From Metz we embarked on a real adventure! Yvette had three new countries ahead. Ruth had never been into the Land of Merkel, and we had only a very poor scale atlas! But fear not – we were on our way to meet Archbishop Rainer of Franconia, (a land with no beer) and his two heirs in his Schloss in Karlstadt. First we had to survive the great Autobahn. This is not trivial! They may be toll-free, but the absence of maximum speed limit and service stations, together with a laissez-faire maintenance regime and said under-sized road map made for heavy use of the stress ball! On the outskirts of Frankfurt the inevitable navigation error happened. We realised, stopped at the only service station in 50 km squared and invested E6.95 in a German road atlas. This saved the day and we made it – seeing more of the B26 and Anshaffenburg than any German would probably desire, and with a 45 minute wait in a traffic queue in the allegedly delightful town of Laufach. The Archbishop came to meet us 5km out of Karlstadt in his blessed VW Transporter and led us to journey’s end.Our social and touristic whirl began with a visit to a Heckenwirtschaft. This is an event that happens in Bavaria twice a year in many farms and vineyards. Many people cycle to them. The owners serve (and sell) their own produce to visitors seated on benches outside. We had our first introduction to Franconian wine – ideal with Wurst and cheese of many kinds, and indeed we sampled much more over three days! Later we were taken into the town centre and started to get a sense of its beauty. We went past the theatre just as the second interval in a three-act play was taking place. His Holiness used his influence to get us in to see the final act. By his own admission this was not the highest of German Kultur – more Brian Rix than Goethe – loss of trousers etc etc! Some subtlety of language may have eluded us, but we got the visuals, and felt very honoured – and speechless! We then spent far too long in a wine cellar working our way through a structured tasting of Franconian whites. Sylvaner best! Many too sweet (and allegedly aimed at North German tourists)!
Day Two started with great weather and a great German breakfast in the garden. Then to Würzburg! As we went over a bridge we mentioned that our friend George had been for training at a printing press-making factory there. Rainer said this had to be K&B – so took us to see it (together with abandoned railway rolling stock from the former-East, and indeed the war!) Then we went to the Residenz – which must be one of Europe’s great treasures. Built post-Reformation to rival Versailles it is utterly Baroque – in places rococo – it was destroyed by Allied bombs in 1945 and has been lovingly restored. The Hall of Mirrors is phenomenal! To think that all this excess had been commissioned by a bishop brings the whole Reformation thing to life (as Rainer demonstrated with visits next day to modest Protestant villages not far away!) Later we met up with the boys and went for lunch at the Juliusspital – a hospital with its own vineyards! (Eat your heart out NHS!) We all ate a dish with a rather rude but forgotten name -very tasty Wurst in a broth of white wine and vinegar with vegetables! And more white wine to drink with it – this time homing in on the Sylvaners!A very late night, and eventually - as expected - the pelican flew across the Libyan Sea, with fond memories of Paleohora, the Matala moon – and much-missed Doris. No chance of us leaving Sunday as planned!
So Pentecost Sunday comprised a long and fascinating tour of Franconian wine villages, and over the Land border to some equally but distinctly beautiful villages, but not before we had been into Karlstadt itself and seen some of the sights in more detail. The sunshine and long weekend had brought out hundreds of cyclists making long and short trips down the Main. In the evening we made a quick turn-round for a family birthday supper with Italian wine and hams – very privileged again! The continuation chez Rainer made another dent in his Franconian wine collection!
Monday was a beautifully sunny day. We left at midday – objective Belgium! Swift progress and no navigational errors – then Luxembourg, which changes all the road numbers and slips in a complete break in the motorway, just to keep you awake! It really was very boring, and then we met a major road and a lot of post-Pentecost Belgians and Dutch folk. Thirsty and tired we pulled into a (the only?) service station in the Duchy! Mayhem! Fuel queues back into the slip-road, and inside the entire population of the two countries patiently queuing for ages to buy somewhat cheaper ciggies and tobacco (and for some reason coffee!) We (eventually) bought two Fantas and got out! (You can keep Luxembourg!) Then into Belgium (makes German road maintenance look advanced!) and to Bastogne and the luxurious Hotel Collin, where we had a room with a bathtub and the first bath since November 2009!