Northbound - Germany (Germany-Denmark)

Cities: - Augsburg - Rothenburg ob der Tauber - Wurzburg - Kassel - Goslar - Braunschweig - Lubeck - Kobenhavn - Helsingor

Sunday 04.08.85

After travelling through Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria, on Saturday evening we reached Germany, near Bregenz, where we stayed the night. After breakfast at the hotel, at 9 we set off to visit Augsburg: at St Ulrich we wait for the service to end; it's cold and we put on heavy jackets to walk along Maximilianstrasse. A visit to St Anna; the inner cloister, with glass between garden and arcades, is interesting. In Ludwig Square, opposite the Rathaus, you can drink draught beer at little tables in the square. My father has a tankard while my sister and I taste it. We also visit St Maria inside and the Roman excavations. We take a walk along the canals with their little cascades, then the Fuggerei, old social housing, and the Vogeltor, the green moat.

In the afternoon, a visit to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a beautiful town on a hill, still ringed by medieval walls, with old houses still lived in; the gates and the walkways are lovely. In the late afternoon a stop at Wurzburg, a fine bridge with lions, a castle on the hill, not open at that hour. We take a walk around the Residenz, Italian-style gardens with statues, fountains, stairways and flowers. The wrought-iron gates are beautiful. On the motorway we reach Kassel and are at the hotel for the night at 22: Hotel AUTOBAHN KASSEL (135.6 DM = 90,000 lire, room only).

Monday 05.08.85

We leave the hotel at 8.30 to visit Kassel. At the Wilhelmshohe we have breakfast in the wood, where there are also lakes and many cherry trees. We see the Roman aqueduct and the palace where Napoleon was held prisoner. The waterfall, a statue of Hercules and of Neptune, also in the palace. Before midday we do the shopping in town and take the motorway to Goslar. We have lunch at Goslar and visit the town; we park by the station, but there's a lot of wind. We take a stroll around the centre, visit the 1000 Nervek church and buy a few sweets. The streets of the centre with their decorative little fountains are very beautiful. Then a visit to Braunschweig, a fine baroque city full of monuments. The market square, the monuments with the Guelph lion, the Dom and the Burg are interesting.

We then take the road to Lubeck, have dinner in a birch wood just before Lubeck, and find a Gasthaus for the night. (overnight + breakfast 160 DM = 108,000)

Tuesday 06.08.85

To visit Lubeck we find parking near the canal and the Holstentor gate. As usual I feed the local ducks with bread. The Rathaus and the church are beautiful, the streets and the brick houses. We buy delicious roasts and, for my sister and me, some very original and pretty hair clips. Over a beautiful bridge we reach the island of Fehmarn. At Puttgarden we pass through German customs and take the ferry to Rodby (DK) on the island of Lolland. Another fine bridge leads us to the island of Sjaelland, where Copenhagen also lies (ferry 20 minutes). We visit Kobenhavn, taking a drive around the city. Then Kastellet, Den Lille Havfrue (the Little Mermaid) and the waterfront, Amalienborg and the royal residence. At Tivoli we go on a few rollercoaster rides. We can't find a hotel, though, and it is getting late. So on the motorway near Helsingor we have dinner at a kiosk and sleep in the car.