I am German!

Route from Nice to Maisfhofen, Austria

Just realised we haven't put on a map since being in Nice months ago so here are the maps of our route to Austria. You need to click on them to enlarge them and see the route better.
 

 

Nice - Calvi, Corsica

Calvi - Bonifacio

Bonifacio - Olbia, Sardinia

Sardinia - Rome

 

Rome - Siena

Siena - Lake Garda

Lake Garda - Venice

 

Venice - Postojna, Slovenia

Postojna - Lake Bled

Lake Bled - Malta, Austria

Malta - Obervellach

Obervellach - Maishofen (via the Grossglockner Alpine Pass)

Maishofen, Stopover by Another Lake and More Mountains

Arrived at a site on the way to crossing through the Alps and set up stuff – Dave started chatting to the guys next door ‘Hello are you on holiday?

Answer – ‘I am German’

D: OK

End!!

Very chilled stopover site – very very hot – although we know UK has a heatwave now!
Also treated ourselves to a lovely meal in the campsite restaurant – very Austrian – schnitzels and stuff – we thought they were sausages – apparently not! Meat choppy things

We normally live on noodles or cheese and ham so this was a treat!!

And fab ice cream for D !!

The roads through Austria at this time of year are full of wooden houses with balconies covered in coloured flowers – really pretty – with the mountains and hills in the background. M tried to take pictures as we were driving but it was quite hard so this is the best we got!

There were houses with so many more flowers than this but didn't get a pic! But gives you an idea...

All the villages are really clean with grass cut so close it looks like Wimbledon – even on the slopes!

Site was a bit expensive so time to move on again to the land of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Castle…..

Road out of the Alps - the mountains by the road are HUGE!

Shitty Shitty Bang Bang!!

Stayed on yet another site by a lake

 

This was supposed to be one of Dave’s highlights on our tour – to see the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Castle from the film in Germany – we stayed at a site on the lake just opposite and planned a really good day out cycling round the lake to see the Castle and splash out on a ticket to look inside.

Neuschwanstein Castle (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Castle)

 

Hohenschwangau Castle next to the one above! (nothing to do with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!)

 

 

 

Cycled 6 miles round the lake and got there about 11 am – sooo busy and commercialised - queued for an hour just to get a ticket to go in the Castle – got to the paying bit to be told we couldn’t go in till 6pm that evening for the next available tour!! Shit – we’d queued for ages and this was the one thing we wanted to see so we thought sod it we’ll wait.

There was no mention anywhere of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang film – are we at the right castle? Or maybe it’s just an English thing?!!  Dave had the song on his phone and kept playing it but no-one was impressed or understood! ~We sung along tho – “O you pretty chitty bang bang pretty chitty bang bang we love you!!!!” Our UK followers will know this song – others may not! We have since found out it WAS the right castle and was the inspiration for the Walt Disney Castle in America.

It was 30 degrees and well sunny when we left on our bikes in shorts and t shirts but 4 hours later the thunderstorm arrived!! And lightening and cats and dogs and door step (stair rods?!) rainy things and the heavens opened up. But that’s ok we thought we’ll leave bikes at office and catch the shuttle bus up to the top. Got on bus and when we got to the top nobody would get out coz the rain was so hard and we couldn’t get out past people – but the next bus load were waiting and decided to get in – all Japanese or Americans pushing in – the bus driver panicked and shut the doors with twice as many people in it and he went back down the hill with us still on the bus! So we missed our slot for the tour of the Castle! Bugger – D really wanted to see the Castle and was seeing if it would go back up again – M had had enough and headed out the bus for the nearest bar avoiding the floods down the road!

 

 

Got our tour tickets but didn't get in!!

 

We think it’s time to move on – if it rains we move….

And to top it all D’s lost all his channels on the satellite so not even German porn and we’re in Germany now!

The Only Green Van on the Estate!

Off from the Castle and heading for another lake on the road to Freiburg where our friends Ulli and Rita live.

Lake Bodensee

 

 

 

We have found ourselves in the equivalent of Bude in the height of the summer with everyone arriving to get a piece of the ‘sea’ in Germany – we are at the largest lake in the country which is their ‘beach’. We found a little spot on this site – it’s not a campsite but a motorhome site and took us half an hour to work out how to get our ticket into the place! We have luckily found a really nice guy who has told us how things work here - Mr Oracle! - and have found free Wifi in the bar – ideal!

 

 

Compact and Beejuueeee!!

We can only stay in this part of the site till 8pm tomorrow then everyone will be fighting for spots the other side of the barrier! We are not sure why they are shutting half the site but we are English and will be out throwing our towels (or camping chairs) at 5 am to try and get a pitch!! Either that or we’ll wild camp just round the lake !

It looks a lovely spot though and we want to spend a day or 2 here and explore on the bikes.