WHAT I LIKED (AND DIDN´T) ABOUT GERMANY...

1 Neat, clean and environmentally aware. Apart from the grafitti in Berlin. In general the streets look like they´ve been bleached and polished every day. And no rubbish! 2 I loved the beds of colourful wild flowers, for the butterflies and bees, in the public parks. Other cities should do this. 3 Their recycling methods work. India, which is ankle deep in plastic, could adopt the German ideas? 4 I loved Deutsche Bahn. Their railway system and clear website www.bahn.de are excellent. But get a rail pass as single trips can be pricey. 5 Toilets! For those who read my "wilma in india" blog, you´ll know how important plentiful and clean facilities are to me! Although most loos charge 50 cents, it´s worth it. Well done Germany. 6 The availability and selection of organic products. They are everywhere. I wish Spain had such awareness to bio produce. 7 The scenery, towns and cities. The greenness (Ok so it rains a lot!), the architecture which has survived the terrible destruction of WW2 and how they have restored it so well. BUT..... with apologies to warm, friendly Germans.... Despite their undeniable prosperity (in the capitalist sense), are the German people happy? There is something amiss. Things are too clean, too quiet, too perfect? I didn´t see much evidence of smiles or laughter. They don´t readily give eye contact and are they even too busy to glance at a passerby or give a friendly greeting? On the contrary, most look tense, serious, and aloof. The question here is, in the pursuit of perfection have they lost their souls? I can´t help but compare with the relaxed and friendlier outlook of the people I observed earlier this year in India. They DON´T have the array of gadgets and appliances but perhaps because of that, what they DO have, is soul.

FROM THE PRESIDENTS SUITE AT PETERSBERG TO A HOSTEL IN FRANKFURT´S RED LIGHT DISTRICT!

Well the hostels website did warn about its location but it was very close to the station and so would make the last part of the journey easier. The Five Elements Hostel was clean, comfortable and friendly. And at only 20.50 euros for a bed in a female dorm, I couldn´t complain (compared to Munich this was a luxurious bargain!) There´s something very pleasant about finding a nice hostel whilst travelling solo. People are ready to chat and share their experiences. And the mix of languages and cultures adds to this fun. Yes for all you ladies out there wondering about solo travel, I´d recommend them. So it´s goodbye to Frankfurt (which I can´t say I was mad about), and on to the BOHR shuttle bus to Hahn airport, which takes 1.75 hours and costs 14 euros (August 2012). A 2.5 hour flight, metro, train to Gandia and my friend waiting there to drive me home. Ahhhhhhhhh... Yes travelling is terrific but it´s so nice to sink into one´s own bed and dream about the adventure ended...and ponder the next one.

TRAINS, PLANES AND AUTOMOBILES, WELL ALMOST…..

Last year while on a Findhorn Community week in North Scotland, I met a German who invited me to stopover whilst I was “in the neighbourhood”. So I bid “Auf Wiedersehn” to my lovely temporary home in Bad Nauheim and headed off on the final leg of my trip….middle Rhein. So last Sunday reminded me of my favourite film! Four trains, two boats, a taxi, a bus and a 20 minute walk through a forest to reach my friend´s ecowooden house in a peaceful country setting. But it´s always such a thrill to finally arrive knowing that the travel plan, although complicated, has gone to schedule! The company KD runs the cruises along the Rhein from Mainz to Cologne and a flexible day pass at 28 euros, pre booked online, is a good deal. Pretty towns, vineyards and enough castles to keep anyone happy, are to be seen on this route, including the famous Lorelei rock. Bonn, the former German Government seat, is in this area. It has a small city comfortable feel, a pretty riverside walkway and an impressive former palace is now a University – lucky students! And it was here, close by the railway station that I found my favourite restaurant IN THE WORLD! The Cassius Garten self service veggie restaurant http://www.cassiusgarten.de/ has such a fantastic choice of hot food, salad bar, juices and desserts that I was like a kid in a sweetie shop. And I like the charging method…it´s by weight on the plate! Which means one ought to hold back a bit so as not to get too big a shock at the till. You can always return for more if still hungry. Here´s my foodie wish for 2012…. That this healthy eating idea spreads to Spain and EVERYWHERE! How´s this for luck….My friend´s neighbour is the official tour guide for Petersberg where the Petersberg agreement was signed in 1949 and I had the opportunity to see around this amazing place. It´s an hotel and official guest house of the Federal Republic of Germany, dubbed The German Camp David and is situated at the top of a mountain (good for security) overlooking the Rhein. The list of guests makes impressive reading..emperors, kings, presidents and even Queen Elizabeth have passed through its doors. Apparently Brezhnev managed to crash an expensive car, gifted to him by the Government on his first drive down the mountainside! Ah well I may not have met anyone famous but I did enjoy cake and coffee on the terrace with its fantastic views. Now it´s time to head back to Frankfurt…

THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT MUNICH….

The hopon/hopoff tourist bus (express inner city route) at 13 euros allows the visitor to view the beautiful buildings in Germany’s third largest city (1.4M) where Hitler started his campaigns. The “Englische Garten” had been recommended and as it was such a lovely day, I spent a couple of hours in one of the world’s largest urban parks. Lots of people soaking up the sun along the banks of the fast flowing river where surfers were riding the waves..yes amazing. What I wasn’t expecting was the naked sun worshippers mixed in with the clothed ones! Yes in Germany nudity in public places (within reason) is allowed. The other main attraction (!) is The Chinese Tower, a huge Bier Garten and restaurant area located in the centre of this beautiful park. A small beer cost 3.70 euros. Apart from the under renovation part outside the main railway station, I thought Munich to be one of the most impressive and green cities I’ve seen. It´s also the dearest in Germany. The hostel which was pretty horrible cost 59euros for one single room, shared shower and no breakfast…and prices here soar during Oktoberfest. Time to head back to my "home", Bad Nauheim..a four hour train ride.

FALDEREEE, FALDEROOO WITH A RUCKSACK ON MY BACK…

Oh what freedom to travel only with ‘the bare necessities of life…they´ll see you through´!! (shock, horror..I even left mascara behind!) With the minimum packed for a four day trip I set off on The Romantic Road. This Romantische Straße is billed as Germany’s most popular holiday route and can be done on foot, bike, coach or train (except the train doesn’t follow the 30 towns included) but I chose the four most popular ones on this 350 kilometres stretch. Only one hour south of Frankfurt, Würtzburg is surrounded by vineyards, is the first town on the route and has the Prince Bishop Residence as a UNESCO World Heritage monument, among many other impressive buildings. A 40 minute toy train ride chugs us round the main sights but with more time, the Tourist Info map explains all. On to the next one hour (2 trains) part to reach the magnificent, but touristy, walled town of Rothenburg ob Der Tauber. A quaint half timbered Gasthof just inside the walls cost 40 euros for a single room en suite with breakfast. The highly entertaining Nightwatchman´s Tour (7 euros) starts at 8pm from Marktplatz. He had about 80 of us hanging on to his every word. He also sells DVD’s and at a rough guess, he made around 500 euros – not bad for an hour’s work! A walk around the town walls is a must to view this gorgeous place. A four hour train ride to the next stopover town was broken by a quick trip to see Augsburg, one of Germany´s oldest cities. The Rathaus (City Hall) dates back to 1615. But what interested me most was that it has the world´s oldest social housing founded in 1521 for “innocently impoverished citizens of the Roman Catholic faith”. It now has over 200 homes and the annual rent is ONE EURO. Back on the rail track to the last stop on this Romantic Road – Füssen, near the Italian border. The Bavarian scenery of cornfields, sunflowers, cream coloured cows, suddenly had an added dimension…The Alps. The picture postcard perfect chocolate box views, in glorious sunshine, took my breath away. Füssen is stunningly beautiful with mountain backdrop, turquoise coloured river and cobbled streets to wander around admiring the quaint buildings. But what brings tourists here is the nearby Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangan castles. Disney used the former for Sleeping Beauty castle and it is certainly recognisable with its white turrets. Unfortunately half of it is covered in plastic due to a renovation process. “Disappointed” was the comment from a Taiwanese lady I met at the hostel. She had just arrived from seeing Edinburgh Castle and was more impressed by that. Thousands of mainly Japanese, Taiwanese and Korean tourists crowded onto the Mariensbrücke, the famous view point bridge. As this is suspended over a deep ravine, I was praying that it was strong enough to bear the weight! This was a worthwhile trip and would be beautiful to do by bike, or hike, too. Now…Munich awaits….

TRANSPORT – THE GERMANS DO IT SO WELL..

Are they all born with a bike saddle attached to their backsides? Am I the only non cyclist in Germany? Bike hiring businesses abound. Strangely the traffic doesn’t seem to be nearly as heavy as cities elsewhere. The air feels clean and no great problem crossing main roads. Quite remarkable. And how they locate their own “Fahrrad” parked outside railway stations is beyond me..there are hundreds all looking the same to this non cyclist. But hat´s off to them for cutting down on pollution. (note to self…learn to ride a bike!) Signposting can´t be faulted. Comparing it to Spain where signposting often disappears after a while when trying to find someplace. Here it leaves nothing to chance! Tourist sites, public places, transport networks are well marked. They even provide how many metres to reach the place. I haven’t driven here but assume the same attention to detail for drivers. Trams, buses, underground and trains are clean, frequent and fairly easy to understand (unlike other cities out with Germany). They are big fans of automatic ticket machines. Railways have good information points and staff members are plentiful, visible and helpful. Prices are certainly higher than Madrid. A Berlin Day Ticket currently cost 6.80 (July ´12). The German Railpass I bought for 299 euros gave me complete access to rail transport (sleepers excluded) during a whole month so I made full use of it hopping on and off Berlin trains just for the fun of it. Funnily enough no ticket inspectors came on board in the city so I assume the possible 600 euro fine for not having a valid ticket must encourage honesty. The useful railway network map is fairly straightforward, even for a simpleton like me. So OK I did ask a zillion times for help and to confirm I was about to step onto the right train but in general their system works. Especially well designed is www.bahn.de. It allows for easy journey planning with leaving/arrival times, platforms, connection minutes needed, train reference numbers, the direction header for. So as long as you know if you are heading north, south, east, or west you should be able to navigate. On board the visual sign in each CLEAN carriage states next station and voice announcements, the same. It even tells which side to disembark…links or rechts (left or right). I am very impressed with the Railway stations. Some are like shopping malls with even cinemas within. Potsdam, one hour from central Berlin has quite a variety of clean, attractive eateries, shops, cinema, information (even tourist tours leave from it) and is beautifully decorated. I compare the stations with Scotland and must say “Congratulations” to DB (Deutsche Bahn). Perhaps all this public transport efficiency is the reason for the apparent lack of car congestion in Berlin. “Let the train take the strain.” Remember that UK slogan from way back? The success of any public transport system lies in providing a reliable, efficient and cost effective one. Perhaps the UK should follow the German one! PS I experienced my first train delay. An electrical fault meant a detour and I arrived two hours late at Frankfurt from Berlin. We were kept informed and the polite conductor handed out claim forms (I should get a partial refund credited to my bank account). Free coffees and ice lollies for the kiddies too!

ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING…

Now here´s something you just might not have know… Elvis Presley lived in Bad Nauheim (1958-60) during his military service Each year on the anniversaries of his birthday (8/1) and death (16/8),.... they hold Elvis Festivals here. He recorded “Wooden Heart” and “It´s Now or Never” in his temporary home at Goethestrasse 14. Of course I had to walk past it.... ahhhhh. There´s a monument to him at Elvis Presley Platz. He also met his future wife, Priscilla here.