Guten tag!
Germany is a country steeped in
history. Most of us are aware of the country shaping a lot of foreign policy
over the past century, but it has been a home for Kings and Queens and Saxons
and Romans as well.
The Middle Ages - what I like to
think of as the 'fairy-tale age' - have certainly left an imprint on the vast
German landscape. Towns inspire folk stories with their cute, distinct houses.
Cobbled roads weave through chocolate-box villages often situated at the foot
of a spectacular peak or along a gushing river, protected in the time of long
ago by imposing stone fortresses.
Unfortunately, Father Time - and
the invading armies and air forces of 1945 in particular - have not been kind
enough to leave all of the magical monuments of the German Kingdoms alone for
us to enjoy today. However, there are some that evaded the brutal bombs and the
aging process, or were in good enough condition to be restored close to their
glory days.
We visited two important cultural
sights to begin our grandiose and ambitious continental adventure. Heading
south from Düsseldorf, we briefly stopped in the village of
Burg. Burg and Schloss seem to be interchangeable words for 'castle' or
'fortress'. This one, recommended to us by an information centre in Düsseldorf, sat proudly on the top of a hill, and can be accessed by
what was described as a cable car. I think antiquated ski lift would have been
more accurate.
The city of Köln (Cologne) is not
far from here, and it was along these banks of the Rhein that we decided to set
up camp. Using a tent should help to help offset the costs associated with
hiring a car, though the €22 we had to shell out has made me think twice about
that assumption.
The jewel in Köln's crown - which
is not cologne, for the record, as the 'original' eau de cologne that comes
from here certainly didn't impress - avoided any punishment in the Second World
War. Locals are grateful for this, partly due to the fact that it took almost
six centuries to complete Köln's Cathedral. A masterpiece she is too,
with her twin towers standing dominantly as they watch over the low skyline.
Like its northern neighbour, Köln
is a pretty place that doesn't have a 'big-city' feel attached to it, in spite
of housing over a million citizens. Köln and Düsseldorf are
rivals in a way that would hearten anyone from a British city - think
Manchester and Liverpool. This even extends to the local beer - ordering an
Altbier in Köln would be alcoholic suicide. The homegrown variety here is
called Kölsch, and is more like a standard lager. Whisper it quietly, but I
think Düsseldorf's is better...
One unfortunate event that
happened in Köln was a rather large rainstorm. This continued even after our
departure, which resulted in a very wet tent being put away torrential rain.
Campers will know that this is not a fun experience, and invariably results in
a tent that can become quite dirty and beginning to develop a mildew smell. I
couldn't take any pictures at that time simply because our camera may not have
worked afterwards.
The road show won't stop for
something as ordinary as lashings of rain, however. Driving is in itself quite
a challenge: something I will elaborate on from our next, hopefully drier,
location.
Love you all
Matt
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