Campsites,Germany # 4of14

From our campsite just south of Minden, near Porta Westfalica, we could see Das Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal (memorial) high on the side of the hill. In the town of Minden, as we drove under what appeared to be just a bridge, we were surprised to see the tourist boats and canal-barges sailing above us on this canal-bridge. A canal must be level, so this portion of the canal is built on a 1200 feet bridge above a low part of the town, some streets, and across the Weser River.

Since we have no schedule, we try never to travel in heavy traffic, or during bad weather. One mid-afternoon it suddenly became dark and stormy, with high winds and heavy rain, so immediately we got off the crowded Autobahn and found about the nicest campsite where we have spent the night, in Europe, Canada, and the US. Olpe’s campsite was only a few months old, and was terraced on a hillside overlooking the Bigge-Stausee (lake). The buildings and facilities were excellent — new and clean, with plenty of hot water. For children, there were even pint-size toilets and basins. Only place we saw that.

The campsite in Uberlingen was right on the north shore of the Bodensee (Lake Constance), in a very nice location. It had been very foggy for several mornings, but this morning the fog made a pretty picture of the lake and the hills beyond. The lake is bordered by Austria on the east, Switzerland on the south, Germany on the north, and the Principality of Liechtenstein near the southeast “corner” of the lake. As they advertise, “One lake, four countries, and a thousand possibilities.”

The roadway through the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) from Baden-Baden to Freudenstadt was very scenic. As best we could determine, the road was built with continuous gentle curves, laid out in such a manner that the only portion of the road to be seen, is that part directly in front of us, and all the rest is beautiful forest land. There were no campsite signs along this highway, but we found a pleasant campsite to spend the night.

Ochsenfurt is another walled city with ancient buildings and towers. The farmers in the area were harvesting apples, and we could see wagon loads of sugar beets on the way to the sugar refinery. Of importance to us, a campsite was located behind a beautiful, very expensive hotel, that was complete with several expensive restaurants and banquet rooms, and a basement Spa.