Freinsheim Germany

Day 87 Germany 10

Travelled:116 km to Freinsheim and then through the Pfalz wine growing area the up through the hills to a shady spot in Lemberg (49.1730, 7.6476)

I know we shouldn’t winge whilst we are on holidays but the weather is too bloody hot at 42°c once again. It saps your energy and takes away any motivation to explore the area. Before it got too hot Mark replaced the water pump and as expected the water pressure is 100% improved. 

So off we went to drive through the Pfalz wine region we haven’t been to before, beginning our journey in Freinsheim. The old town is set behind its medieval walls which we walked around to discover various houses that were built into them.

We then followed the road south to Bad Durkheim. We stopped to have a look at the 33m long Gradierwerk, a giant outdoor saline air purifier, dating back to 1847. It is the last of 5 that were in this town alone and one of the largest in Germany. Wikipedia explains that frame stuffed with brushwood helps the water evaporation of mineralised water. You can pay €1.50 to get closer to be able to breath in the air which is said to be therapeutic like sea air. As there is a spa treatment options nearby it is possible that they use the concentrated saline solution created in their treatments. 

Wonder if they ever filled this barrel or it was always just designed as a restaurant?

By now the heat of the day had descended upon us so we drove through the next few villages and vineyards, spotting some castles on the hills along the way.

At Nuestadt we turned for the hills and drove through some pretty forests. On the other side we headed for a shady spot for Bluey in Lemberg. Tomorrow we are promised a cool change.. we will wait and see. 

It was too hot to cook tonight so we ventured down to the end of the carpark and had a burger and chips downed with the local brew. To make things even better a few drops of rain accompanied us as we wondered back.