Bavaria sends its greetings

Bavaria send its greetings Our first longer trip with the Duro took us to beautiful Bavaria. But before the journey leads us through the country, we stopped in Bad Kissingen.

It’s Wednesday morning in the evening. We have parked our Duro in front of the house so that we can load everything that needs to be loaded quickly and easily. After everything is stowed away, we enjoy dinner on the terrace and briefly discuss the route we want to take. Since we do not want to buy a motorway vignette for the DuBu, the journey must be overland. And we plan to leave around 6:00 at the latest. This way we can avoid the main traffic and will be able to cross the border to Germany in time. So planned.

We wake up at about 2 a.m. – and are wide awake. The excitement of our first big ride and test trip with the DuBu, after about 1.5 years of reconstruction, does not let us fall into deep sleep again. Claudia and I look at each other – but nobody dares to say what he thinks at first. It’s still the middle of the night. “OK, we’re up.” I say, “Let’s go.” Cheerful Claudia’s approval pushes to my ear, lights come on, hilarious rush of activity unfolds.

It doesn’t take half an hour and coffee is in the mugs, we are dressed, drinking water is bottled, wallet ready, windows closed, Duro key in hand. Out of the apartment, into the DuBu.

The departure – Bavaria we come

But before I start the engine I have some doubts. Why? Der Parkplatz, auf welchem der Duro steht, ist rund 3 Meter neben der Parterre-Wohnung des Nachbar-Hauses. The spotlights are exactly at the height of the residents’ bedroom windows. And the start of the 3.8-liter V6 Duro engine is not what is known as gentle cat purring. And that’s why a mischievous, broad grin comes over my face. 🙂   Thinking there – start engine.

So we drive into the night. The journey overland drags on. When we are in Schaffhausen and cross the border to Germany it already starts to get brighter. At some point we are quickly on the motorway in the direction of Würzburg. Past Würzburg towards Schweinfurt and then the stretch to Bad Kissingen. This year Bad Kissingen is overcrowded. We are guided to the neighboring village of Reiterswiesen where the hard-working helpers of Abenteuer Allrad have already extended and opened the camp area.

Bad Kissingen – and the first night

Then second premiere – we set up awnings, camping table and chairs for the first time. An exalted feeling. And we are looking forward to the first night in the DuBu on the new Fanello mattresses. The night is quiet and we sleep soundly and deeply. The mattresses keep what they promise – good in bed. We spend the next days at the fair and visit friends at the camp area, before we leave for Bamberg on Sunday.

Bamberg – The city of breweries

Bamberg welcomes us in its most beautiful splendor. The sun is shining, zero clouds can be seen in the sky. We stroll through the alleys and are overwhelmed by the beauty of the city. Bamberg is not just any city. Bamberg is first mentioned in the year 902. Back when the Castum Babenberch. And the city has been plagued by wars and feuds throughout the ages.

Bamberg could also be called the Bavarian Venice.

The persecution of witches was also a major theme in Bamberg and was the main centre of early witch and sorcerer persecution in the Middle Ages. Bamberg is also a university town. From 1647 – 1803 and then again from 1979, the university also shaped the cityscape. Besides countless buildings and monuments, Bamberg is also known for its variety of breweries. The speciality is the Rauchbier. Unfortunately, of the nearly 70 breweries, only 8 still carry out the traditional craft. Our next stop is Bayreuth.

The shifted facial features of me are not caused by the amount of beer but – again a selfie.

Bayreuth – the celebrity among the Bavarian cities.

The city of Bayreuth was visited, mentioned and described by many personalities and famous people. Among them are philosophers, writers, conductors, poets and composers. Probably the most famous person who lived in Bayreuth is the composer Richard Wagner. And you can feel and see that even when you stroll through the city. There is a Richard Wagner-Weg which uses symbols on the ground to describe a cultural and historical path through the city.

In the old part of the city – which is the shopping mall – you will find many shops. One shop in particular has taken a liking to us – THE WÜRZHAUS. Entering the shop immediately leads the visitor into a feast for the senses. You have to do it once. Stand in the middle of the shop, close your eyes, take a deep breath through your nose and let the olfactory fireworks come in.

DA LEGST DI NIEDER UND STEHST NIMMER AUF!
YOU LAY DOWN THERE AND NEVER GET UP! (Bavaria expression)

Sure, tea and spice houses can be found in almost every major city. Still, this place has a certain something. The offer is enormous. We buy an iced tea with apple pieces in it and a bag of bark. Yes, we’ll buy a tree at the teahouse. 🙂 The infusion of Lapacho bark – as the tree is called – is very mild. Lapacho has a mass of ingredients that one would hardly expect. Besides   Lapachol, the bark contains potassium, calcium, iron, barium, strontium, iodine and boron. So besides minerals also trace elements. This tea therefore offers the body even more than just a pleasant mild aroma.

The first night.

No, of course not the very first night in the Duro but the very first night in the Duro far away from traces of civilization. We are tired after the impressions of Bamberg and Bayreuth and look for a place to stay for the night. We leave the main road and drive only on side roads across the country. At some point we also leave the side road and drive along a forest and meadow path to the edge of a forest – from views and sheltered in the middle of greenery.

The first night off. Our long-cherished dream is now reality. We are free for the first night.

The journey continues

We enjoyed the first night standing free standing tremendously. We were even allowed to watch a hare in the middle of the meadow. It came within about 10 meters of our DuBu. Such moments are unforgettable and deeply fulfilling.

After a tasty and pleasurable breakfast we pack everything together, make sure we don’t leave anything behind, especially rubbish, and drive on through the Bavarian countryside. We are now first drawn to Weiden in the Upper Palatinate. Funny thing about this area is the language. Here lives the original, typical Bavarian.

DU VERSTEHST NIX UND STEHST DA WIE A DAMMISCHER HOSNBISLA.
YOU UNDERSTAND NOTHING AND STAND THERE LIKE A DAMN HOSNBISLA. (another Bavarian expression)

After Weiden in the Upper Palatinate we go down to Cham, further on to Regen and Zwiesel where we make a detour to the National Park and the Bavarian Forest. Forward to Passau and then a short detour to   Landshut and on to Munich.

Visit to Kissmann.

Arrived in Munich we are now looking for the street where the well-known refrigerator manufacturer Kissmann is. We know that Kissmann closes the doors at 4 p.m., and we just drove to the quarters where we suspect Kissmann is. Navi? Nope, we didn’t. It’s overrated anyway. It is much more exciting when you have a paper road map according to old tradition. Read road signs, find crossroads and intersections on the map… Yes, yes we have crossed the right crossing, there in front just right, then about 100 meters straight ahead, then the house Kissmann should be on the right.

So we park in front of the house at about 16:15 and hope that someone will open the door after all. And we’re really lucky. A warm   “Grüss Gott” reaches our ears. I love Bavarian. Friendly and with a laugh we are welcomed and immediately led to our ordered fridge. A small explanation how the refrigerator should be connected and off it goes with it into the Duro. At this point a heartfelt thank you to the Kissmann team.

Neuschwanstein Castle

Who doesn’t know that. The castle which inspired Walt Disney and is probably one of the most visited and photographed buildings in the world.  The visitor numbers alone are impressive. Every year 1.5 million people visit the small town of Füssen and thus the Neuschwanstein Castle. We also visited it. Meanwhile it is something like 35-40 years since I last saw this castle. We also took one or two photos of it. Here a photo from a different perspective. So that it does not become too monotonous and boring to look at the castle.

Neuschwanstein Castle – from this perspective and with a little drama, the fairytale castle becomes more like the castle of Count Vlad. Better known as Count Dracula.

Conclusion

Our first longer ride with the Duro has met – and even exceeded – our expectations. As a former military vehicle, the Duro is very comfortable to drive on long distances. We were able to improve the interior noise in the driver’s cab a great deal through our sound insulation. The interior of the living cabin offers a lot of space on almost 7 m2 thanks to our chosen floor plan. Our 3-burner gas cooker has proved to be an excellent choice. A dream and certainly one of the best investments we have made are Fanello mattresses.

I rate the diesel consumption as very good. Yes, we were now mainly driving on tarred roads, but with a current weight of 4100 kilos, the average consumption is astonishingly low at around 17 litres per hundred kilometres.