The Loire Valley and especially Blois
The beautiful little town of Wolfenbüttel with its wonderful collection of half-timbered houses built around 1600 is in the Harz region in the centre of Germany. We were caught in a shower but fortunately it didn’t last too long. La jolie petite ville de Wolfenbüttel avec ses belles maisons à colombages construites vers 1600 se …
Continue reading “Day #22 Postcard from Germany – Wolfenbüttel”
A very monotonous 25-km ride along the Elbe side canal took us to the very scenic Hanseatic town of Lüneburg with its many 16th century brick houses. The first photo shows the restaurant where we had lunch at the lower level while the second and third photos show the view from where we were sitting. …
We’re staying in Bad Bevensen to visit Lüneburg 25 km away but we had the great surprise of finding ourselves in a spa (bad means bath) with a free entry each day to warm salt baths (27 and 32 degrees). It was quite an adventure as we speak very little German. Nous sommes descendus à …
Continue reading “Day #20 Postcard from Germany – Bad Bevensen”
Today was a long day because we had to take the long route to our home exchange north of Copenhagen; there were no tickets available for the ferry by the time we thought of booking – 500 k instead of 300 k. There was also a lot of roadwork going on. So instead of our …
Continue reading “Day #9 – In transit from Germany to Denmark”
We started by driving 40 minutes north to Wismar, a world heritage site on the Baltic Coast then cycled to the neighbouring island of Poel joined to the mainland by a levee. I had the best meal since we left France in a little restaurant next to a marina – a seafood platter with scallops, …
Continue reading “Day #8 Postcard from Germany – Wismar & Insel Poel”
Today we cycled 55 k return from where we are staying in Ziethen near Ratzeburg to Lübeck in the very north of Germany. Brick is the main construction material and some of the buildings are impressively high. The difference between former east and west Germany is obvious – the bike paths are not always paved …
This castle inspired by Chambord in the Loire Valley was built between 1847 and 1857 by Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. There is no ressemblance inside as you can see from the throne room. What I really loved was the sunken orangery at the back of the castle. Ce château inspiré de Chambord …
Continue reading “Day #6 Postcard from Germany – Schwerin Castle”
As we sat down before our well-deserved ice-creams (we had ridden 57 km and had another 19 km to go!) despite the fact that it was only 18°C, we looked up and saw this incredible fortified church that wasn’t even in our guide books. All we know is that it is an excellent example of German pre-Romanesque …
Continue reading “Day #5 Postcard from Germany – Freckenhost & Vornholz”
Münster means cathedral and this one in the city of Münster certainly deserves its name with its impressive double-nave facade. Inside is an astronomical clock made in 1540. We then cycled to Burg Hülshoff a traditional “water castle” built on two islands and surrounded by a beautiful park. Le mot Münster veut dire cathédrale et …
Continue reading “Day #4 Postcard from Germany – Münster & Burg Hülshoff”
On our way to Münster by car today, we stopped off for lunch at Aachen, better known as Aix la Chapelle. For those who have read Browning’s poem, “How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix”, it is a well-known name. Charlemagne decided to set up a permanent court there in 800 and started building the …
Continue reading “Day #3 – Postcard from Germany: Aachen or Aix la Chapelle”