World Ramblers - for Independent travellers

Arriving at Fussen aboard the local train is in itself quite the experience. The Alps rise up in the distance and begin to appear nearer as the train makes its way slowly southwards edging closer to the Austrian border.  Alongside the train weaves a narrow stream for miles upon miles, its banks no more than a few inches from the top of the water.  Fields upon fields of green grass and corn grow abundantly here.  The single track railway line cuts a thin route between the trees, their leaves inches from the train.  The rickety sound of the train and the engines gentle hum are the only sounds heard above your own floating thoughts in the afternoon sunshine.

Camping Brunnen

There’s no need to catch a taxi from Fussen to the campsite at Camping Brunnen as bus 78 takes you straight to the campsite and is located just outside the train station.  Keep a careful eye on the buses though as they don’t run very regularly or late either.  The price for the bus is cheap, but if you arrived at Fussen aboard a train using the Bavarian ticket then you can also use it on the buses for no extra charge!  The campsite is spacious and clean although it fills up almost completely with Germans and their caravans.  The location is beautiful with a large swimming lake right alongside and with a view to the south of the alps and castle Neuschwanstein.  All around this campsite there’s a spectacular view.  If this were enough then it would be a great campsite. For those without the luxury of a caravan (compared to a tent like us) then staying here in what we called the deluge nights and unpredictable days the experience is somewhat different.  The campsite doesn’t really offer somewhere for people to go and hang out indoors unless you call the tiny basement room with no windows, small pool table, a bench that’s about to collapse and a couple of arcade racing games that were better suited to the Atari days somewhere to go. I on the other hand would not.  The showers and cooking facilities are all clean, but there’s not really a sense of community here. Perhaps if I spoke more German it would be different.  If you’re looking for backpackers then this might not be the best place to stay, but for the price and it’s accessibility to the local points of interest it’s not a bad place to stay if the weather is dry.  For more information, check out their website here 

Fussen

Taking a quick 20 minute bus ride through the beautiful Bavarian countryside will get you from the campsite back to the town of Fussen.  I’m sure it looks more beautiful in the winter all covered in snow, but for me it didn’t really strike me as much of a town.  There are a few interesting streets with cafes and novelty shops, but more than anything there are the usual crappy tourist souvenir shops full of overpriced gifts so many people are interested in until they get them home and realize they’ve paid way to much money for a load of rubbish.

The real point to Fussen in my opinion is to use it as a gateway into the area by train so you can then gain access to the over 180km of footpaths, cycling paths, mountain paths, swimming lakes, forests, skiing and castles.

Castle Neuschwanstein

Having been from Fussen to Brunnen and back again we’d already seen castle Neuschwanstein several times as the 78 bus makes a regular stop there on its route.  Due to this we could tell how busy the area gets with tourists.  With this thought we opted to arrive at the castle early to beat the swathe of tourists and are glad we did.  In order to visit the inside of the castle you have to be on a tour which lasts 30mins.  When you arrive at the foot of the hill you have to visit the ticket office.  We’d bought our ticket at 8:59am with little to no queue of people in front of us at the ticket office.  You have a choice of buying the Royal ticket which allows you on a tour of both the Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles, but having this joint ticket costs €1 short of double the price and puts you under a bit of a time crunch to see them both.  We opted to pay only for the entrance to Neuschwanstein.

Our tour time was at 10:10am so with a reported 40min walk to the castle entrance we bought a coffee to warms our bones and set off up the hill on foot.  Instead of walking you can take a horse drawn carriage or shuttle bus to the top, but there’s nothing wrong with using your legs and getting up there.  It only took us about 20mins at a reasonable pace so unless you are less than unfit or have a heart problem don’t even think about cheating your way to the top.

Like all things German the process of getting into the castle was done with punctuality unlike any other nation.  At exactly 10:10am we were heading inside and up the first series of steps that wound around and around.  Once at the first floor our group met our guide, a young German girl.  Having been told you are not allowed to take photos of inside the castle a few people let out groans including one from myself.  It didn’t seem to stop one overly excited and overweight woman however even if she did huff and puff up each stair in order to take the shots.  All in all there are over 350 steps to climb, but it’s worth it as the views outside of the castle windows in themselves are breathtaking, but so is the interior.

The castle is supposed to be the inspiration for Walt Disney and his Sleeping Beauty castle.  It’s a magnificent place set in the rocks that has captured the hearts of many.

Make sure you take the time to walk around the back of the castle as you’ll find the path which takes you to the Marienbrucke suspension bridge.  From here, if you brave the wobbling wooden planks is a glorious view of the castle and all the way past it to the lake at the Brunnen campsite.  Below your feet gushes a huge waterfall.

If you’re thinking you can easily take the famous shot of outside the castle then please let me know how as we couldn’t find the path that leads to the vantage point to take it.

King Ludwig II

King Ludwig II was first introduced to the works of Wagner on February 2nd 1861. The opera was Lohengrin, the knight of the swan and it left a profound impression on him.  Within a few days of becoming king at the tender age of eighteen he ordered his ministers to go and find Wagner and bring him to Munich.  This wasn’t as easy as first thought, but in the end Wagner was found running from his creditors in Vienna.  From this point on the pair were inseparable, with Ludwig paying down his debts and setting him up in a comfortable villa.  This however didn’t last too long and within 18 months the Munich society were becoming tired of Wagners arrogance and jealous of his influence on the young king.  Eventually Wagner was forced to leave Munich for Switzerland.  This did not prevent the king from covering numerous interior walls of castle Neuschwanstein with illustrations depicting scenes from Richard Wagner’s dramas such as Siegfried (lobby), Lohengrin (reception rooms), Tristen and Isolde (bedroom), Tannhauser (study) Master Singers (toilet).  It is amazing to think there were 35 artists working on the castle alongside 14 carpenters who worked on the King’s bedroom.  In the end only 16 rooms were built completely before the Kings untimely death at the age of 41.  The king apparently only spent 172 days at the castle and on every one of those days the walls of the castle were covered with scaffolding.

Nobody really knows why the King was found dead with his psychiatrist but the rumors are he was spending all the money he could to build his castle and the final straw came when he reportedly tried to sell off part of Bavaria to fund his castle building.

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Rothenburg ob der Tauber (Rothenburg above the Tauber) is one of the most photogenic cities I have ever laid eyes upon. A fortunate experience I had, to piece together one winding path to the next cobbled stone roadway that ran along half timbered homes, year-round Christmas shops, cafes and bakeries. Indeed Rothenberg is a popular tourist destination full of many of my fellow Americanos and Japanese tourists. The fairy tale village is worth a visit I assure even if its just for one day. I prefer to amble through local streets and wander the back alleys peering from an inconspicuous corner which takes more than one day. That is the way I like to discover places.

We spent three nights at the Campingplatz only a 10 minute walk from the historical town center. I felt this was ample enough for a few good wanders; one evening for a very expensive hot chocolate on the main square (powder mix, a little disappointing) and a memorable sundown that hung with a smirking moon. One morning dashing from one sight to the next including a visit to the very interesting Medieval Crime Museum (learn how people were charged for heinous crimes such as being a “witch” and publicly shamed for being henpecked by the wife). Torture machines and iron masks are on display as well as the office work policies of these early centuries. A visit to this museum is reasonably priced. Then we enjoyed one more evening in Rothenburg on the hunt for a good pub, but to no avail so we opted for a pils (good beer) at the local eis café. It was during this evening when the clock struck 11PM all the tourists gathered in the main square with their cameras to catch a glimpse of the magic performance. Ding Dong, I ran over to see what all the fuss was as the big clock continued its ballad, ding dong…two men (I think, as they had long hair) of carved wood I presume, opened a window on either side of the dial, their faces lit and turned from side to side and the onlookers smiled with glee and flashed cameras. I still think I must have missed something…but if I didn’t don’t worry if you miss the performance on the hour.

Well preserved, it has been said that Rothenburg was spared during World War II. During the war Nazi soldiers were stationed within the city, 306 homes were destroyed as 16 planes dropped bombs over the city. Several pubic buildings, nine watchtowers, and over 2,000 feet of the wall tumbled into rubble before the U.S. Secretary of War, John J McCloy ordered the army to use artillery instead of bombs to protect the historical nugget. The Germans themselves did not fight their enemies till the bitter end in order to protect a glimmer of German history. The medieval wall that surrounds the town today is full of grace and encompasses a historical masterpiece. You can freely walk along the wall ramparts to gauge an outstanding view of rooftops and alleys; names of people from all over the world are inscribed into the stone, leaving an honorable mention to those that have supported the up keep of the wall. Get lost in Rothenburg appealing as Disneyland for big kids that never want to grow up.

TRAVELERS TIP: The main train station in Rothenburg is directly across from a large shopping center which includes a supermarket. Do as you like on arrival, ditch your bags then get your grub or shop before hailing a taxi to the campground. A taxi ride from the rail station in Rothenburg to the Campingplaz costs about €9.

Watch the video below for a glimpse of Rothenburg

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After a wild and on occasion wet weekend in Eastern Germany at the Fusion Festival my friends and I packed up our belongings for the grueling drive back to Frankfurt (about 10 hours with the caravan in tow). We left just after midday and to our disbelief we turned onto the freeway with little hassle or traffic. Dan the DJ munched on his gummy bears while my husband drove the first couple of hours. Hannah, Dan’s blue eyed freundin sat in the back passenger seat with me while I, unconsciously viewed the dry wheat fields sewn into endless green forests and indulged in a conversation of East Germany today and before the wall came down.

It was nearly five hours into the drive and by this time Hannah was driving, when she devised the most marvelous idea. Just a little bit out of the way, she explained we could stop at her family holiday home. Once I’d heard about the shower and bed followed by the mention of dinner I didn’t need any other details. It was agreed and the plans were arranged just in the nick of time to exit the freeway.

It was dark when we arrived, showered and made our way to the dinner table to meet some of Hannah’s family members; her animated mother with the same deep blue eyes as Hannah, charming Helmond and the Grandma, who had a good handle on English as she was once a translator for Americans during World War II. Was this not a true travelers dream when visiting a foreign land, to dine with the natives? It was mild outside, so we were happy to relax outdoors savoring a well earned bowl of pasta marinara accompanied by a glass of pinot grigio! All I can say is I fell weightlessly onto the bed that night in a dreamy state.

When dawn broke the next morning and the hot sun beamed down on us, it was decided we’d stay at least one more night. This was not long after a tasty German breakfast of, cured meats, fresh cumbers, tomatoes, fine cheese, hard boiled eggs and warm baked bread complemented with a fresh pot of coffee and homemade strawberry preserves, thanks to Hannah’s mom. We were in the Hesse Region (southwest center of Germany) only two hours from Frankfurt just inside the western border of Germany. Eschwege was the big village nearby, although our home for the night was in the small and ever so enchanting village of Freda. From the house we took an amble along a winding country lane that leads you up somewhat of an incline through apple orchards and ripening cherry trees. Here I could not resist a taste of a warm fresh cherry which was well worth the reach. From the top of the hill my eyes stumbled upon green valley views, mountainous hillsides jammed with glossy leafed trees.

After our morning walk to beat the heat we drove a short distance to neighboring Eschwege for a plunge in the Werratalsee, a lake filled to the brim with crystal clear inviting waters. The lake is about 2,000 meters long and 600 meters wide. From the hidden cove we laid our towels down and dove into the warm waters and relaxed into the afternoon.

Eschwege a town not to be missed can be overshadowed by the surrounding scenery and the presence of the old castle Landgrafen nestled into the lush hillside. Eschwege is a friendly village to walk around, with typical German architecture, pubs and a decadent Eis Café, not to be missed anywhere in Germany! This is where art comes alive at the seemingly regular ice cream parlor. Recreations of steak and eggs into a tasty ice cream treat of chocolate fantasy and creamed honey sweet milk or my favorite spaghetti Eis, picture pasta marinara and taste vanilla with rich strawberry sauce, this is a teaser to your taste buds and well worth the price (if you can only do it once)!!!

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Today we pulled ourselves out of bed, finished packing and tucked into beans on toast with an egg perched on top. A great breakfast prepared by my friend Dan (The Village Idiot).  This would see us through until we arrived in Detwang, just 1km from Rothenburg.  Sadly today we came to the end of our stay in Frankfurt and our life on the site.  We’d both had fun spending time with good friends from the past.  We caught our train from the main train station in Frankfurt, and set off on our first leg of the Romantic Road towards Rothenburg.

Romantic Road

The Romantic Road is Germany’s best known and most popular tourist route.  It runs from the River Main to the Alps and was used as a trade route in medieval times.  On the route from north to south the landscape changes from river valleys, fertile agricultural land, forests and meadows to dramatic mountain panoramas.

Having decided to take the train instead of a bus or a tour as these work out expensive, we went to the main train station a few days before our planned day of departure.  On speaking to the lady at the DB information booth we were shocked to discover the rail pass tickets which are supposedly a cheap way to travel by train work out to be a much more expensive option.  The rail passes were going to cost €258 for the two of us in comparison with the much more agreeable €121 for the local trains instead.  The local ticket allows up to five people to travel for that price so we hope to find some other people going in our direction who can share some of the cost.  The rail passes are for the faster trains, but to be honest I prefer to travel a little slower so I can take in the scenery.  For the difference in price it’s well worth it.  The price we were quoted was also for four stops on the way.  As we’ve opted to only stop in Rothenburg, Füssen and Munich the cost will be further reduced to €92.  After speaking to the information lady we were also told it costs an additional €2 to buy each ticket from the ticket office.  Buying your tickets from the many machines dotted around the station will save you money every time.

After three hours we arrived in Detwang, caught a taxi and settled in at the camp site called Campingplatz Tauberromantik.  With free hot showers, free Wifi and close proximity to the town it seemed a reasonable place to stay for €16.50 a night.  Hopefully the mozzies of Frankfurt won’t have followed us here so we can have a bite free sleep tonight.

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Our stay in Frankfurt has been made very comfortable and inexpensive due to the nature of our accommodation.  On our arrival in Germany we expected to be staying in our tent, but were pleasantly surprised to be told we could stay in my friend’s caravan.

The area my friend lives, known as the “The Site” sits on the outskirts of Frankfurt.  It’s home to about forty people whom for one reason or another have chosen to live a life which is both economical and environmentally respectful.  Many different buses, trucks and baur wagons of varying ages sit dotted around “The Site” which nestles against a wooded area full of cycle paths and lakes.  From the moment you walk on and close the gate behind you there’s a feeling of calm as the sound of the main road filters out.  The term “one mans rubbish is another mans treasure” certainly rings true here.  Proof of this can be found all around you from the bar area which comes complete with table top football, music, lights, bar stools and a dance floor to the cinema room that’s decked out with a huge screen, projector and thirty cinema seats acquired from an old movie theatre.  Both of these communal areas have been made with the resident’s ingenuity.

The ingenuity doesn’t stop here though as the many vehicles spaced out over the roughly 20 acres of land are home to the residents who’ve spent lots of energy transforming them into comfortable residencies complete with beds, kitchens with running water and gas, to other conveniences normally found in regular housing.  None of these homes are plugged into the grid or sewage system so instead they make use of wind power, solar energy, rain water for showers, home grown vegetables and home composting to make living more economical, but to also contribute their part to help the environment.  It is incredible to think how much cheaper it is to live this way.  Perhaps less is the new more.

Local retailers make a free food delivery to the site about once a week with the food being placed in a food wagon for the residents to then pick up.  The sites organizers made an agreement with the food retailers to ensure they first offer the food to homeless and less fortunate people before bringing the remaining food to the site.

In the caravan we are staying we have running water, gas cooker and I’m writing this using the internet available on the site via the internet mast next to us.  It’s very nice to have some mod cons whilst still living amongst the trees in a peaceful place that costs a fraction of what it usually does.

Some more photos of The Site

Have you ever lived or thought of living in a similar place? Leave us your thoughts about alternative living below…

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On Thursday 26th June 2008 we caught a flight from Birmingham International to Frankfurt, Germany aboard a Lufthansa 777.  With a flight time of only 1hr 10mins theres barely enough time to eat the complimentary sandwich.  It was nice to be met at the airport by a good friend, especially after our tearful goodbye in England.

 With our backpacks on we weaved through the airport, the heat combined with the unaccustomed weight of our packs making us sweat.  A short car ride later and we were at the Borsig, the site where a few of my good friends live.  The mood of our arrival was somewhat subdued as two of my friends had just put their dog to sleep an hour before we turned up.

We only spent enough time to get our weekend packs ready and to bury Mogli the dog next to his favorite lake before jumping into the car and heading towards the Fusion festival in East Germany at Larz.  Pulling a caravan behind us, whilst great to have also meant the drive would last ten hours.  After six hours of driving we all decided to spend the night parked at the side of the road.  After making several attemps to park straight, we finally managed to crawl into bed and slept peacefully.

With an early start the next morning we made good time and reached the festival around midday on Friday.  The festival was already well under way and finding somewhere to park with the caravan proved to be pretty tricky.  The Fusion festival is held every year on an old Soviet military airfield complete with several aircraft hangers.  The attitude is very relaxed with no police presence and no trouble.  Everyone is there for a good time and it felt safe and welcoming.  The price for the three days varies depending on whether you pick up a ticket in advance or pay on the door, but considering this is a three day festival, the price is extremely good value for money.  If money is tight, there are a few options at the festival which might appeal.

• Fill one bag with trash and take it along with the top portion of your ticket to receive 5 Euros
• Sign up for work at the festival when you get there to earn 30 Euros. There are various jobs you can do for 6 hours.
• Collect certain empty beer bottles and plastic cups for a recycle refund of 50 cents per bottle or cup at the bars. 

This festival isn’t really about big acts playing, but there’s some great music to listen to, primarily dance music of some sort.  There are numerous stages to go and check out and new areas are being added every year.  On the last night we watched the Burnt out Punks perform their live stage act which was very different and well worth watching if you have a chance.

My friend Dan (Village Idiot) performed on the dub stage, not his usual techno set, but he played to a grateful audience who cheered and applauded him at the end of his two hours.

 After three days without a shower and reluctant visits to the porta loos we decided it was time to leave the festival.  In fairness they do offer a shower at a cost and what they call royal toilets which allow you to relax in a little more cleanliness.

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Now that I reside in California, it’s been a real treat to see places in England not previously visited.  I found it’s possible to live in a country for many years and still find and learn about new places close to where I once lived.  Symonds Yat is one such place.

Located just under an hour and a half south of Birmingham, bordered with Wales and acting as a gateway to the Forest of Dean, Symonds Yat is certainly an area worth visiting.  Sleepy rural villages are accessed by meandering country roads and great swathes of forest climb hilltops and stretch along the River Severn as far as the eye can see.  No wonder the Forest of Dean has become an attractive place for visitors to hike, bike, horseback ride, camp, rock climb and canoe.

Symonds Yat Rock

From the A40 south be sure to take the first Symonds Yat exit marked East if you plan to visit Symonds Yat Rock, otherwise you will find yourself, as I did, on the wrong side of the River Wye.  Only when we passed the sign marked “unsuitable for motor vehicles” did it become clear we’d gone the wrong way.  Unfortunately by then it was too late.  Let’s just say trying to turn your Dad’s car around on a steep single track road with gravel refusing your wheels traction whilst you slip towards a large embankment behind you is no picnic.  Hence the reason for warning you to get your A40 exit correct, unless of course you thrive on such maneuvers and you wish to give the staring jaw gapers who own the house at the end of the gravel driveway someone else to gawk at!

Finally having corrected our A40 blunder we arrived at the Symonds Yat Rock parking lot which is spacious and hidden amongst the trees.  Buying a parking ticket here is inexpensive and if you remember to keep your ticket it can also be used at numerous other parking areas around the Forest of Dean.  Free maps are available here.  These maps are not trail maps of the area, but do list many areas of interest in the forest that are short countryside drives from each other.

The at least three viewing areas at Symonds Yat Rock are worth the short walk from the car.  You might even get lucky enough to see a Peregrine Falcon through a RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) telescope as we did with their kind permission.  The view from any one of these spots is truly magnificent as you look down towards the snaking river below making its way across the countryside.

This area is also home to many picnic tables which provided a perfect location for us to eat lunch and discard of our trash in the bins.

Speech House Woodland

From here it was only a short drive through the nearby village of Coleford, along another typical country lane lined with sheep grazing on the grass verge before we arrived at our second destination, Speech House Woodland.  Making use of the parking ticket from earlier in the day we parked and strolled around the visitor centre before locating the start of the Sculpture Trail.

The trail is clearly visible with blue markers to guide the way.  The terrain is not challenging, but it’s best to wear sturdy footwear as most of the trail is through wooded areas.  As always take plenty of water and you’ll have a great time. Even though the going is easy allow plenty of time for the 4.5 mile hike and if in doubt, believe me the trail does loop back to the start.  Don’t think it doesn’t and then try to find a shortcut as these woods are large and you might get lost. 

One point to mention here and it’s my personal opinion, but I hoped for a little more from the sculptures, especially given the fact the trail is called Sculpture Trail.  The sculptures seemed pretty pathetic and a waste of time if you’re just there for the art.  If on the other hand you love a decent walk in the woods and have a sense of humor then the sculptures add an opportunity to stop for a few minutes rest and to smirk at the strangeness of it all.  Sadly I didn’t think to take photos of the worst of them so these are the best of the crop.  There are supposed to be twelve sculptures throughout the walk although I didn’t count that many, but then again, I didn’t really care if I missed some.

Saracen’s Head – Symonds Yat East

After the hike the unanimous decision was to go for a drink at a local country pub.  There’s something so very charming about an English country pub and especially one next to a river.  The Saracen’s Head in Symonds Yat East, located only a few minutes away from the Speech House Woodland offered what we were looking for.  You will need to buy another parking ticket as the previous one used is not valid there, but it doesn’t cost much and with the pub right next to the river and the option to sit outside, you can hardly complain.  You can catch a forty minute boat tour of the area from here and you can also try your hand at canoeing on this quiet stretch of water.  The barmen told us if we walked along the trail next to the river, crossed the bridge and then walked back up the river opposite the pub and then shout; they would send a guy to pick us up by hand ferry. 
 

Symonds Yat and the area of the Forest of Dean are vast; you really need a few days to fully appreciate them.  Only being there one afternoon was long enough for their charm and appeal to work up my appetite for more.  Hopefully one day when I’m back in England I’ll make sure to pay the area another visit.

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