From Überlingen to Füssen

Ravensburg

We arrived early at the stellplatz in Ravensburg and found a suitable parking spot. Metered electricity was available and we found a socket with 0.7 KWh left on it and, not being one to turned down free electricity, plugged the van into there.

The weather was grey and overcast, so we went for a walk into the pretty old town before it rained. Being a Sunday only the cafés were open, but it was good to get out for a walk, even though it did rain. Taking shelter under a bus stop, we logged onto the town’s free Wi-Fi and updated the apps on our phones and had a quick surf. Once the rain stopped, we went carried on walking around town and found a busy street market which we weren’t expecting.

Back at the van, I tuned the TV into ITV4 for Le Tour. The signal was good for most of the live coverage, but in the final few KM of the race the heavens opened, breaking up the weak satellite signal, making it unwatchable. Tuning in an hour later on the +1 channel, I had the same problem so had to give up, so it looked like my hopes for keeping up with Le Tour would be dashed.

Fischen

Fischen is down on the border with Austria, in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. The stellplatz was quite large with few vans parked, and looked very picturesque with the Alps as a backdrop.

The weather had cheered up and so we went into the village about 1 KM away. With lots of bars, cafés, restaurants and boutique-style shops, it’s obviously a ski resort in the winter. We had a good old wander round, stopping to treat ourselves to a delicious ice cream.

When we returned to the van, I found that the satellite signal for ITV4 was now non-existent. However, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, so I tuned the TV into a different satellite and managed to find an unlocked stream for Eurosport Germany, which means that I’ll have coverage for the rest of Le Tour – happy days! We watched the end of the day’s stage and spent the evening reading outside until the midges came out to play.

Oberstdorf

Our reason for visiting Oberstdorf was that we both needed to get our backs clicked, and there was a chiropractor in town. Chiropractors certainly seem to be few and far between in southern Germany, so I was lucky to find a Dutch guy who’d trained and worked down in Bournemouth, which was great as there were no translations needed. He was very thorough, and gave us both a good clicking.

The stellplatz when we pulled in seemed almost full, but it can apparently accommodate 280 vans. It was a camp site in all but name, as it had a washing machine and shower facilities, as well as free Wi-Fi. Again we noticed that we were the only British van when we arrived on site. Finding a decent spot, we parked up and first priority was to get the washing on.

The town was very popular, with lots more bars and restaurants than in Fischen the previous day, and there was much more of a buzz about the place. To the west of town there were two enormous ski jumps and also a huge skating complex, which I was told has three ice rinks. Unsurprisingly, it’s also a training centre for the German national winter sports team

Füssen

A guy in Oberstdorf told us that the school holidays in Germany are staggered, with those in southern Germany breaking up the first week of July, two weeks ahead of those in the north. We’ve noticed that the stellplätze have been busier these past few days, and that will only worsen in a couple of weeks.

Füssen is the final stop at the southern end of the Romantic Road, devised by travel agents in the 1950’s. Starting at Würzburg, the 350 KM road connects a number of picturesque towns and castles. In medieval times it was a trade route that connected the centre of Germany with the south, but today it’s all about tourism.

With Füssen being a popular town, we arrived here early this morning and secured ourselves a space. The weather is much improved, so with suncream slapped on we walked into the old town, about a mile away. It is another lovely, picture postcard town, with buildings painted an assortment of colours. As we’ve been good with our finances, we treated ourselves to lunch out.

Not far away is the famous Neuschwanstein Castle, which we’ll be going to see on our way out tomorrow. From here we plan to make our way north east, visiting the Dachau concentration camp near Munich, before spending a day in Munich itself. Time to get the maps out again!

Mike