Germany

Now it's time. We're actually going! With the sun shining, we leave Lake Constance behind. But not before saying goodbye to our families one last time. A few tears were shed. We won't see each other for a long time now. Stay healthy, everyone.

A feeling of freedom sets in. World, here we come. Our first overnight spot on our way through Cologne to the north is in Nehren. A small half-timbered village in the Swabian Alps. We're tired early. Farewell and excitement take their toll. Bed made and sleeping for the first time in our cozy Knut.

Next day, we want to continue driving, ... no power in the cockpit!! So no charging the phone, no radio.... that's not possible. So.. empty Knut... the tools are at the very bottom (of course) and remove the cockpit. The error is quickly found. 'Man' can fix everything, what a relief. Let's go towards Landau in the Palatinate. After a short drive, a loud hissing noise suddenly comes from the front right of the bus. Oh no, panic sets in. Are we losing air? Stop quickly. Luckily there's a gas station nearby. But no, the tire holds. Open the hood, the oil cloth has neatly sucked into the intake manifold. Luckily it didn't go all the way in. So remove the cloth, put it somewhere else, close the hood and continue. Our Knut is putting us to the test, but our good mood won't be affected.

Meanwhile, we have arrived in the Palatinate. The vegetable garden of Germany. Wind turbines are standing everywhere. There must be hundreds of them (Why do they act so stupid at home because of them?). Renewable energy from the air. It can't get any better than this.

We have thrown our resolution not to drive on the highway today, because not only the sun is shining from the sky, but also many environmental zones around the cities, where we unfortunately aren't allowed to enter. After various turning actions, we give up and continue on the highway towards Cologne. After three hours of driving, we and Amy are tired and steer towards the Rhine at Worms-Biblis. A great place right by the water is claimed and will be our overnight spot today.

Finally, the right moment has come and the right place has been found to bless our Knut and our Amy. We got holy water from 'Knausi-Mausi' especially for this. A bunch of grass was picked, a candle was lit, and then it was time. Our Knut was blessed.. that it always runs, never breaks, nothing bad happens to it, and its wheels always keep rolling and it always brings us to our destination. Our dog Amy also got a few splashes.... that she always stays healthy. And there were a few splashes left for us too (can't hurt :) .... yes Christel.... we really did it!! Thank you

Then followed an amazing night on the banks of the Rhine with the Rhine meadows behind us. It was like in the jungle. Night birds gave us a concert. A nightingale sang behind our bus until five in the morning. Just for us!!

The next morning, we continue through the beautiful Nibelungentor towards Cologne. We drive on country roads through beautiful vineyard areas. Hundreds of wind turbines around us produce clean energy. That warms the heart. One winery after another. What a great area. But unfortunately also very hilly. We slowly push ourselves up the hills. The people behind us need strong nerves. Just don't look in the rearview mirror and always smile..... our Knut is panting and giving it his all. But often people wave at us from the roadside. Our Knut is simply an eye-catcher. We get flashed and thumbs up and manage to put a smile on many people's faces. That feels great.

After a great but cold night on the Moselle, we are woken up in the morning by a loud bang. They are blasting a hole in the mountain behind us. What a noise!! Our dog jumps on the bed trembling with huge eyes. Shock in the eyes of the dog. Quickly under the blanket.... it will be fine. We are also wide awake and pack up quickly. The last stage to Cologne is ahead of us. By now we are wiser and drive the last stretch to Cologne on the highway. Carmen and Heribert, here we come.

On the second day in Cologne, we visited the Hambach open-pit mine. What a huge hole in the ground!! But also a high for RWE energy. They restore everything they destroyed before. Kilometers of wilderness surround us. Everything is being restored and planted again. Large forests and meadows as far as the eye can see. It makes it easier to accept the destruction that came before. A nice afternoon on the terrace follows. The sheep Wilma and Schnuppe watch us doing nothing.

Tomorrow we will continue towards the north..... Denmark, here we come

After a good breakfast and a last luxury shower in Carmen and Heribert's new bathroom, we are getting restless. We want to continue. After a short consideration, we decide to take a detour towards the east. The bus mechanics Manjaks are located in the Mecklenburg Lakes. They specialize in old Mercedes Benz buses. We want to introduce our Knut to them. When we return from our trip, he will be 30 years old. The question arises whether to invest more money and have him restored or?? Selling!! Actually not an option. Our Knut belongs to us. We've had him for 12 years. So dear bus enthusiasts... here we come.. and we want a cost estimate from you to know what we have to expect. After a night on the Weser (what a dirty broth), we continue the next day in bright sunshine. Our destination today: The Lüneburg Heath. Well, once again we're throwing our resolution out the window and get on the highway towards Hamburg. After a peaceful night near Uelzen, we drive through the beautiful Lüneburg Heath again in glorious sunshine (the weather is really good to us). Beautiful red brick houses with some thatched roofs line our way. Otherwise, there is forest, forest, and more forest. The dialect becomes more northern. Friendly greetings from all sides. Our first destination today is the Elbe for breakfast. And we end up in Gorleben (after Biblis, another nuclear power plant city, really?!) After a small breakfast, we continue driving and end up in Wittenberg, the city of Luther. We want to visit it. We stroll along the harbor promenade. Beautiful red brick buildings can be seen. The Luther Church is now a diving and climbing center (wow!!). After 2 hours of sightseeing, we are drawn back into nature. A quiet spot at a biotope is quickly found. Frogs lull us to sleep.

The next morning, we quickly pack up. The Mecklenburg Lakes are our destination. On our way there, kilometers of solar panels with hundreds of wind turbines in the background line our path. The East Germans are definitely ahead of us. I take my nonexistent hat off!! Many abandoned farms and empty houses catch our eye. What a pity. This is such a wonderful area here.

The sun is shining again from the sky. ... we seem to deserve it. :)

When we arrive at the lakes, we decide to treat ourselves to a campground for 2 nights. Flies are circling around us... I think we need a shower. And we urgently need to do laundry. So, we find a great spot right by the water. First of all, we settle in, explore the area (what a dream)... then tonight we'll have a great hot shower (what a luxury). At Naturcampingplatz ZweiSeen near Zielow on Lake Müritz, we have secured a great spot right by the water. A great place. It's not crowded yet (what luck). We marvel at the wonderful landscape. It's a paradise for birds here. Birds are chirping all around us. The lake is teeming with fish. But what impresses me the most are the countless hundreds of years old oaks and beech trees. What a sight. Indescribable. In the evening, we take out our canoe and explore the wonderful landscape from the water. A dream. (The only drawback: we urgently need to do laundry, and one load of laundry costs 4 euros!! - dear people, that's outrageous!!). But for those looking for a great vacation spot: people, go to the east to the lakes. You have to see this fantastic landscape. And the people here are super friendly too. We strike up conversations with all sorts of people. Nice retirees with their motorhomes park next to us. In the back, the NO MORE MONDAY's refreshment :)

After two days of lazing around, we continue to Ankershagen to the bus technicians Maniacs. 3 brothers who specialize in old Mercedes-Benz buses. They should take a look at our Knut. After our trip, he will be 30 years old and deserves an 'H' license plate. Let's see what they say, what's coming our way.

When we drive into the yard of the Maniacs, our Mercedes bus heart does a somersault. A huge area is filled with old Mercedes buses. We can't stop marveling and raving. Long-haired men are busy screwing. Uli, the boss, takes us in without an appointment and inspects our Knut. 'It's not in bad shape at all'.... that's what we wanted to hear. But for the H license plate, there are still things to be done. It is checked and written down. The worst thing is actually that all the flowers, the rubber duck, and the sunflower on the radiator have to come down. Otherwise, Knut is not 'historically valuable' :( But not right now. We'll think about it in 1 1/2 years. Then we will bring our Knut to the Maniacs over the winter and pick him up again as an official vintage car. (Then the flowers will immediately be put back on). You can camp at the Maniacs, sit by the campfire, there's a kitchen and a bathroom. So Mercedes fans: you have to visit the bus technicians Maniacs. Right next to it is also the huge Müritz National Park, which is certainly worth a visit.

In the evening, we find a quiet spot in the park and actually fall asleep at 8 pm. (that's getting earlier and earlier... but we get up with the sunrise). However, the park will have to wait for now. We feel drawn to the sea. We have clear skies again (are there any clouds here at all). So we enter Rostock into the navigation system and off we go. We want to take the ferry. When we arrive in Rostock, it's 12 noon and the sun is scorching from the sky. Tomorrow the weather is forecasted to be bad, so we decide to spend the afternoon here on the coast in Germany. The sun must be honored before it (apparently) takes off tomorrow. Our Greek princess on four paws also clearly tells us that she's had enough of sitting in the car.

Our conclusion about the east: you have to be here once. Fantastic landscape, extremely diverse animal species, sparsely populated, but the people who are here are super friendly.