Start of our Romantic Road Trip – Augsburg, Germany

Monday, we headed into Augsburg to do some sightseeing using the local commuter train from Friedberg, only a 10 minute walk from the Stellplatz we are staying. The Romantic Road is a route through some scenic locations and historic towns and villages in Bavaria which was created by the local tourist board and is sign posted throughout its length. I understand it was the first of its type, the Scottish North Coast 500, being one of the many other such routes inspired since. We have not strictly made it to the bottom of the route as we are on a timetable to make it to Bad Kissingen by 21st Oct. Therefore, we will start ours with Augsburg and will conclude in Würzburg. This still gives us a number beautiful locations to visit along the way.

• 

Augsburg is the third oldest city in Germany, tracing its roots back to 15BC when it was called Augusta Vindelicorum after Emperor Augustus. Although there seems to be little surviving of its Roman ancestry to view now. It was also visited by Martin Lüther during the Reformation, where he met the Papal Legate in St. Anne’s church. We are currently watching DVDS (old school, but will play whatever network connection you have 🙂) of the excellent BBC Tudors series, so it is really interesting to see some locations of the history of the era.

• 

• 

• 

We were treated to another bright sunny day, although it is reaching freezing at night as a result of the clear skies. We had another alarm call from the fridge as a result of miscalculating the electric consumption rate. It is so strange to be using cash and coins again after months of contactless spending, having to watch our supply of 50c & 1€ coins! However a moment or two in the shade of the tall Augsburg shopping streets and you soon felt a chill. Interesting to see the wide variety of stores in Augsburg, amazing to see C&A still going strong! But as neither of us are keen shoppers and Lizzy and Lola are not allowed in. We headed to the Rathausplaza, the town hall (Rathaus) which towers over and neighbouring Perlachturm bell tower built in 989.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We managed to have lunch outdoors in the sun, albeit in coats 😎. We were outside Fugger’s city palace, one of two rich bank families which ran Augsburg for many generations (think Medici). They also created the oldest social housing estate in the world in 1523, which allows people to live in the 52 houses there for one Rhenish guilder per year, a rate maintained to this day for residents (0.88€) also requiring them to make three daily prayers per day, be catholic and become indigent, but without debt. It is also a tourist attraction now, but it seemed wrong to go sightseeing where people are living due to need.

• 

• 

We headed home on the train…..via Munich (about 40 mins detour) due to slight timetable reading malfunction 🤗😩🤫🙄🤭, so had a scenic tour home too. In the afternoon / evening we planned our route to Bad Kissingen in a bit more detail and realised we had been 16 days on the road already. It just flying by…