Wednesday, February 14, Week 01

Today we start our first longer tour of the year. Simply towards the sun - the winter sun!

Direction? Northward! How far? Hmm... we don't know exactly yet!

How long? About 6 weeks. First appointment at home is on April 15 :-)

Why north?

"This winter, the conditions are perfect for the Northern Lights! The reason for this is the solar maximum, which creates more sunspots. The more sunspots there are, the stronger the solar wind, and the more active and vibrant the Northern Lights are. According to scientists, during the solar maximum, it is also more likely to see the rare red, pink and purple hues dancing in the sky alongside the green ones."

The idea of a winter trip to Scandinavia has been in our minds for a while. The conditions for intense northern lights shouldn't be bad. So: if not now, then when!! And we're not getting any younger!

Get on board! Travel with us to the far north!

Thursday, February 15

Well, there isn't much winter to be seen today. You'd almost think we were heading south.

On the second day of our trip we put away our winter jackets and started using the lighter rain jackets. Fortunately, there is no rain in sight.

We arrive at our destination for the day - Rothenburg ob der Tauber - in the early afternoon.

Before we drive to the parking space we stop at Edeka.

We then take advantage of the pleasant and sunny weather for a long walk through this beautiful place and also stroll along part of the city wall.

We spontaneously reserve a table at the Reichsküchenmeister restaurant for our dinner.

A good choice!

Back at the campsite we do the usual work - downloading photos, editing the homepage, recording costs.

An interesting day of travel comes to an end. We are tired, bed is calling.

Even when traveling, we are creatures of habit. So our goal for today is quite clear.

The parking space in Lipoldsberg right next to the Landgasthof Anker. A fixed point on our way north and we usually stop here on the way home.

Here you can enjoy a "Wiener-style" schnitzel with French fries and salad. Either it's the last fine schnitzel on the way north or the first on the way home after a few weeks of "abstinence" :-)

We tried to reserve a table by phone at lunchtime. Nobody answered.

On the restaurant's homepage we read that it only opens at 5 p.m.

We arrive at the campsite shortly before 4 p.m. and cannot stop being amazed.

No motorhome, no motorhome anywhere in sight!!

A quick walk to the restaurant doesn't help us either. There's nothing written there.

Apparently it doesn't open until 5pm.

Now we make ourselves comfortable, and a small aperitif to celebrate our arrival is a must.

At 5 p.m. it starts to rain and we want to reserve our table for dinner by phone (it is mandatory). No one answers!

Then in person. Door closed - we knock on the window, there is actually someone there, only to tell us that it is closed until the beginning of March! It is also on the homepage!

OK, we actually find the note right at the bottom, in the small print, so to speak.

There was no sign or information at the entrance to the restaurant! Otherwise we would have driven further.

But now, after 5 p.m. and in the rain, we have absolutely no desire to do so anymore.

Soup, freshly bought bread and red wine are our culinary highlights!

Oh, there are worse things. It's quiet and beautifully dark.

Saturday, February 17

We slept wonderfully. Today our alarm clock rings again at 6:30 a.m. Puttgarden is our destination.

At just over 400 kilometers, today will be the longest stage so far.

We set off in a good mood and are amazed when our GPS soon reports a long traffic jam before we even get to the motorway. The alternative route shown only saves us 5 minutes.

Well, lo and behold, we find ourselves at another farmers' demonstration (this happened to us on the trip to the Tannheimer Valley in January). We somehow hadn't even thought about it, we haven't heard anything about it for a long time.

For a while, nothing moves. I walk to the front of the police car, which is at the end of the tractor convoy. At least that way I know which route the demonstration is taking and soon the column starts moving again and after about 200 meters we turn right. The policeman has confirmed the alternative route I had already selected on Maps.me.

Today, Saturday, there is much less truck traffic and we are making good progress. There is only a bit of a traffic jam near Hamburg. But by German standards, it is almost a mini-traffic jam.

We stop at the Edeka in Heiligenhafen for our last shopping trip in Germany.

If you spend so much time on the motorway, you have to keep yourself busy. We take turns driving, but I still had enough time to browse park4night.

And then I came across an interesting parking spot. In the town of Fehmarn near the Burgstaaken fishing port.

We spontaneously turn on the indicator. We want to take a look.

A direct hit! Motorhome parking space by the water and the best part - the restaurant "Zum goldenen Anker" is just around the corner.

And it's open!! A quick look at the menu online - it's perfect! Now a phone call and the table is reserved. So Hansruedi gets a schnitzel after all (in this Anker the schnitzel "Wiener style" is veal and even affordable) and I treat myself to a delicious fish.

Tomorrow it's only a few kilometres to Puttgarden and the ferry leaves every half hour.

Sunday, February 18

Do you know the saying "The morning red makes a wet morning bread"?

Well, that's exactly how it is for us today. We don't eat a morning snack, but it really does start to rain soon and it doesn't stop until well into the evening. At the time of publishing the homepage, it is still raining.

The journey through the rain is exhausting. There is a strong crosswind on the Øresund Bridge.

But today we decide against our usual habit and do not stop at the parking spot in Malmö that we know, but drive further to Landskrona. Here at the marina there is a large parking spot that is only occupied by three motorhomes today. We make ourselves comfortable and enjoy a delicious raclette to match the weather. There will probably be no photos of the parking spot until next week, it is too wet for us to take photos.

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By the way, despite the rain today, we put away our rain jackets again and got out warmer jackets.

The temperatures have dropped, but we haven't found winter yet.

Will we find him next week? Stay tuned and you'll find out!