Campsites,Germany # 8of14

The campsite in Nürnberg is next door to the stadium where Hitler gave his famous speeches. A “cathedral of light” was created by anti-aircraft searchlights that were placed around the field. The newsreel of a huge Nazi Swastika being blown up, occurred at this Stadium. Now the stadium is mostly a ruin, and does not serve its original function. A street auto-race, utilizing a portion of the stadium floor, was scheduled for the week after one visit, and bleachers, refreshment stands, and traffic control were all being put in place for that spectacle.

When we arrived at the Berkwitz campground, it appeared closed. I looked around and found a man who not only opened the gate for us, he let in a few other campers also. This was a typical East German campground, hundreds of trailers and small houses, out in the woods next to a lake.

The campground near Hohenfelden is one of the nicest we have seen in former East Germany. Around the lake are picnic grounds and swimming beaches, and there are several stores and restaurants for the campers. One of the entrepreneurs (camping here) from Western Europe said, “People in East Germany are anxious for coats like these, but they haven’t seen anything of quality for so long, they don’t realize these are low quality coats at a high price.” We could do without him.

The campground in St. Leon is one of our least favorite in all the years. The attitude of the person in the office, and the rules and regulations were ridiculous. Many of the residents appeared to be permanent, but when the men came home from work, they had to climb over the fence — there was no one to open the locked gate. However, next door to this campground there were water-skiers, pulled by a high-speed cable that goes clear around the little lake. This is the only one we have seen.

A US Army GI had told us that the town of Passau was especially beautiful, and he was right. But after following signs to the campsite, the only “extra” we found there, was the high price. Passau is located at the junction of the Donau (Danube) River, the River Inn, and the small River Ilz, with Austria just across the Donau. On the left bank of the Donau, the wooded hillside is crowned by the fortress of Oberhaus. On the right bank, the town sits on a narrow promontory, topped by the magnificent cathedral. Truly a site for a beautiful photo.