An Australian couple travelling in Europe in a motorhome (Bluey), exploring Australia in a caravan and a self built Isuzu expedition 4 x 4 motorhome (Buster).
Travelled: 74km from Lauf an der Pegnitz to Pottenstein, Tucherfeld in the Franconian Switzerland area of Bavaria Germany and Bayreuth staying in the motorhome parking area (49.9449, 11.5933)
We started the day with a lovely walk through the very picturesque old quarter of Lauf en der Pegnitz.
Whilst Mark watched the Bombers win over North Melbourne, I did some bookwork and down loads of photos and videos from the camera, phone, GoPro and dashcam.
We then drove through the Frankische Schweiz/Franconian Switzerland area with its beautiful meadows, lush forests and limestone rocks.
The Germans say that Bavaria has the best beer…
We stopped near Pottenstein and after lunch, went for a stroll along the river and lake. It’s a very popular holiday destination with water activities and toboggan rides on offer.
The town also boasts the regions oldest castle that is perched on top of a rocky crag.
In Tucherfseld we walked up to the top of a limestone hill above the small hamlet offering a picturesque view.
We ended the day in Bayreuth that had an architectural transformation during the 18th century with the construction of many fine stone buildings. We walked 20mins along the river into the centre of town to admire some of these.
We returned to Bluey via the gardens where Richard Wagner, a German composer, lies in rest.
Travelled:70km to Nuremberg (Nurnberg) and then to overnight parking in Lauf an der Pegnitz (49.5091, 11.2836)
As we set off early to Nuremberg from our overnight stop blanketed by heavy cloud. We arrived at our chosen parking spot by 8:30 about 2km from the old town centre.
After a long respite the bikes finally relinquished their decorative status. It was a pleasant 8min ride along the Pegnitz River which runs down the middle of the town. It is the second largest town in Bavaria being first documented in 1050. Keep in mind that most of the buildings have been restored throughout the town as 95% was destroyed in WWII.
We chained our bikes up in between the 68m long Chained Suspension Bridge first built here in 1824 and the Hangman’s Bridge constructed in 1457 named due to the hangman living in the nearby tower.
We make our way to Hauptmarkt (the main square) which holds weekly markets and festivals.
In the square is the 19m high Beautiful Fountain (Shoner Brunnen) whose design dates back to the 14th century is adorned with 40 figures symbolising the Holy Empire, philosophy and arts.
Also aligning the square is the Church of Our Lady, erected in 1355-58. It gable contains a clock installed in 1509 which has a display each day at noon (we missed it).
Nearby we went to have a look at Sebaldus Church dating back to the 13th century in Romanesque style.
Mark enjoyed the famous Nuremberg bratwurst “Drei im Weggla” (3 sausages in a bun). This smallest and well known sausage obtained EU wide legal protection in 2003.
We then crossed the river over one of the many bridges.
We had a look at St.Lorenz medieval church with its 2 impressive 80m towers. The 3 part organ is one of the largest in the world with more than 12,000 pipes and 165 registers.
We made our way to Frauentor, one of the town’s most attractive gates that used to be part of the massive city walls.
Adjacent to this is Handwerkerof, a small rustic neighbourhood also known as Craftsman Courtyard, with cobbled streets and half timbered houses, craft shops and cafes.
Next we visited the Transport Museum (€7pp) considered the oldest railway museum in the world. In 1835 The Adler, the first German train , travelled from Nuremberg to Furth. It tells of the railway history from 1800 to today.
With some unique designs.
There is an extensive model collection of different scales.
On every hour we can watch the model railway in action.
The communication museum has an exhibit of the postal vehicles.
We then have a quick look at the outdoor display.
We make our way back into the walled city to the historical grilled sausage restaurant that has been operating since 1380, to have the traditional Nurnberg Brathwurst. Mark had his with potato salad and I had sauerkraut.
As we made our way back to the river we stopped to have a look at St.Elisabeth Church. We were wowed by the 40 marble red columns and the 50m high dome. The rotunda was dominated by 12 apostle statues.
We had a giggle at the Marriage Merry Go Round Fountain which depicted the ups and downs of married life in six scenes from infatuation through to death!
We next strolled up Weibgerbergasse, an old street with the largest example of old craftsman houses, primarily half-timbered reflecting the wealth of the leather working trade.
This lead us to the castle that was one of the most important fortified imperial palaces of the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages.
We descended into a square that served Mark’s favourite German beer, Augustine (and where we had a meal in 2018). We timed it well, as soon as we sat down under the umbrella the rain pelted down.
We then slowly made our back to our bikes and enjoyed music at the different stages scattered throughout the town.
We picked a spot for tonight out of the city in Lauf heading north towards our next destination.
