Fussen itself is picturesque but the big draw at the south end of the Romantic Road is unquestionably the fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein. Absolutely stunning, and well worth going out of our way to see it. The story behind it is fascinating, along with the tragedy of the king that built it. I’ll leave the following pictures to document our route north on the ”Romantische Strasse” ( as it’s known in Germany ) but a few favourite spots on the route ( to the surprise of no one who has travelled it ) would include Dinklesbuhl, Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Wurzburg itself. If you ever imagined what it would have been like to live, and/or travel through the Germany of centuries past, this road is a must. I’ll confess to originally thinking that it was a bit of a kitschy tourist gimmick, but it absolutely is not; rather, it’s a well connected route which pulls together some of Germany’s most beautiful and historic sights in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. It’s world class and Bavaria is just beautiful everywhere you look – we were so glad to have taken this detour for a few days on our way out of Germany.
The last place we wanted to see ( and had time for ) in Germany was Nuremberg. Just slightly off the Romantic Road (so not too far off our path) this city has a long history and ( sadly for Nurembergers ) was heavily associated with the Nazi era. It was here that many of Hitler’s largest rallies were held, that some of the classic Nazi films were shot, and perhaps appropriately, was the scene of the famous Nuremberg Trials, where, between 1946 and 1949 top Nazi leaders were prosecuted. As a World War II buff, I simply could not pass up this opportunity, especially to see the very scene of the Nuremberg Trials.
It was moving to actually stand today in the very courtroom where the scales of justice were applied to such hideous crimes committed by such truly evil leaders. It’s very well laid out with intricate and graphic detail telling the whole history of the trials and the court. One thing I learned that I did not know – why this particular courtroom, number 600, chosen for the trials ? Apparently, this was the very room where Hitler conducted sham trials for political opponents and other undesirables during the 1930’s. Perhaps fitting then, that some victor‘s justice might be meted out in the very same room.
Of course, there is lots of other history, famous food, and some beautiful architecture in Nurenberg, which we explored. It’s a tradition to try Nuremberg sausages and bratwurst – delicious I might add !
From Nuremburg, one long day along the autobahn got us to the outskirts of Amsterdam. Here we found a wonderful rural campsite where we could relax, do some overdue van cleaning and preparation before putting the vehicle in storage nearby. This all worked out well and we felt fortunate to find what seems like excellent storage in a secure covered facility just outside the city.
We will explore Amsterdam in more detail upon our return, but for now we have an airport to run to, a flight to catch, our kids to reunite with and of course, a very special granddaughter that we have not seen for almost 4 months . If you’ve been with us for the past few months, thanks for tagging along, we enjoy sharing the experience with those who are interested in the region and those who we know are contemplating bringing a vehicle to Europe. Hopefully the information we’ve provided along the way has been of some help. If you have any specific questions in that regard, feel free to send me a note via the website, I’ll have plenty of time to answer in the months ahead.
In the meantime enjoy your summer and we will connect again in late August !
Very interesting to read about your Four Month takeaways. Welcome back to the Old World in Autumn.
Thanks Ole.
Now we can let a few months pass so that we are “Schengen eligible” again 😉. We’ll likely only need a month or so in the Schengen zone next time and we should be outside it, by design at that point, rather than necessity !
Again it’s been wonderful following you in Saturday morning. Safe journey home. Horrid weather but just for this weekend. I’m sure the family will be thrilled to see guys.
Hi Penny,
Already home ( blog always a bit behind us 😊) and have been enjoying the great weather, today excluded of course ! Will reach out to you guys soon and look forward to catching up!
I have really enjoyed reading your updates. Enjoy your time back home! We are in the planning stages for our world-van “trip” and I’m wondering on your route when you leave Europe. My husband is pretty discouraged about our ability to go East from Europe. (Not sure if it makes a difference, but we are from the US.)
Hi Michele,
Glad you have been enjoying the “drive” with us and excited for you that your plans sound similar. As regards our plans beyond Europe ( which we do have ! ), yes, it seems the world is closing in a a bit so to speak. That said, options exist and I have been in touch with people out there re route options. Send me an email on the 1endlessroad@gmail.com address and I can give you more details and share our plans (as they stand). More than happy to do so.
Good to see that you made it to Rothenburg. Charming little town. Have a safe trip home and enjoy the summer with your family. We look forward to your next adventure. If you make it to France, I highly recommend Troyes.
Thank you, Tjalle.
Looking at our planned route south, Troyes may not be far out of our way so will keep it in mind for sure- appreciate the advice…!
Very beautiful country I stayed in Nordlingen for a few days and walked out into the forest. It’s also got a beautiful church. Stay safe and enjoy the rest of your trip. Gail and I are in sunny Queensland at the moment.
Yes, it really is.
Of course, Queensland is always beautiful too ( especially in the Aussie winter ) !
Glad you got storage Jeff. All the best travel safe home .
Thanks Spencer !
That camping at Nuremberg would boy have been my cup of tea. Now we know why Europeans camp under our wing here in Australia. Wonderful photos of your travels. Safe travels home – little Hadley will be excited to see you.
Well there’s a slight difference between camping in the Aussie Outback and camping in the heart of downtown in a major European city 😉. Happy to willingly sacrifice some “space” for downtown proximity.
We were always pleasantly surprised by how many European cities made it easy to travel ( and stay ) right downtown in your rig. Not true everywhere of course but Germany was particularly accommodating!
Yes, great to be back and see our baby – who is not a “baby” anymore !!
Another great read! Enjoy time with your kids and granddaughter. Take care and safe travels home.
Thanks guys, and welcome to the retirement club, Ed ! Hope you’ll make it up to K town at some point in the summer ?
I have loved this whole journey. Thank you so much for sharing. I hope to see more in the future. All the best.
Glad you have enjoyed it all, Ulla ! We will continue sharing in late August – stay tuned !
Thanks for the ride, Jeff and Lois. So much to see. Are you continuing from Amsterdam later?
Fascinating to see Nuremberg. Would love to see that.
Hi Chris,
Yes, it really was. Almost eerie, so many bad guys all in one spot !!
Hi Abe,
Yes, we are. Plan is to head down the Adriatic coast to Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and on to Turkey- unsure beyond that, will play it by ear 😊 !