Germany&Switzerland

The one that never was planned

Just as well the way it turned out

Home
 
5th August to 26th August 2007
swollen ankle
This would stop any plans
  The 2007 family tour in the motor home

The plan was not really be to tied to a plan, other than to make it to Switzerland in about 10 days to join up with my brother Anthony and his family. We had enjoyed the swiss experience so much the previous year.

Then after a week or so head for home. We had decided to travel to Switzerland via Germany this year as France was the option last year.

Well if you do enough traveling it is bound to happen... hospitalised in Rothenburg ODT, Germany.4 nights in bed and on a drip. Some midge bite that was.

This holiday was looking to be very dry no beer!!

 
   
map for 2007

The rough map plan before we left in one end out the other

Monday 6th August 2007 : to Arnhem: 86 miles
  paul ready for landing   beach huts of ijumden  
 
paul ready for the start
 
beach huts at ijumden
 

After a late dock we set of for Arnhem, never seen the town but we found a nice site. The journey took an age. Lots of roadwork's then my leg not wanting to push the pedal all the way down.

Tuesday 7th August 2007 - Limburg, Germany : 180 miles
  limburg camp site   the dom in limburg  
 
good location, shame about the trains
 
the lom in limburg
 

Now we had decided to miss out Gosslar to save the leg a little we made a stop on route at Limburg which turned out to be a fantastic stopover. A little noisy of the train line but still a wonderful town. Rain was once again against us and the campsite was home from home.

Wednesday 8th August 2007 (and on):Rothenburg : 158 miles
  campsite rothenburg   the start of the legs  
 
camping rothenburg
 
the cause of the problem - 1 ankle
 
  rothenburg centre   double decker bridge  
 
busy square
 
paul love his bridges
 
  centre town   clock tower  
 
center rothenburg
 
center rothenburg
 
  peter and shirley   paul visits dad in hospital  
 
peter and shirley (karen's saviors)
 
paul checks up on the patient
 

Up and away as the motto goes, covered the 186 miles to Rothenburg by lunchtime in an attempt to bring some normality back to the trip.

Arrived in the rain and that's the way it stopped. Now the weather does not normally bother me but it was lashing down. So I made the decision to try and seek out some new tablets from the hospital.

Now the plan goes to the dogs: arrived at 2pm showed the receptionist my leg, seen doctor at 2.05pm needles and blood samples by 2.10pm went to collect my bits from the motor home under the instructions to come straight back, must have been a little slow as he was waiting at the door for me at 2.25pm trying to stress the urgency to get the swelling down and the drip in. after a quick x-ray I was in bed well before 3pm.

It sort of continued that way every day 4 bottles of antibiotics through a drip 8 tablets and an injection or two combined with a shortage of coffee. In fact no coffee after lunch, at 12 and only 1 cup then. Oh herbal tea on tap. I must say the food was good once I was ordering my own. Once in the swing of it the only problem remained their poor use of English. I bet they wish they had stuck in at school now.

At the time of writing this on the saturday (day 4 ) my 2 room mates have arrived had operations restless all night in pain (oh and my record for snoring has been passed over to Herdmann) then gone in the morning. How can they expect a man like me to sleep with no drink inside him.

Bedtime the end of a long day and the beginning of a long night, just when you have nodded off around one in the morning they arrive with the next drip to stick in, around two they arrive to pull it out and when this is removed you can have the night to yourself. Well at least until 5.15 when an electronic heat probe is stuck in your ear. By this time your room mates anesthetic and sleeping pills have worn off and they start to groan even more. As the day goes your up and ready for 6. Doctors in England could learn a thing or two about patient rounds in the morning, here they do happen in the morning. In fact around 7.30am.

I was finally given the all clear at 7.30am on Sunday morning .Fed watered and tablets to the ready I was off.

I must say that the hospital runs very efficiently and all off the doctors and staff are very friendly, the food excellent , a special thanks to the nurse that was there every day Marie, hard working and a nice smile. All this comfort and I can't wait to return to the motor home, to see my beloved.

Karen.. Left high and dry in a hospital car park with a 3.5 ton lorry, never driven it before so my own fault never really wanted to as his highness would sit in the back all day on his laptop. Drove to site got lost slightly, in rain and mist (Paul gabbing in the back your not as good a driver as Dad) Found site did all my utilities, parked up next to british couple Peter and Shirley full time caravaners. They have been great just a comfort to know some one next to us from home. They drove me and Paul to hospital a couple of times and into town we will be forever grateful. Rothenburg a beautiful town lots to see so armed with map and GPS Paul and I walked the town different parts each day taken in our hospital visit. I think we coped very well, considering the circumstances how selfish can he be!

 

Tuesday 14th september 2007: Fussen - 155 miles
  fussen by the lake   paul by the lake  
 
view towards the campsite
 
paul by the lake
 
  wonderful view accross the lake   wonderful view accross the lake  
 
another lake view
 
and again
 
  campsite hopfensee, fussen   gamesroom at campsite  
   
the games room (paul's favorite)
 

A wrench to leave rothenburg but you have to move on. After a early start and a visit the hospital with some awful looking local delicacy. They do not appear to sell normal style chocolates in rothenburg. A quick visit to Claus (my last room mate) with a couple of bottles of stella, he said he had never heard of Stella artois.

The run to Fussen was a simple one, 90% autobahn and with my new co driver taking the wheel for the last 60 miles the future was looking bright. Could this be a thing of the future. Karen's first proper drive of the motor home and on the right hand side of the road.

The camp site was some think else, games room, swimming pool lakeside position and excellent state of the art facilities.

 

Wednesday 15th August 2007 : Bludenz,Austria : 106 miles
  royal castle   close up of castle  
 
Neuschwanstein , royal castle
 
close up
 
  view from castle   horse back down  
 
view from castle
 
horse back down
 
  camsite sonnerbag bludenz   campsite park  
 
terrassen camping sonnenberg, bludenz,austria
 
campsite park - Paul's happy
 

well after a good night at campsite hopfensee we made for an early start to visit the royal castles just outside of fussen. I always knew that you had to be there early and 9am appeared to be too late, we had to wait till 11.10am to gain entry. I have been past the castles in the past and always promised a visit, I was not disappointed. Only built just over 100years by King Ludwig II and not quite finished, the castle of Neuschwanstein is fantastic.

by 12.30pm when we arrived back at the car park it was chaos with a wait time of over 4 hours for a 35 minute tour.

The next dilemma was where to stop, first we crossed the boarder into austria and headed for St. Anton this had always been on the mind but without a camp site we past on by for 25 miles to Belanz. The campsite was just my sort excellent facilities in the washroom department, a good play area not too crowded and not over commercial, an excellent setting. Oh and growing on importance a wi-fi internet access from the motor home. (I have internet connection every night up to know, varying quality and various price).

 

Thursday 16th August 2007 :Luzern,Switzerland :107 miles
  sempech lakeside   park at camsite  
 
lakeside view
 
Paul at the park
 
  paul on swing   more of the park  
 
getting the italians to do the work
 
more of the park
 

well not much of a day weather wise, like it hossed it down for most of the day only clearing as we approached the campsite on the shore at sempech camp site. a massive site all of the facilities looked brand new(2 months brand new). Excellent park area for Paul, only the bar let the place down closer to a cafeteria than a bar. But he look here at least it had one and I was not drinking yet. Tomorrow was looking good my first beer and a return to Lauterbrunnen for 6 nights.

 

Friday 17th august 2007 : Lauterbrunnen,Switzerland :60 miles
  sempech olstown   sempach marble alter in the church  
 
Sempech old town
 
The church at sempech
 
view from our pitch
The view from Lauterbrunnen campsite

Today was the start of the end of the holiday and the best bit as far as I am concerned,and that was before the start. Now after no drink for 2 weeks I am looking forward to it all the more. The only hope is for some decent weather and a chance to do some good walks. anthony and family are due to meet us there for a week, to which is excited.

We started by paying a visit to Sempech town center next to the campsite and the old town was fantastic, especially the church. An hour spent and on our way at last to Lauterbrunnen. Anthony reported he was 3 hours late in leaving in Germany, no surprise in that department.

 

 

Saturday 17th August 2007 and for a week no miles
The idea now was to have a tourist type walking holiday, buy a 6 day rail pass and get out and about. It would involve doing a little walking a little sitting on trains and cable cars and finally doing a little drinking.

  paul helen and harry on a walk   klien shiledag station  
 
day 1 and Paul, Helen and Harry enjoying the walk with the Eiger in the background
 
Kleine Scheidegg station, one of the prettiest on the network
 
  top of jungfrau   ice palace  
 
day2 (sunday)All together at the top of Jungfrau 11333 ft
 
enjoying the ice palace, even the floor was ice harry never stood up once
 
    brave men no shirts  
 
Karen, Billy and Paul at the top of Jungfrau 11782 ft
 
snow must be a novelty
 
  paul still smiles at end of walk from First cable car station   the bus awaits  
 
(day 4 )Paul still smiling at end of walk from First cable car station to Grosse Scheidegg, Our first outing for the water proof.
 
The bus waits at the refuge at Grosse Scheidegg (the best soup in a long time)
 
 
  train at top   walk from schyinge platte  
 
day 5 and we are off to Schyinge platte for a walk and a fantastic view on Interlaken from here
 
On the walk from Schyinge platte
 
  view from cable car station over murren   paul hangs on  
 
day 6 Off to Murren via the new Lauterbrunnen cable car and train a wonderful 20 minute journey
 
and finally why not squeeze a last look of Wengan from the Manachillen cable car station
 

 

Friday 24th August 2207 : 350 miles : Limburg
  river front at limburg campsite   the lom at limburg  
 
The river at Limburg campsite (looks quite full)
 
The picture looks different in the evening sun
 

Time for home, and a goodbye to Lauterbrunnan, However last purchases at the shops and it is 11 before the off. With no idea of where to head for, only that 600 miles had to be covered to get to the ferry. So 350/250 split looked good and the nearest campsite was back at Limburg (the second night stop on the way down.
It looked good the first time, and this time with no rain and no bad leg it looked a million times better, The quite town on a rainy Tuesday became a jumping vibrant town on a warm Friday evening.

 

Saturday 25th August 2007 : Ferry terminal Ijumden : 250 miles
An early start from Limburg was called for and by the crack of 10 we were rolling. ferry at 4pm and all over and done bar the credit cards.