And the time moves on ... part 4

For our intermediate stop in Germany we were going to stay at the Sontheimer Wirtshäusle near Heidenheim. This was a last minute booking that P managed to get. It sounded like the place we would enjoy - plenty of schinken, brot und bier. Sadly, that was not to be. The first problem was working out where Sontheim was, even with the satnav, as the directions were vague. Then we had to drive through Heidenheim, a surprisingly large town, in the rush hour. It was only as we arrived that I realised it was the home of Steiff teddybears and even had a museum. We eventually found our lodgings, only to find it locked and a message to phone the owner. P did that and we got in via a coded key safe. What wasn't clear was which bedroom we were in and we managed to walk in on an elderly couple who were quite surprised. Then we cottoned on that the key safe number was also the number of our room. All was fine and we went down to dinner. The food was limited, eclectic and rather pricey – we both had a goat stew at €25 a head, served with just a bowl of plain rice! But we slept well and the breakfast was fine.The journey the next day was to be under 3 hours so we kept off the autobahns to begin. We went by Rothenburg ob der Tauber which is a most attractive town, but it was far busier than I recalled and we didn't stop. Then when we arrived at Wertheim we met huge traffic jams in every direction except that which we were going in. This was because there is a Wertheim Shopping Village and we were travelling on a public holiday - German Unity Day. Travelling on the autobahn was easy as no goods traffic was allowed, but it meant that every rest stop was packed with trucks. We found the money-themed Ibis at Offenbach and settled in.

Money-laundering at the Ibis

In the evening we went to what had been our favourite Greek restaurant, Mykonos, which was still there and still provided huge amounts of very good food at an attractive price. The next day we revisited the town we had lived in for 8 years did some shopping in Kaufhof, then P took some cash from her bank.

Nordring 8, Offenbach

We then drove to Heustenstamm and met A who used to work with P. She is very unwell but we had a pleasant early dinner at the Alt Bahnhof - traditional schnitzel with pfifferlinge. The next day we headed to the Rheingau and the Wispertal. I got myself lost and was then disappointed to find my favourite stop along the Wispertal was now no longer used, so there was no opportunity to retrace, even for a small way, a favourite walk. We then travelled along the Rhine, bought Asbach Uralt at the distillery at Rüdesheim and headed off to Mainz and our shoebox room in an Ibis there. We met A#2 who also used to work with P and had a really nice evening, starting with a walk around Mainz centre and a glass of federweißer (fermenting grape juice), which we had not encountered before, and then a meal at the Heliggeist, a converted 13th C monastery. The next day after driving through the pedestrian centre (oops!) of Mainz we took a slow drive across the Hünsruck to our last German stop at Züsch to stay with J and W. Eating out, we had an Italian meal in a nearby village. The next day we left in the afternoon and drove to Namur and the Casino!

The Citadel and River Meuse, Namur

The river Meuse in Namur was charming and the Casino faced it. The hotel was separate but used the same entrance and harked back to grander days - our room was huge and overlooked the river. We took a drive up to the citadel and that was very impressive. We decided to eat in the Casino/Hotel and had boulets à la Liégeoise (meatballs) which were very good ... better than Swedish meatballs à la Ikea! The breakfast was expensive but the food was delicious - the croissants were gorgeous, large and buttery. We then drove gently to the Dunkerque Auchan to load up on wine (some at only €2.10 a bottle!) before getting the ferry and arriving home about 8pm.

Apart from difficulties with the driving (caused by me, by P, by an old satnav and lack of useable maps) the trip was a success all round and our relationship is well on its way to being re-forged. It was expensive, but that is really only because hotel prices are much the same across this part of Europe. We have even thought about a trip for next year - across Germany to the Harz and, possibly, Berlin. We really liked Bobbio and it would be nice to spend more time in 'Italian' Italy, but apart from the villa and the places we already knew, France did not match my expectations from 20 years ago.

P managed very well with the Parkinson's and I think we could stretch travel days a bit further, to reduce costs. Although she thinks dressing is weird (and is right) I think meeting with P and M in Ireland has really helped her change her approach. Time will tell but we are both really looking forward to the next Irish adventure at Christmas and we have also booked a week at where I stay on Dartmoor for the Spring which we can combine with a visit to my sister's in Truro.