Half Timber Houses & Sausages

Our need for a washing machine and Wifi dictated our next stop of the tour. So we find ourselves deep into Germany near the City of Kassel.

Camping in Naumberg is to be our home for the next few days. Again, more than happy with first impressions of the site, this might have had something to do with the dog that insisted on having its tummy tickled and it’s ears rubbed as we check in.

I have only one or two words in my German repertoire and The Boss, although he studied German at school now informs me that he didn’t listen and only knows a few words more than I do. Time to muddle on. I’m sure even we can order two beers!

An hour spent on Google, The Boss has found us something to do, best be sharp we haven’t got long. He’s pulling jumpers out of the wardrobe, grabbing coats and cameras. Come on hurry, get in the car, you’re going to like this. Off we go. I hate not knowing what it is we are doing, did we need walking boots? Should we have picked up a bottle of water? Tutting he tells me to trust him and off we go. What cash have we got he asks, change for parking? Nope, I’d fed it all to the washing machine the previous evening. Tutting and shaking his head he sets off in another direction on the lookout for a shop. Water bought, €0.11 a bottle! We pay nearly a pound at home

Back in the car and we pull into a car park at the foot of a huge monument. A nice young man with a plug in his ear as big as the plug hole in my sink tries with success to converse in English. €7 to park the car, see the attraction and some sort of bus ride for the two of us – bargain! The Boss loves a bargain, it’d best be good. Herkules BergPark, click HERE to see more photos, was I must admit spectacular and well worth the visit. The moaning that left my mouth when he suggested we walk back up the hill to the car rather than find the promised shuttle bus back up the biggest hill I’ve ever had the pleasure of walking down, isn’t printable, I’m sorry.

A trip to the supermarket, Lidl, very different but very familiar. With a fridge full of different types of sausage, I decide we need to try them all. Having recently become the proud owners of a Cadac, I’m loving the food that we’ve been eating off it whilst on this trip and decide that German Sausages are going to be on our menu, by the looks of the trolley, for the next few weeks.

A walk into the town, the following dull and grey day. Almost ghost town like, but stunningly beautiful. Our day was instantly awash with colour. Large timber framed houses painted in all their glory. Not a café or a bar open in the entire town. It’s not often The Boss is willing to part with a few coppers for a ‘cup of tea and a slice of cake’, a bit of Worzel Gummidge there for those of us old enough to remember. On this occasion his Euros stayed firmly in his wallet.

Next stop Fatima’s Grotte, all the way up another hill. Built by pilgrims as recently as 1956 a local landmark that hosts religious services in May and October. The Boss said if his church had been like this he may have gone more.

After our evening meal, yes, sausages featured again, my personal holiday guide had found another local point of interest only ten miles down the road just beyond an upside down house.

The Edersee Dam was built in 1914 submerging three villages in the process. Descendants of the villagers return to pay respects only when a long dry,  hot summer reveals the sleeping buildings to the world. To many, the ‘Eder Dam’ is remembered for being breached by the ‘bouncing bomb’ in May 1943 and was fully rebuilt within months by thousands of workers diverted from construction of the ‘Atlantic Wall’.

We take time to admire the imposing structure then are distracted by a fantastic ‘hands on’ educational water feature of Dams, Waterwheels and Waterfalls all fed by two Archimedes Screws which two big English kids, us, we’re frantically turning.

For our final day in Naumburg we decide it’s a Tandem day. The Boss had seen a potential route and ventured to ask reception if it was recommended, using his four German words, much arm waving and English words spoken with a German accent, as if it would help. Yes, it was recommended, but the friendly lady pointed out on the map the road from our site to the cycle trail saying “Das ist Shit”, we understood that, so threw tandem in the Volvo and parked as recommended by a wonderful Pancake House.

The Ederseebhan cycle trail was good, at home these are often tunnels of dense trees. Today we are on a perfect Tarmac surface in beautiful open countryside, heading twelve miles to Korbach on a gradual 2% incline, he tells me the twelve mile return will be freewheelin’.  The only danger today is the risk of derailment by enormous snails.

We stop to eat our butties at a well designed picnic area, in the near distance a road takes traffic at a brisker pace. As we look across, screech, skid, BANG, as a car slams into the side of another, then screech, skid, BANG, as the next car slams into the back of both. Quite a shunt, if the road had been quiet we may have had to run across and be, well, useless. Luckily for the unlucky there were more cars in attendance and help was at hand. Korbach was nice, but quiet, after a couple of laps round town we headed back before any rain could catch us. 2% decline back home freewheelin’, wrong, the wind had different ideas and the ride back downhill was harder than the uphill ride. Back at Das Pfannkuchenhaus we surrendered and tucked into the biggest most delicious pancakes ever.

Heading South next……