s’Gravendeel to Dormagen (Germany)

We left Martin’s place at 8.30am and went to the local supermarket to get some supplies then drove to Puttershoek to say our goodbyes to Jeanette and Anne at the Jan Snel Garage. So at 10.am we finally headed off on our journey. We headed south towards Eindhoven and then set our course in the direction of Nuremburg.

We bypassed Dusseldorf and headed for a camper stop at a place called Dormagen. This turned out to be a car park by the old city of Zons, we parked the camper and took our bikes for a ride along the bike path the followed the Rhine, then turned back to follow the road into the old city. It was a very picturesque small walled town and it was lovely to walk and ride our bikes through the winding cobbled roads

Thursday 23rd April.

After a quiet night as the only people in the car park we followed the Rhine river south, we set the gps to 2 camper stops but didn’t have much success with these, one we couldn’t find and the other had closed. So after a bit of frustration we looked and the maps and the camper stop book and set the co-ordinated to a place called Oppenheim. Here we camped next to a nature reserve behind the local Police station. Again we were the only campers so it was a quiet place to stop for the night. In the morning we decided to take the bikes for a ride along the bike paths through the forest and ended up following the Rhine again. So beautiful, spring has really made its presence felt here everything is so green, the flowers blooming, trees fresh and green and the birds singing (even through the night). We turned and left the bike path along the Rhine and followed the road into the town, here we bought a coffee before heading up the hill to the old town. It’s was still early so it was very quiet in town, small winding streets lead up to the town square and the Church. We left our bikes outside the town hall and walked up to the Church. As we walked inside, the church organ started to play, it was truly awe inspiring the music, the stained glass, the vaulted ceilings. WOW! I could’ve stayed there all morning but we needed to head back on the road before it got too busy. From Oppenheim we had to head across the river and the only way was the ferry, and then headed on towards Wertheim. It was a lovely drive along through the countryside of green fields and golden canola. Our car and bikes now had a yellow tinge to them. Past Wertheim we came to a carpark for a camper dealership. EXPO Camp; selling mostly campers and some camping supplies. Here you can stay for free and they have facilities for electrical hook ups, grey water and toilet emptying. There was room for about 180 campers, a lot of these people were on there way some place else and use this facility as a overnight stopover. It also had the advantage of a factory outlet centre next door, think Harbor town with a fairytale/theme park façade. Mostly your designer stuff, not cheap by any means for us with the Aus dollar as it is, but we had to have a look. Here we found a tourist centre and booked a couple of free bus tickets to visit the historic town of Wertheim.

Friday 24th April.

In the morning we went to the old city of Wertheim. There we walked up to the

castle ruins and had a good view of the city and of the river. The castle was first built

in the 1200’s. Back to the camper after lunch, then on the road again. We stopped along the river at Kitzengen. Very pleasant, warm, quiet with a beautiful setting.

We went for bike ride through the old city and along the river.