Return from the north: Germany

The trip is made by 4 people in a camper van. At the end the complete itinerary of the journey to the Lofoten has been included, of which this is a small part.

Thursday 10.08.95

We move early, it is 7.20. In Maastricht we stop in the market square. We take the opportunity for a little tour of the historic centre; unfortunately everything is still closed and quite dirty because the day before there had been a big concert. We then pass into Germany and visit Aachen (Aquisgrana). We find parking practically in the centre near a beautiful church that we discover is not the cathedral. Heading to the centre we arrive at the Town Hall, famous because the Peace of Aachen was signed here. It preserves the coronation hall with artefacts dating back to Charlemagne, the Crown, the Sceptre, etc., which were in the building on which the palace was built. We cannot see the interior of the cathedral because a wedding is taking place, so we take the opportunity to visit the market in the cathedral square where we make purchases.

The cathedral is one of the most interesting monuments: an octagonal shape that recalls Byzantine churches and the stained-glass windows of the choir that recall the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. The work was begun by Pepin the Short and then by Charlemagne. The Roman bronze pine cone, the Golden Altar, the chandelier of over 4 metres, the pulpit, a work of goldsmithing with inserts of Egyptian ivory from the 6th century. Also worth seeing is Charlemagne's throne. We leave the city to have lunch; in the afternoon we visit Trier (Treviri). We find a parking space with difficulty and even the policemen are not much help: they tell us to park "wherever we find a space". We visit the Cathedral, which preserves the tunic of Christ, Heiliger Rock.

We take a tour of the lively streets of the centre up to the Porta Nigra, the local people seem very curious, as do the buildings and shops with juxtapositions of antiquity and modernity, let us say also decidedly kitsch. The Roman baths are very run down; the gardens and the archbishop's palace, on the other hand, are beautiful. A few kilometres outside Trier, in the Saar-Hunsbruck nature park, we find a campsite where we spend the night. 338 Km

Friday 11.08.95

Departure from the campsite at 9 from Trier (Trier, in Germany). We cross the border with France around 10.15 where we change marks into francs with a 2 DM charge. We visit Strasbourg. Parking along the river Ill. Visit to the historic part of the city. The cathedral and clock, a walk along the river up to the covered bridges. Afterwards we climb to Mont-Ste-Odile, the road to reach the mount is beautiful, parking and a short walk among woods where you can admire particular rock formations. Beautiful view from the terraces of the convent, over the Vosges mountains and the Black Forest. Visit to the little village of Riquewihr. Very typical, where we make a few purchases. We have dinner outside the walls, the campsite is full, and they advise us to park outside the walls in the tourist bus car park. We are next to two French campers.

We witness an argument between Swiss and Belgians, then some Russian entertainers arrive by coach with instruments and theatrical costumes who rehearse a little in the square, they see themselves being filmed (of course we had all come out of the campers with our cameras) and start chatting. They end up drinking a little grappa in the Belgians' campers. Then, in the night, a furious argument between a couple between 2 and 4 in the morning in the middle of the square, waking everyone up. 316 Km.

Saturday 12.08.95

After a theatrical night, at 8.30 departure from the square, still a little sleepy. We cross the border between France and Switzerland and stop in Lucerne for lunch. In the afternoon we are at the Furkapass at 2400m where we do some walking excursions. A small note: the width of the road allows campers to pass with only 2 cm to spare! This now means a journey on the edge of the rocks on the sides and the sheer drops in case of meeting other "bulky" vehicles. For people who suffer from vertigo, like the writer, the journey is beautiful but decidedly stressful.

FS 275 Km ITINERARY COVERED Läckö (S) castle Kinne Kulle (S) view over lake Vänern and lava rocks Varnhem (S) church and convent remains Falun (S) copper mine Rättvik (S) church 'The kneeling bride' Mora (S) the red horse Jokkmokk (S) blue church and Arctic Circle Lofoten (N) home of a Viking chief and ship Svolvær (N) cruise to the Trollfjord Lom (N) shopping, stave church, obelisk of Sagasoyla, Krossbu pass (N) Jotunheimen glacier Mo i Rana (N) Arctic Circle Borgund (N) stave church Edam (NL) market Marken (NL) the peculiar village Maastricht (NL) quick tour of the centre Aachen (D) town hall and cathedral Trier (D) city, cathedral and Porta Nigra Strasbourg (F) cathedral and clock Mont S.te Odile (F) convent, view of the Black Forest and the Vosges Riquewihr (F) medieval town Furka pass (CH) Rhône glacier Simplon pass (CH) view