From Berching to Fürstenwalde

Würzburg

The days at the riding stable flew by, and we would have gladly stayed a little longer. Our hosts also appreciated our help on the farm and the pleasant evenings together. But a journey without traveling? That's simply not possible.
So we packed our belongings back into Felía, refilled our water tank, and set off for new adventures.

Our next destination was Würzburg. In addition to its charming old town with the cathedral and Neumünster church, there are the Marienberg Fortress and the Würzburg Residence with its Court Garden to admire. We were able to park our Pleasure-Van in style directly in front of the Residence. There, we were pleasantly surprised: it was UNESCO World Heritage Day in Würzburg. Admission to the Residence was free for the occasion, and it could even be visited without a guided tour. Unexpectedly, we saved some money.
We wandered through the Baroque palace and admired its opulent furnishings. We could hardly get enough of the fantastic wall and ceiling paintings and were almost overwhelmed by the stucco decorations and golden splendor. It truly is an extraordinary Baroque palace and illustrates one of the most brilliant princely courts in Europe, as stated in UNESCO's official justification.
Afterwards, we strolled leisurely through the Court Garden and enjoyed the sunshine. We also visited the neighboring Rosenbach Park.

After so much courtly life, we were drawn into the more worldly side of Würzburg. Just across the street lies the old town. We wandered comfortably through the pedestrian zone and passed the cathedral. Of course, we couldn't resist visiting it. However, since a concert was scheduled for the evening, the cathedral was closed. We were only able to peek inside from the entrance area and listen to the choir rehearsing. Photography and filming were strictly prohibited.
Right next to the cathedral stands another inviting church, Neumünster. The Baroque parish church is surprisingly modern inside and worth seeing for that reason alone. Still, we didn't linger too long, as we wanted to continue exploring.

From the pedestrian zone, the Old Main Bridge spans the river. At both ends of the bridge, regional wine is sold, and many visitors enjoy sipping it right there. Fortunately, we were able to resist. Instead, we tackled the strenuous climb up to Marienberg Fortress. From the outer walls, we had an impressive view over Würzburg. Although the fortress itself was closed due to extensive renovation work, even from the outside you could sense its former splendor and power. Unfortunately, the weather forced us to descend back into the city sooner than planned. Just in time, we ducked into a bakery before a heavy downpour cleared the streets.

Once the short rain shower had passed, we decided to return to our Pleasure-Van and look for a cozy place to spend the night. Since it wasn't too late, we chose a spot near our next destination. The parking lot by the terrace swimming pool in Bad Kissingen seemed particularly suitable and it did not disappoint. Away from traffic noise and right at the edge of the forest, we were able to choose our spot freely on the large, empty parking lot.
Before dinner, we took a short walk into town. We knew that Bad Kissingen is part of the UNESCO World Heritage as a spa town, but we hadn't realized how many buildings underline this status. Fortunately, they were easy to find thanks to a well-marked circular route. However, we saved the full tour for the next day.

Bad Kissingen

After a quiet and restful night, we began our World Heritage tour. Unfortunately, we didn't get far at first. The path led us into a beautifully landscaped park where we discovered a barefoot labyrinth. On a whim, we slipped out of our shoes and followed the winding path. Some of the surfaces were quite challenging: bark mulch and wooden boards were pleasant, but loose gravel and sharp stones were a real test. Luckily, we could relax our feet afterward in the cool, damp grass and let them dry in the morning sun.
Since we were already in the park, we decided to make a small detour to visit the Pavilion of Religions. In a hexagonal pavilion, the five major religions - Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam - as well as open, non-denominational spirituality are presented equally and informatively to visitors. For each faith, there are excerpts from sacred texts and statements from high-ranking representatives. We quickly noticed that they all convey very similar messages and once again came to the conclusion that all religions aim for the same ideals and that there isn't just one “right” religion.
We intended to continue our World Heritage tour but once again, things turned out differently. We discovered signs for another fascinating route: the Sisi Tour. By scanning QR codes on information boards, visitors can listen to stories about the young empress and her repeated visits to Bad Kissingen. We couldn't resist and followed the tour, which first led us out of the park and up the Altenberg hill to the Sisi monument. Along the way, we listened to the stories and enjoyed the view over the town. The tour eventually ended back in the park, giving us the opportunity to explore the rose garden, the old town with its half-timbered houses, and to continue the World Heritage route.

After returning to the starting point of our World Heritage tour and seeing everything important to us in Bad Kissingen, we headed back to our Pleasure-Van but not to drive away. Oh no! Apparently, we hadn't had enough kilometers or elevation gain yet. We decided to visit one more attraction: the ruins of Botenlauben Castle, perched above the parking lot.
Puffing and panting, we reached the plateau and were able to look back at all the places we had visited that day. Then we ventured into the ruins themselves. Since they were once used as a quarry, only two defensive towers, a remaining wall, and a few foundation walls still stand. Nevertheless, it is an impressive sight.

Erfurt

From the tranquil spa town of Bad Kissingen, we continued on to Erfurt. We had already visited Erfurt before, but it happened to be right along our route and recently, additional World Heritage sites have been added there. In 2023, several Jewish sites and buildings were included on the UNESCO list, among them the Old Synagogue, the Stone House, and the Mikveh.
The Old Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Central Europe preserved up to its roof and dates back to the 11th century. Today, it houses a museum about the Jewish community of medieval Erfurt as well as the architectural history of the synagogue. The Stone House dates back to the 13th century and stands out because of its uniquely preserved interior. The Mikveh, in turn, is a ritual bath and an important part of a Jewish community.

Quedlinburg

After this successful interruption of our journey, we headed to our actual destination for the day: Quedlinburg. We used the afternoon for a stroll through the narrow streets with their half-timbered houses and took a look inside the Protestant Market Church of St. Benedikti. From the marketplace and past the castle hill, we continued on to the Basilica of St. Wiperti. Although a visit was no longer possible that day, it made us eager to return the next morning.
Exhausted from so many new impressions, we drove to a small parking lot just outside town, where we once again experienced a wonderful sunset and enjoyed a restful night's sleep.

The next day, refreshed, we returned to the Basilica of St. Wiperti. The church, with its more than 1,000-year-old crypt, is well worth a visit even though it is located slightly off the beaten path. On our way back toward the old town, we wanted to visit Münzenberg. However, that had to wait a little. Even though we had just had breakfast, we couldn't resist the tempting aromas from Bakery Gelbke. We took a short break for coffee and cake and ended up buying some snacks and nut bread for later. Only then did we climb up to Münzenberg and stroll through its picturesque lanes.
To conclude our time in Quedlinburg, we went up to the castle hill. Unfortunately, the castle could not be visited due to extensive renovation work, so we had to settle for admiring its imposing façade from the outside.

Dessau

From Quedlinburg, we continued east toward Dessau. Dessau is also known for several World Heritage sites. We were already familiar with most of them, but a few lesser-known ones were still missing from our list. So a visit to Dessau fit perfectly into our route planning.
In the small village of Mosigkau stands the rather overlooked Mosigkau Palace. Although it could not be visited due to renovation work, the Rococo palace was already very impressive from the outside. We contented ourselves with a walk through the gardens before continuing on to Dessau.
In Dessau itself, we wanted to see the residential buildings in Peterholzstraße and Mittelbreite. These are typical examples of Bauhaus architecture and are still used today almost unchanged. While we were there, an elderly resident approached us and shared a wealth of information about the buildings. We learned where coal used to be stored and that each family once had a share of a garden plot. The apartment layouts are largely unchanged, although central heating has been installed and the building entrances slightly modified. The private garden plots no longer exist, and the former washhouse is now used differently. In return, each house has a large communal garden. We gained a much deeper insight than we had ever expected. Many thanks for that.

Lübbenau

Since Dessau had simply been conveniently integrated into our route, we did not want to stay longer. Instead, we continued on to Lübbenau in the Spreewald region. Here, magnificent nature and the local culture of the Sorbs beckoned.
In Lehde, we visited an open-air museum with original preserved houses and barns, where life in earlier times was vividly explained to us. A short film introduced us to local legends, and at several stations, visitors could try on wooden clogs, play with historical children's toys, and even test an old-fashioned washing machine.
Before looking for a place to sleep, we inquired about a boat tour for the following day and stocked up on original Spreewald pickled cucumbers.

Finally, a “Sea Day”!!!
That's what we call it when we simply want to relax and drift through the day at ease ⤶cruise-style” so to speak.
We started with a delicious breakfast at a bakery before embarking around 10:30 a.m. on a roughly five-hour boat tour to Wotschofska. The boat glided leisurely along the branches of the River Spree, passing picturesque cottages and green forests. The boatman told us a great deal about Sorbian culture and the unique way of life in the Spreewald.
In Wotschofska, we stopped for a break and tried cucumber soup made from mustard pickles, as well as a “Potsdamer”, a mixed beer drink made from pilsner and raspberry lemonade. After this refreshment - and a heavy rain shower - we continued through the Spreewald.
Life in the Spreewald is closely connected to the water. Many properties are accessible only by boat. Goods, building materials, and equipment must be transported by boat. Even livestock is still traditionally taken to pasture by boat. Since motorized propulsion is only allowed with special permits, everything moves slowly and by muscle power. Even the locks are operated by hand.
Because the numerous branches and canals of the Spree replace roads in the Spreewald, it wasn't surprising to see traffic signs at intersections. However, a town sign was rather amusing. Did that mean you were only allowed to travel at 50 km/h from that point on?
On the return trip, the boatman stopped at a small inn for coffee. And what goes better with coffee in the Spreewald than “Plinse”? Plinse are yeast-based pancakes served with various fruit compotes, ice cream, and whipped cream. We chose the most traditional version with applesauce. What a delight.
Back at the harbor, we stocked up once more on Spreewald delicacies before continuing on to Fürstenwalde. There, studying for the motorcycle license, working on building projects, repairing the camper van, and repainting it are on the agenda. Therefore, our next post will follow a little later.