Tuesday 28th May
Well the sun didn’t hang around for long, this morning is wet and cold again. We’d spent the night in the brewery carpark. Greg starts editing the ghost church photos over breakfast until the MacBook battery is nearly flat then we drive north to Coburg Castle.
It’s very large and imposing, dominating the town below. High stone walls and you enter over an arched bridge and under a wooden portcullis. Inside that is a couple of courtyards with terraced gardens and wall walkways. The buildings are of differing architectural styles either attached or connected with walkways. The rain held off while we explored outside then we paid to go in. The amazing workmanship in the wall panels, floors and ceilings impressed me more than the glass cased collections of coins, medals, glass and porcelain. One room in particular has the most incredible wooden panels depicting hunting scenes.
We move through four different buildings, up to three floors each. The last building included the Armoury Chamber. Not just one or two sets of armour but shelves and shelves of them. 
Then all the swords and guns….. and these aren’t replicates or rebuilt, the real thing. Crossbows, battle surgery instruments with diagrams. Horses with armour, jousting gear. Next floor down is the hunting arms and ‘objects of justice’. The ground floor held horse drawn carriages and a huge number of ornate jousting sleighs. The castle was home to Martin Luther so there is also his rooms and chapel. Across the courtyard you go up a lift to a wall top area with cannons, once again real ones, pointing out over the wall, with piles of cannonballs ready to go.
Eventually we left and headed to a campsite nearby which has 8 coin operated power boxes. Unfortunately by the time we arrive there are already a dozen campers here so no power for us and we hadn’t driven long enough to fully charge all our devices. I think we’ll need to start getting to camps early now it getting closer to summer. It’s too wet and cold to go exploring. Oh well, the MacBook had charged up enough that Greg could do some more editing and I have my book club book on my iPad. I’m not reading in the correct order but just as I can get hold of a E copy. The book I’m currently reading is actually an audio copy so Greg gets to hear it too, no choice haha. It’s Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel. Our ears pricked when it mentioned Pope Clement. They are referring to the 7th but yesterday we visited the Dom in Bamberg where Pope Clement the 2nd is buried. Also refers to Martin Luther a few times and we’ve come across places he’s been in the last two days. Wine, dinner and an early night.
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29th May
Still cold and raining this morning. Our normal routine includes one of us jumping out of bed, flicking the hot water on then going back to bed for 20 – 30 minutes until the water is hot. This morning when we got up to shower the water was still cold. The gas bottle had run out through the night. Murphy’s law it has to happen when it’s raining and you don’t want to go outside to change the bottles over.
We continue our path northwards. We’re driving narrow country roads and through cute little villages. These ones are clad in what looks like slate shingles, diamond patterned with different corners. These are lots of places selling hand blown glass Christmas decorations. Shop windows full of Christmas scenes and festooned trees outside the villages.
Get onto a motorway and come to a complete stop. Can see smoke ahead. Fire engines roar past on the shoulder. Half an hour later we move again, passing a completely burned out car. Get into Erfurt later than intended and our choice of campsite with electricity and wifi is full. Bugger! Find another site without services but right on the edge of the old town. Now in a bar with a drink and wifi. There is a power point beside my seat. Luckily I had thrown in the USB plug in my bag but only have one cable on me. Better than nothing so I won’t complain.
Erfurt is another cute little town with a river running through it. There is a bridge with shops and houses crammed on both sides. The buildings were completed in 1486 and are half timbered. They aren’t straight and lean drunkenly on each other. They are the longest inhabited bridge houses in Europe. But this isn’t a tourist destination and the shops are every day shops. There is one shop/workshop with a man making puppets or as the sign says mechanical machines. He’s sitting at a work bench carving away in wood, half done projects at his side.
Germany is sinking into my heart. Coming from New Zealand, Europe is France for Paris and elegance, Italy for it’s Roman ancestry and food, Netherlands for it’s tulips and windmills, Switzerland for it’s mountains, Germany for it’s beer. But Germany is proving itself to be so so much more. Like Croatia and Czech Republic the unexpected delights are making our holiday totally wonderful.
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30th May
Opposite our possie is a barber shop. Sign says opens at 9 and Greg wants a haircut so we potter around until then and he walks across the road. Back a few minutes later, it’s not open. Oh well, we hit the road. Traffic is very light. Odd. We pass rows of trucks parked up….. umm, check google and yes it’s a public holiday. Ascension Day being 40 days after Easter.
Somehow we end up on a motorway so promptly get off. We’re not in a hurry and our planned campsite tonight isn’t a ‘destination’ just a stopping point. Today is about exploring where we are at. We divert further to a small settlement called Camburg. In the carpark are lots and lots of people filling inflatable rafts and kayaks with crates of beer then floating off down the river. No idea where to or how they plan to get back again but it looks like they are having a great time. There is a tower with a great roof top view and to Greg’s delight, an abandoned mill complex. He takes lots of photos.
We move on up the road and have our lunch under a wind turbine. It’s turning well but only a gentle breeze at ground level. From my position I count 89 turbines but I know there are more that the trees are blocking from my view. Greg is experimenting with long exposures. Takes a while.
I google map the distance still to go and check my watch. Time to get a move on if we want to get a site with power. Jump on the autobahn and it eats up the miles in no time. As it is, we grab the last power outlet. It’s a park at a small airfield. €11 for the site plus all services, ie electricity, water and waste disposal. Internet- hooray. Toilets and showers in the control tower.
Tomorrow we’re planning to go to Berlin. I’m a bit concerned about getting into the campground there so using google translate we email a booking. If that fails we’ll just wing it I guess. At least we will have fully charged everything tonight plus done all the water/waste tanks. With luck Greg will also have caught up on his photos. Liverpool’s big game this Saturday evening so Greg is adamant that we be in an English or Irish pub.
BAGGAB 