was passed to the Van Zuylen family through marriage. The Baron wanted to rebuild the family castle and, although he was wealthy, he did not have enough wealth to fulfil his ambitious dreams for the palace … that was until he married Helene de Rothschild from Paris, who was from a very rich family. The Baron, his wife and five daughters lived in the castle until it was agreed that the Kasteel De Haar Foundation should take over the ownerships of the castle, it’s buildings, park and collections in 2011.
The castle was built in the neo-Gothic style which reflected the original style of the Middle Ages, and fitted the Baron’s plans to turn it into a family museum. In addition, the plans included adding bathrooms, electricity and heating to ensure that the family and their guests experienced luxury when they stayed there. The castle is extremely impressive with gates, drawbridge, turrets, spires and round towers of red brick surrounded by a moat. The Baron and his wife entertained politicians, royalty, celebrities and other famous or influential people including Coco Chanel, Roger Moore and Bridgit Bardot.
We had an audio guide which gave lots of information about each room. The rooms all lead off a central hall, which looks like a church with its stained-glass windows at the top, wooden trellis work, ironwork, decorative Gothic-arched ceiling and statues. There is a huge tapestry hanging on one wall above the entrance to the hall. It is difficult to know where to look as there is so much to see in the hall alone but it doesn’t feel austere in any way. On the audio guide, one of the Baron’s daughters recalls how the children in the local primary school were invited up to the hall each Christmas for hot chocolate and cookies, and they would perform for the family. It must have been so overwhelming as a child to enter the hall but a experience that you would never forget.
After our tour of the castle, we had lunch in the van, then we returned to have a walk around the castle park. There was a ‘grand canal’ with quaint little bridges where you could cross to the other side of the park, and a deer park. The gardens are also very pretty, and there were a lot of gardeners working outside when we were there. The chapel and restaurant/café were closed today as there was a wedding taking place - we caught a glimpse of the couple leaving the chapel. It was a lovely place to visit, and just finished off our fantastic holiday.
We headed to Delftse Hout campsite which we are getting to know very well! It was busier than I expected, but there were noticeably fewer families - the children we saw were probably pre-school age. We got set up for the night and sorted for our ferry trip back to the U.K. tomorrow.
We left Delft at around 10.45am, went for diesel, and then headed to the ferry port. It is another beautiful day today so the crossing was nice and calm. We arrived at our last site for our summer holiday at about 8.30pm and quickly got set up and ready for a good night’s sleep before we head home tomorrow.
Thank you SUMMER 2023 - you have been amazing!