17 BAVARIA TO BRUSSELS
I think it’s safe to say that the title was purely for alliteration purposes, because this weeks starting point was actually Milan. My step-mum Nia was joining me this week for a tour of western Germany (the area that makes up western Germany geographically, OBVIOUSLY not the Federal Republic of Germany that hasn’t existed since German unification in 1990, that would be silly!) Anyway…
We left our hotel in Malpensa airport bright and early Monday morning, avoiding the hectic (!) morning traffic in the Alps. We quickly entered Switzerland and headed to Liechtenstein, via many Swiss alpine passes. The scenery was beautiful and more importantly distracting; we barely noticed it had been a four-hour drive.
Liechtenstein itself was as I had imagined: no different to Switzerland or Germany besides having black numberplates. We visited the capital of Vaduz, which had the feel of a typical Germanic town: tidy, inoffensive and sensible. The kind of place that has public toilets with toilet paper and soap. Oh, it was also ridiculously overpriced. Therefore, we soon left and continued to Germany.
Our journey to Germany took us through four countries. It’s probably the only time in my life that I’ve been genuinely uncertain as to what country I’m in. Without clear sign posts for the borders, it was difficult to tell. In fact, after leaving Liechtenstein, we stopped in what I thought was a traditional German restaurant. It was actually an Austrian restaurant as we were in fact in Austria. Regardless, I had my first ever schnitzel and it was very tasty.
Our final destination for the day was the village of Schwangau, situated not far from Schloss Neuschwanstein (arguably Germany’s most famous castle). However, given that it was still early in the day, I decided that we could cram-in another activity. For some reason, I suggested a 114m high, 400m long, swinging suspension bridge. The experience was called HighLine179 and every single review of it recommends to “avoid if scared of heights”.
I hadn’t thought I had a fear of heights, but the second I stepped on that bridge, I had an uncomfortable realisation that I really did not want to cross it. Coincidentally, we passed a cloister of nuns (yes, I did Google the collective noun for nuns), at the very moment of my epiphany. I was just hoping they had blessed the bridge or given it some kind of spiritual protection. I needed all the help I could get.
The bridge swung as a result of the wind and as people’s weight moved around. I wouldn’t say that I walked across; it was more of a swift shuffle, gripping onto the railings and avoiding looking down through the grid which revealed the ground over 100 meters below. Nia was also very quiet - I don’t think either of us muttered a word the entire time. Once we had survived the crossing, we were able to see an incredible view of the mountains surrounding us. It was really beautiful and thankfully, worth my increased heart rate.
The return over the bridge was equally terrifying but I would like the thank the nuns for my safe crossing (and the engineers, I guess).
Soon after, we arrived at our cosy alpine-esque hotel in Schwangau. Perhaps it will come to your attention that hotels feature highly this week. This is because the only time I’ve seen Nia camp since I’ve known her - approx. twice in over fifteen years - well… lets just say it’s not the most natural pairing. I tried to explain that Bert is more like an underequipped campervan, but I think it would’ve taken a lot of convincing to spend the whole seven nights in Bert (not that I’m complaining!).
The following morning we visited Schloss Neuschwanstein, which, according to the guides (and the fact that it attracts 1.3 million visitors a year), it is a must-see when visiting Germany. Now having visited, I can see why. Bar Hearst Castle in California, it is no doubt the best castle I’ve been fortunate enough to visit.
Its construction began in 1869 under King Ludwig II of Bavaria, whose eccentricity and homosexuality was misconstrued as insanity, meaning unfortunately he only lived in Schloss Neuschwanstein for 172 days before mysteriously dying (red flag) whilst on a walk. Honestly, it’s a real shame because he sounded like a really interesting guy.
We opted for the guided tour which took us inside, revealing his creative mind which included a built-in artificial grotto (reference to Richard Wagner's opera, Tannhäuser) on the top floor. I’d never wanted a grotto in my house before but I left feeling inspired. It was a really interesting tour and I would highly recommend you visit, even if it’s just for the view!
Leaving with brains full of new knowledge, we headed north-west to the spa town of Baden Baden. The drive was long and painful, taking a whopping 4 hours in the midday heat. Frankly, I was disappointed at the traffic in Germany. I thought they were better than that with all their modern technology and sensible thinking (not to be stereotypical). Anyway, once in Baden Baden, we dropped our stuff at the hotel and went straight to the Caracalla Spa which was incredible. Obviously I did not take pictures but imagine several indoor and outdoor pools with dozens of individual jacuzzi seats. It was just great.
We relaxed for a couple of hours before returning to the hotel and eventually heading out for dinner. I had forgotten we were no longer in the Med where it was normal to reach a restaurant at 8pm and it be empty. Instead, this was peak time for Germany. We ended up at a cosy French restaurant which had painfully slow service but some of the best food of the trip and well worth the 90-minute wait.
The following morning we spent more time exploring Baden Baden. Nia dragged me to a contemporary art gallery which surprisingly, was not full of crap. Controversially, I find that a lot of the supposed ‘hidden meanings’ behind contemporary art an excuse for an artist’s lack of actual talent.
We nosed around the town, went to the famous Café König for lunch which consisted of a healthy combination of cake and more cake. Both Nia and I were very fond of Baden Baden and I can imagine myself returning in the winter to make use of the spas (but only if I have significant savings because Germany is not cheap).
We then left Baden Baden for the city of Heidelberg, 45 minutes north. Best known for its ancient university, it also has a Baroque old town and just a general interesting history (I refer you to Google out of laziness). We arrived, settled into our hotel and soon went out to tick-off the touristy sights such as the student prison (that’s sadly no longer in use), the cathedral and a walk along the river. It had a really buzzing atmosphere which was probably helped by all the young people and the good weather.
Having basically eaten pasta or sausages in Italy for 4 weeks straight, I had a massive craving for some kind of Asian cuisine. I spotted a Korean place and once again, we had another amazing meal! I can’t quite remember what mine was called, but it was delicious. Germany’s food so far was excelling.
We wasted no time Thursday morning and left Heidelberg early in order to have a relaxed drive along the Rhine. After a couple of hours, we reached the village of Sankt Goarshausen, where we caught a ferry (without Bert) less than 200m directly across to Sankt Goar. This was for no other reason than to say that we’d been on a boat on the Rhine. We did however have lunch in Sankt Goar, and once again, we had some very tasty Schnitzels.
Shortly after, we returned to Bert (can’t possibly leave him too long, I know what he’s like) and headed north to a campsite we’d booked directly on the Rhine in Bad Hönningen. Yes, you heard it, a campsite, and for two whole nights! Nia was determined to face her camping fear, especially having found one with a spa on site which we immediately went to upon arrival. It was still incredibly hot in Germany so having an outside pool with sunbeds was essential.
For dinner, I cheffed-up a delicious pasta dish and we went for a wonder around the village. Nia was enjoying her first night in Bert (despite the mosquitoes that she attracted like some kind of insect magnet).
The following day we spent in Köln (Cologne). Having arrived by train, we left the station and practically bumped into the cathedral it was that big. It was an incredible structure to look at, despite looking slightly burnt. It also received bonus points as it had free entry! Thank you Catholic Church.
Inside, its beauty continued and the stain glass was very impressive. Then, once again for some strange reason, we decided to do yet another activity involving heights. We decided to climb the 533 steps to the top of the south tower, which, given the cathedral is almost 800 years old, I was not feeling too confident about. It was a difficult climb up some very narrow spiral staircases, but we made it up without using any of the defibs conveniently placed every 100 steps. Thankfully, the view was worth it even if I felt a little dizzy.
Once we finished our descent, we made our way to the Wallraf–Richartz art gallery which was fascinating, especially when I had a history of art enthusiast as my own personal guide (Nia). It was now 2pm and we were peckish for some local cuisine. Nia had found a place called Peters Brauhaus, and we were served some very traditional German dishes. I opted for some kind of sausage, fried potatoes and cabbage dish, whilst Nia had some variety of fried black pudding and mash. It was incredibly tasty hearty comfort food but probably not the right choice of food in 30 degree heat.
Regardless, we powered through and continued exploring Köln by doing some (unsuccessful) shopping, before grabbing a delicious treat from a local patisserie. Tired, we caught the train back to the campsite and relaxed in the spa reading our books.
We left the campsite early Saturday morning in order to do the 4-hour drive to Brussels, stopping midway at Robertville-les-bains (swimming lake) for a quick sunbathe and swim. This was well-needed because it was 33 degrees and Bert was getting a little sticky.
Once we reached the suburbs of Brussels, I parked Bert on the drive of a friend of my uncle Philippe (my mum’s brother). Brussels has a very expensive emissions zone so we figured it was best to leave Bert and his dirty smoke outside the city.
Philippe very kindly picked us up as we were staying at his house in south Brussels for the night. We had a drink with my Auntie Sandrine, before deciding to celebrate Nia’s final evening with a nice meal (as if we had not been eating well all week!). Philippe had recommended a nearby French restaurant so we decided to follow his foodie knowledge and head there. Specialising in grilled meat, both Nia and I ordered two steaks with salad and potatoes and my god was it tasty. What really topped this meal off was my dessert. I ordered a crepe with caramelised apples and it was hands down the best dessert I’ve ever had. So simple but so yummy. I can’t wait to make some crepes just to try to recreate it (though I know it will never be as good).
In the morning, Philippe and I drove Nia to the train station where she was catching the Eurostar home. We had had an incredible week and I feel like we’d seen so much of Germany in such a small time-frame.
After waving Nia off, we returned to the house and I relaxed in the sun reading my book. Soon however, the congregation of family in Brussels arrived, this included: my Grandma (Mama B), my other uncle Jean-Marc with my cousins, Lucie and Coline, as well as my auntie Sandrine’s mother Anne. We had lunch outside and it was lovely to be reunited ! After much catching up and failed attempts to speak French, I packed my stuff and went to my Grandma’s flat in Schaerbeek (north-east Brussels). We relaxed, watched TV and went to bed. It was nice to be back in Brussels.
SUMMARY
Having not visited Germany before (beside Aachen), I was pleasantly surprised by its history and culture. I would certainly go back, especially to Bavaria - I think there’s a lot of mountainy-outdoorsy stuff to do so I will no doubt be returning for that. Nia and I survived the the week and are still on talking terms which is positive. I think there are several reasons for this: 1. I didn’t let her drive 2. We stayed in hotels for the majority of the time 3. I ignored all her attempts at speaking German/French 4. I have developed the virtue of patience since being away. All jokes aside, I’m really grateful to Nia for coming - we had a fab time.
Anyway, I think this may be my last proper blog post of the trip. I’m planning some kind of reflection post at some point when I’m not spending hours writing cover letters for jobs, so stay tuned for that. I’ve really appreciated all the support over the last few months so cheers to that! See you all soon :) xx
