Frankfurt again

Tuesday 31 July 2012 – Back to Frankfurt

Day 109 and 50 to go

It is hard to believe that this day is actually here. It is already the end of July and we can’t believe that we have done so much over the passed 3½ months and yet it feels like it has disappeared in a blur. We look back over photos of Spain, Portugal and Egypt and feel like it was a lifetime a go and yet there is so much more to come, starting with our flight tomorrow to a new land, country that neither of us have explored before. We are just a little excited but it is also somewhat daunting.

Today we were up at 7am. Sleep in the van was a little difficult knowing we would be returning the van. The constant dinging of the town bell every 15min didn’t help either.

We were up packing, eating and cleaning ready to depart at 7.30am, unfortunately there was no one in reception. We kept knocking and eventually someone came out to disconnect our power and let us out the gate and on our way at 7.45am

We made our way to Friedberg stopping for fuel and then heading on the motorway. We skirted passed Frankfurt, heading north and at 8.40am we pulled into the McRent motorhome yard. We did the final check of our things and at 9am a worker came out to check over the van. We didn’t mention the water pump and they didn’t check phew! We did tell them the fridge wasn’t working on 12v and that the freezer door fell off, but that was all overlooked thankfully.

We returned to complete the paperwork having our bond returned to us in full yippee and then it was into a taxi and back to Friedberg train station for the 10.15am train to Frankfurt.

We returned to the familiar central station and dragged our bags through the station, across the road and into the lobby of our hotel. We were able to check in straight away and were given a room on the 3^rd floor. With the formalities complete we went straight to the room where we did some rearranging of things in the cases.

I then did some things on the net before we rang home to check on everyone. It was good to hear from them all. With these things done it was time to head back out on the streets of Frankfurt.

We stopped in next door to change some money in readiness for the US tomorrow and then made our way to the post office as we had a poster tube we wished to send home. Unfortunately they wanted 41Euro to send it home so we didn’t bother. We then made it to the Chinese quarter where we indulged in a delicious Chinese meal that was just too huge and we had to have the leftovers packed to take back to the hotel to finish later.

Our final stop was info at the train station to check on train times and platforms for tomorrow. With the info man very helpful we went to check out the platform and then we returned to the hotel and the confines of our room.

Paul had a bath as his back is playing up from the driving and the hobbling around on his sea urchin toe. I did some more work on the net checking things for the US. I watched some of the Olympics as well, the first opportunity we have had. When Paul was done in the bath I went to have one as well. It was so nice to lay back in it after a month in the van. We then spent the afternoon watching more of the London Olympics the gymnastics and volleyball were keeping us entertained.

We didn’t bother moving again until 7.30pm when we went out for a wander around the streets. It had an unease about it tonight. We passed a woman sitting on the paving playing with her next drug hit. There were lots of groups of people milling around, with body language that said don’t mess with us. There were plenty of sleazy men coming and going from the myriad of choice in sex shops. It just felt icky.

We found the pizza bar we had eaten in before and shared another pizza and a drink. We weren’t interested in hanging around and were happy to wander back to the hotel at 8.30pm.

We continued to watch more of the Olympic events enjoying the swimming.

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Last night in the van

Monday 30 July 2012 – Bamberg to Offenbach

Day 108 and 51 to go

With a good night’s sleep we were both feeling well rested and ready to take on our last day of driving. We had the last shower in the van, a quick birdbath with semi warm water. The pump is still not working right.

We finished off the breakfast cereal, packed up our things and then drove a short distance to what we thought was a post office. As it was before 9 we took out all of the things we were going to be sending home and began wrapping them in clothing. We then went inside the building only to find it was a bank. Hmmm.

I set the GPS to find a post office that it did only 500m away so we took the van through the town and over the small cobbled streets parking outside the Post office. This time it was what we were looking for. We bought a box and took it back to the van and filled it to over full. It was going to be a heavy one!

With the box taped up we returned to put the box on the scales. 12.1kg. Yikes! 91 Euros to send it home. Oh well. We sent box number 6 on its way and then we made it back to the van and onto the main road. We stopped a little further down the road for fuel and then it was back on the road.

Our intended destination was Wurzburg, however we really needed to be at a campground with full facilities so we could do a complete clean of the van, so I began looking for campgrounds. In the end we decided it would be better to be closer to Friedberg seeing we have to return the van at 9am tomorrow and I located a spot 45min away and only 10km from Frankfurt.

So with that decision made and the GPS sorted we travelled along the motorway for another couple of hours finally making it to the town of Offenbach. Just before arriving at the campground we stopped for a burger for lunch. It was great to have a relaxed and easy day.

When we had finished lunch we continued on a further 5km and we pulled into our campground. I paid up for the night and then we made ourselves at home. Paul filled the water tank and emptied the toilet while I got things sorted inside we then began the pack of the van.

Paul took out the suitcases and we filled them with our clothes and bits we wouldn’t need for tonight. The van was looking decidedly empty. With the job complete we then sat back and enjoyed a drink while we listened to the Ipod and enjoyed the sunshine.

We then cleaned the van floor sweeping it out and then giving it a wipe down with a towel to get rid of all the sticky and visible marks. I hope it will be satisfactory. Guess we will see tomorrow.

We then went for an explore of the area walking over the bridge and into a small centre. We walked the main street checking the shops. Hair dressers, bakeries and kebab shops seemed to be the go.

We stopped in at the local post office and bought a poster tube to send home some paper bits. We then bought some pastries for breakfast tomorrow before returning to the van to play cards for the next couple of hours.

When we finished the cards I did some more cleaning of the van making sure the stove, fridge and loo were clean so they don’t have an excuse to charge us extra when we return the van tomorrow.

With the cleaning complete we decided to go to the small bar / restaurant attached to the camp ground for dinner. We enjoyed the schnitzel they had on offer with a delicious salad as well.

With the bellies full we decided to go for a walk along the riverside path enjoying the evening light. It was cool but perfect for walking. There were plenty of locals out enjoying the evening too.

We returned to the van at 8.30 and completed the pack up of our things before playing cards and then heading to bed for our last night in the van.

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Bamberg a pleasant deviation

Sunday 29 July 2012 – Bamberg a pleasant deviation

Day 107 and 52 to go

With a rainy morning to welcome us we were glad we had decided we would move on today. While there were things I was hoping to do in Prague today we just couldn’t be bothered with moving the van next door and figured we may as well head back into Germany. While Paul was checking the road atlas yesterday he realised that Bamberg in Germany was pretty much on our way to Frankfurt and seeing there was a beer tour to complete in Bamberg it seemed like an obvious stop.

So I paid up with no words said about yesterday’s lack of power and we were on our way at 8.50am. The streets were fairly quiet being early on a Sunday that was a blessing. We didn’t have the traffic to contend with just the cobbled roads and lumpy bitumen. 30min later we were back on the highway and heading for the German border.

I was tired still and kept taking 5min catnaps along the way. At 10.30am we passed over the border with no passport checks again. The highway was moving freely and we were making good time as we travelled west. An hour later we were off the main highway and heading towards Bamberg. I had found a park and ride that had a rest stop for campers and included electricity and we pulled into the parking area at 12.15pm.

We set up the van, sorted ourselves out, worked out which direction we needed to walk and then followed the GPS to Klosterbrau. We had to cross over the Rhein canal then walked down the quaint cobbled streets to find the brewery where we had lunch and Paul enjoyed one of the local speciality beers. 

With lunch consumed and feeling better we walked through the town and up to the Dom where suddenly we were confronted with many tourists, most of them sounded German. We passed through the Dom Platz and passed the Neue Residnenz before wandering passed the next place Weinstrube that was closed unfortunately.

We moved into the tourist mecca of Dominikanerstrasse where we had two places to visit; we started with the Ambrausianum a relevantly new establishment opened in 2004. Paul enjoyed one of the brews before we crossed the street and sat down at Schlenkerla. Paul had one of their smoky rauchbiers while I enjoyed a glass of wine. It was so lovely sitting out in the sun and just people watching as the tourists groups we ushered through by their bossy guides.

From here we crossed back over the river via the Old Town Hall that is built on the bridge straddling the river. It is very pretty. We walked through the main shopping district that was particularly quiet and many shops were shut. We walked over another canal and then on to the Brauerei Spezial’s where we sat in the back beer garden surrounded by the old building. Paul had one of the Specizil Rauchbier’s, another smoky beer.

The final place was on the opposite side of the road and didn’t open until 6pm so we crossed back over the canal and then walked along the water’s edge returning to our van. We did a quick clean, I added some photos and bits to the computer and then I read some more of my book while Paul had a nap.

We played a game of cards and then made a hotch potch spag bog for dinner with the things we left in the fridge. We played another game of cards and by 9.30pm it was time for bed.

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Last Saturday in Europe

Saturday 28 July 2012 –A lazy, beery day in Prague and our last weekend in Europe.

Day 106 and 53 to go

The thunder is rumbling overhead and the rain has lulled to just a drizzle at the moment. It opened up earlier, just as we were almost home. Our washing was bound to be wet again. Bugger.

We had a very lazy start to our day. No alarms to wake us we slept through til 8am. Paul was up having a shower and then returned to get busy working on the water pump trying to reinstall the one-way valve that he seemed to manage. Yeah.

I got up, had breakfast, collected our large bag of washing that I gave to the house owner to do for us in her machine and then I went for a shower.

When I returned we went to the outdoor area to use the net and to play cards while we waited the 2 hours for our washing. It was starting to warm up and became quite humid while we sat there. The time disappeared fairly quickly and once we had our washing back we were able to, have a quick bite and catch the 12noon bus back into Prague. We swapped to the tram that would take us to Prague Castle. The tram was packed with other tourists seeking to do the same.

Once off the tram we wandered through some of the Castle gardens and then entered the castle walls via the Powder Bridge to check out the largest castle complex in the world.  We wandered into St George Square and then into the Basilica, that was so tall and full of beautiful stained glass windows.
We wound our way passed opulent buildings and over the cobbled streets before emerging again at another gate. As we were not interested in going in to any of the buildings we decided to make our way down the street and back onto the tram this time heading for the next stop on Paul’s beer tour; Pivodum where Paul tried their sour cherry and abbey beers. He said they were the best he had had on the trip so far and seeing he had had just a few I believed him.

With the first pub down we got back on the tram to arrive at our next stop; U Fleku. This place was very deceiving as it appeared small from the road but it actually reached out way back with an enormous beer garden. While Paul had their dark beer, we were offered a shot each of the local liquor, a heavy clove and cinnamon mix. It was a little hard to sip but was more manageable with the ice cream and fruit we ordered. 

Stop two completed we walked about 400m to Novomestsky Pivovar, a brewery and restaurant. Paul had a tasting plate of 4 beers – banana, ginger, coffee and caramel. He followed this up with one of their dark beers. Where we sat there were large copper kettles on show.

Ok so you can see the beers mounting up and we were only half way through. We walked on to a small brewery, U Tri Ruzi. This was not on the list but was somewhere we had passed previously so we stopped in and Paul had another dark beer.

Across the street was the final bar on the tour, U Zlatheo Tygra. It is a tiny pub and one of the oldest in Prague. When we walked in we were greeted by a an arrogant bar man who grunted instructions at us. Paul had a beer while I attempted to fan away the smoke fumes. If I never see or smell another cigarette in my life it will be too soon. With the beer downed we beat a hasty exit with Paul giving the barman a few choice words on our way out.

Our final beer stop was U Medvidku another brewery over a large area. Paul was here to try the Oldgott and the X33. We shared a table with 4 Russian blokes who were friendly but somewhat sleazy. They were very impressed when they realised we were from Australia sharing their food and having their photo taken with us. Paul enjoyed the beers greatly. He said the X33 was a great dessert beer, but he could not have too much as it was very strong and would have him pissed too quickly.  As it was with all the beer he had had this afternoon, he was struggling to stay awake and out of the loo.

We left the pub in search of food, but had to stop in a small square for the loo again. While Paul found an underground one to frequent I stayed in the square to listen to a violinist and piano accordionist play. They were quite hypnotic. We sat and listened to them for a while before crossing the street and having dinner at a local restaurant. I enjoyed a lovely glass of Italian chardonnay with my pasta.

With our bellies full and Paul & I ready to leave town for the night we made our way back through the main streets and onto a tram. As we did so it began to spit and this is when it began to become a little more torrential. All we could think of was our lovely clean washing, that would have been dry would now be soaked again.

While we waited for the bus the rain came down harder, thankfully by the time we were off the bus it had stopped and we could walk back to the van without getting soaked.

Once back we bought in the washing and placed it within the van in an attempt to help it dry out. We also needed to soak up the water in the van that had found its way in through the open vents. Bugger.

I unpacked the bag and then attempted to use the computer only to find that the power was not on. Paul attempted to fix the situation with little luck so he saw the landlady (witch) to tell her to throw the trip switch. She was not particularly helpful and didn’t particularly want to listen to what she was being told. Eventually she threw the trip switch and the power was restored, by now we had been told we were to leave the next day. I guess she doesn’t like being shown how to do things.  

So knowing we would need to move on tomorrow morning and not having the cash to be able to pay up we once again jumped on the bus and underground to the ATM to grab some more money and then returned 30 min later.

Once in Paul looked up places we could head to tomorrow and then we went down to the outdoor area to share the very dark space with some of the other campers. Only 1 of six light globes was working. We played cards by the light of the computer screen. When we finished our game we decided to head back to the van, it was still spitting but once in the van it was warm and dry. We were straight in to bed where I read some of my book before lights out.

If we have learnt anything to pass on it is give CAMPHERZOG a miss, there are plenty of other camping spots in the same street that have better facilities and nicer reception staff. (No Witch)

Prague on Segway. Now that's more like it.

Friday 27 July 2012 – Prague on Segways Woo Hoo! Happy Birthday Damon.

Day 105 and 54 to go
www.prague-segway-tours.com

Early morning alarm today, 7am. We were up and out keen to get ready as we were looking forward to our tour. Once ready we caught the 7.50am train to the tram station and then hopped on the tram to the Segway office.

We were there by 8.30am so we went for a walk as it was so quiet. There were only a few tourists out on the bridge so we went for a walk over part of it before returning to the office at 8.45am where we met up with 4 other Aussies ready to join us on the tour. We paid up met our guide John and then it was time for a quick lesson.

We clambered onto the segways and with much giggling we were finally ready to take it to the streets in the hope we wouldn’t take out any tourists or sideswipe any expensive cars.

Our first stop was around the corner, the Lennon Wall. A place containing much graffiti in support of peace and includes many of the words from John Lennon’s songs. It was started when John Lennon was killed on a wall opposite the French Embassy knowing they would not be prosecuted, as someone in the embassy would be watching the Czech police. It became a way to protest against communist Czechoslovakia. 

From here we passed a small bridge covered in lovers’ padlocks, one even had ‘fail’ written on it. Oh dear. We paused below the Charles Bridge and were shown water markings from the flood in 2002. They have since put in a barrier system to protect the town.

We ducked under the bridge and made our way round to the Kafka Museum where the artist David Cerny has created his “Piss” sculpture; two men piddling into a puddle in the shape of the Czech Republic. Their torsos move around and you could once SMS the sculptures and they would pee your message into the puddle.

Travelling over the Manes Bridge to avoid the tourists we had a good view back to Charles Bridge. Passing the Jan Palach Square we moved into the Jewish Quarter where we had the Jewish cemetery, 12 layers deep and the old synagogue pointed out.

We continued moving on the segways, now full of confidence and wanting to really push the limits of the machines. They are so much fun, I want one, though I think I would have to fight Paul for its use!

We stopped in the Old Town Square to see the Old Town Hall and the Astronomical Clock. Turns out that when the clock was made, the powers that be were so happy with it they blinded its creator so he could not make another one. Now that is gratitude for you. 

Next stop was the Charles University. It has been standing since the 1300’s and Einstein was a professor for some time. We then made our way to Wenceslas Square on the way Paul’s 4wd Segway, read wider tyres, didn’t quite fit the gap we made our way through and cam a cropper. If only I had the video going as it was quite funny and some restaurant customers had a great laugh. He was a little banged up but shook it off and we continued on.

From Wenceslas Square we returned to the river at Legion Bridge where we took a few pictures and then we took the segways into the Kinsky Garden, passed the funicular railway and the Petrin Tower; a smaller version of the Eiffel Tower. We were able to try a bit of off road segwaying and were challenged having to move up the hill. It was fun.

We arrived at Strahovska Brewery, Library and Monastery. From here we had a fabulous view back over the city of Prague.

Our next stop was Prague Castle, the largest in Europe. We checked out the interesting guards and their uniforms.  We continued to navigate the cobbled streets, returning down the hill somewhat more cautiously. Everywhere we went people stopped us wanting to know how they could get on the Segway tour. Our huge smiles must have given away how much fun it was.

Our final stop was St Nicholas church before we reluctantly returned our Segways at 12. We could have happily kept going.  We had a drink and then said goodbye to everyone before continuing our tour on foot.

We stopped for a drink and then moved down the street to a small restaurant where we shared a plate for two that had duck, pork, dumplings and cabbage. It was filling and quite delicious.

We finished up and continued our walk over the Manes Bridge and along the river edge. We thought we would do some of the beer tour Paul had in his book. The first place was shut so we continued on. We unfortunately walked too far so we had a drink in another bar before back tracking to find Upiskau where we could have another drink. Being warm it was wonderful to stop.

Once done we went in search of a supermarket for some basics and then it was back on the tram. Now that we  have had time to wander the streets and use the public transport we are a bit more confident and are able to navigate fairly well.

We returned to the van at 3.30pm sweating and wishing for a swimming pool. I settled for a quick throw of cold water on the face from the bathroom basin. We opened up the van in the hope we would cool it down. We enjoyed another cold drink, listened to music and I worked on the computer. Paul went for a cold shower. 

and when he returned we took the computer and the cards to a shaded outdoor area where we had better net coverage and was cooler.

I loaded bits on FB while we played cards. It was so much nicer out in the open rather than in the van that gets very warm when there is no breeze.

When we finished our game of cards we returned to make dinner only making the van warmer again. Oh well. We ate and then I did the dishes.

We again returned to playing cards to finish off the night.