Campervanning
in Europe. Newschwanstein
Dachau
Eisenhower's death camps - American war crimes.
Who financed Hitler
Romantic Road
Iphofen
Dresden
Berlin
The return journey
Luxombourg & Belgium
Route map Salzburg - Fussen (Neuschwanstein Castle) [86 Kb]Good SONPS
2/8/2000 Leaving SALZBURG for Germany via the south towards BERCHTESGADEN the route is scenic and there are numerous parking places and SONPS after crossing the German border, along road 305, which winds through forest and beside lakes and in many places almost extending as far west as REITIM WINKL there are many excellent SONPS to choose from.
Route 172 winds back over the border through Austria to OBERAUDORF in Germany through scenic valleys and typical small Austrian villages with houses adorned with colourful window boxes of flowers.
From route 171 north of OBERAUDORF a small private toll road (toll Dm3.00) leads through forest with mountain streams where there are plenty of SONPS to BAYRISCHZELL and thence the 307 towards MIESBACK and 472 to Bad Töllz through forest and farmland with many parking places and small forest roads for good SONPS
Westward through BICHL thence south toward KOCHEL and WALCHENSEE there are a number of lakeside and forest parking places, including ones close in to the villages that offer excellent SONPS. We stopped in a shaded parking and picnic area 2 Km south from KOCHEL beside the lake (opposite the Dorst factory or offices, before you come to a lakeside commercial campsite.
308/2000 Southern Germany abounds with parking places and small forest roads make finding a good SONPS easy. We proceeded west to MURNAU, OBERAU, ROTTENBUCH and STEINGADEN to FUSSEN. All along these roads there are places to stop and park overnight. We parked in a "P" rest area just before the bridge on the outskirts of FUSSEN. About six campervans spent the night with us, occupying almost all of the small parking area.
Nearby is NEWSCHWANSTEIN the "Fairy Tale" castle built by King Ludwig of Bavaria, upon which the Disneyland fantasy castle is based. This is the most visited castle in Europe and as always, be early to avoid the crowds. They charge DM7.00 for cars and DM10.00 for busses (maybe large campers too) to park near the castle. But as usual you don't have to pay it if you arrive early and find one of the small roadside parking bays on the roads leading towards the village of HOHENSCHWANGAU, along which the castle ticket office and parking areas are located. But the free places are few, you must be early, the castles open at 9AM, park there for breakfast before 7AM to get a spot. The parking is not good for SONPS as it is off the road shoulder and is sloping to the side to much. Check it out the night before to get to know the layout, and park by the bridge in FUSSEN, or at another good "P" SONPS a few miles north towards STEINGADEN.
4/8/2000 NEWSCHWANSTEIN admission is DM14.00 (HOHENSCHWANGAU SCHLOSS, another of Ludwig's castles nearby is DM14.00 or a combined ticket is DM26.00) If you arrive early at 8.30AM, tickets are already on sale and there is no waiting. You are given a tour number and time, tours are available in English. It takes 20-30 minutes to walk up to the castle from the ticket office or you can ride in a horse drawn cart (not included in ticket price).
The tour is only about 30 minutes duration, rather rushed really, and details are few and glossed over, however we considered it was not one to miss, despite it being more expensive than either the Palace of Versailles or the Alhambra.
Coffee is expensive in the castle DM3.80 to 4.50, so have one in the van before and after.
NEWSCHWANSTEIN from part way up the Tegelburg.To get the classic photos of the castle you have to climb the TEGELBERG (hill behind the castle) which is posted as about a 2 ¾ hour walk, each way or both is not clear. We climbed part way about 40 minutes up past the bridge over the MARIENBRÜCKE, along a steep and poorly maintained track, before getting a significantly better view than one gets from the Marienbrücke bridge, which is fine for most people, as few venture further. However it is a relatively low level view of the side of the castle, and not the perspective that best shows the architecture of the towers on the castle. As it was raining and we had no wet weather gear with us we did not reach the top of the Tegelberg, and settled for an excellent view part way up. Wear good walking shoes or hiking boots, it is a rough track.
Although the tour of the castle is hurried, you can spend considerable time in the area, particularly to climb the Tegelberg, and if you also wanted to see the other castle, which we did not, you could easily fill in the whole day.
Route map Fussen - Munich- Landsburgh [80 Kb]
After lunch and coffee in the van, we set off along the "Romantic Road" towards MUNICH, and parked overnight in one of the many fine roadside "P" areas near PIESSENBURG.
Often along even minor roads in Germany you will find pleasant parking areas with picnic tables and seats, and rubbish bins. They are usually shaded, and you are able to get well of the road. Country roads have little traffic at night and a good rest is assured.
Penny Mart is a chain of supermarkets, similar to LIDL in France Spain and Italy, which specializes in imported lines from other EEC countries, and other areas, and offers excellent value, and usually is the best place to restock on basic food items in southern Germany. So far we have found no large modern supermarkets in Germany, similar to the big "Continent" and Champion hypermarkets in France and Spain. The difference in prices between Penny Mart and the small Spar and other local German supermarkets, most of which are tiny "Mom and Pop" corner stores, is even more striking than LIDL and its French competitors.5/8/2000 In MUNCH follow signs to the Hauprbanhoff (Central Station) and the tourist office in the Deutsche Bank building, and get the map, for which they charge (unusually) DM1.50, but it will help you to find good SONPS areas around the old Olympic Village, and along the road along the west bank of the river, where there are no parking restrictions. Lots of camper vans park in these areas. There is a P&R area near the Olympic Village that charges parking fees, but is also popular with camper vans. We parked under full shade in INFANTERIE STR south of the Olympic site, which runs parallel to DACHAUER STR. We were there for three nights, driving off in the day to explore Munich, and returning each night. On weekends there are virtually no parking restrictions in central Munich and many vans park in GALERIE STR north of the HOFGARTEN as well as in STEINSDORF STR along the west bank of the ISAR RIVER just north of LUDWIGSBRÜCKE.
Munich SONPS Infanterie Str [179 Kb]
We checked out a camping park in Munich. They charge DM27.50 for camper and two, showers and electric extra, and the sites are very small, unpleasantly crowded, not even room to extend the annex on our little camper. We preferred our free SONPS in Infanterie Strasser.
Dachau
8/8/2000 DACHAU, 17 Kms NW of Munich, is the site of the infamous concentration camp, which is NE of Dachau, and is marked on local maps as "K Z GEDENSTETTE".There are several SONPS nearby, on roads in the new industrial area, and also a small parking area just past the camp at the northern end of the fence. You can also park free near the camp if you arrive early, in a side road between the "P" area and the camp itself. The parking area charges DM3.00 for cars and campers may be DM6.00. Naturally we parked for free.
The main gate of Dachau concentration camp.
Tours of the camp in English are at 12.30PM. For a self guided tour allow 3 hours to see the film and properly take in the museum and camp buildings. Films in English are shown from 10AM, and alternate with German sound track.
The museum is very interesting, and gives many details of the camp history. Notable was the fact that many of the inmates were, particularly in the early 1930's Germans, clerics, vagrants, homosexuals, criminals. political prisoners, but at least in the early years not many Jews. I was surprised as most of the propaganda you hear about the German concentration camps suggests that they were all full of mainly Jews. In the early years it was essentially a prison where inmates served time, albeit unjustly in many cases, and some were then released, just like an ordinary but very harsh goal system. It is clear that Nazism was not a pan German philosophy, and that many Germans were opposed to it and were themselves victims.
In one of the Dachau museum displays there was information about Hitler's rise to power and some details of how he was financed by donations from German and other industrialists. Mentioned among the donors was a company called "DEUTSCH AMERIKANISCHE PETROLEUM GESSELSCHAFT". The American connection in the name intrigued me, and after finding the same company listed in documents written by international banker BARON KURT SCHRÖDER TO REICHS-FÜHRER SS HEINREICH HIMMLER at the GESTAPO HQ IN BERLIN,listing donations to the Himmler circle of friends in 1943, I followed up on research when I returned to Australia.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered books written about how AMERICAN COMPANIES AND INTERNATIONAL BANKERS FINANCED HITLER, and the Nazi Party and the rearmament of Germany.
For the full story follow this link (Wall Street and the Rise of Hitler)
The one sided propaganda we have all been exposed to vilifying the Germans conveniently ignores the allied atrocities that go to show that in many ways America and Britain behaved every bit as bad as the Nazis. The treatment of prisoners of war is a prime example. While allied POWs were generally treated in accordance with the Geneva convention, provided with basic food and shelter, compare the treatment meted out to German POWs.
After WW2 millions of German POW's were housed in open air concentration camps, open fields ringed with barbed wire, with no shelter whatsoever and no proper sanitation. To avoid application of the provisions of the Geneva Convention, which required that they be fed the same rations as US servicemen, their "legal status" ws changed to "Disarmed Enemy Conbatants", so they could be fed starvation rations as a matter of deliberate US policy. A deliberate American-Russian policy of mistreatment directed against the Germans. (Follow this link, if it is still working)
You probably never heard a word about this on your TV, hmmm? With all the propaganda we have all been subjected to, most of us don't realize that our glorious allied liberators of WW2 often behaved as bad as the Nazis. Yet you NEVER hear about it, All you ever hear about is the endless suffering of the Jews, repeated until you can recite it in your sleep.
The same tactic is now used in the "war on terrorism" to classify prisoners captured in Afghanistan as "Disarmed Enemy Combatants" to hold them in communicado in the American military base in Cuba, and deny them the rights of prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention. Strange behavior for a country that holds itself out as the defender of freedom.
Read another article about Eisenhower's WW2 Death Camps in Germany - Follow this link.
Germany, 1945.
A US guard looks over fenced off holding areas, holding thousands of German prisoners, exposed to the elements.
"Starting in April 1945, the United States Army and the French Army casually annihilated one million [German] men, most of them in American camps . . . Eisenhower's hatred, passed through the lens of a compliant military bureaucracy, produced the horror of death camps unequalled by anything in American history . . . an enormous war crime."
-- Col. Ernest F. Fisher, PhD Lt.
101 st Airborne Division, Senior Historian, United States ArmyThe Internet now abounds with revelations of the horrendous post WW2 conduct of the allies, America, the Russians, French and the UK, in the treatment of German POWs and of German civilians. It is a saga of brutality, murder, plunder, pillage, mass rape, national defilement and injustice comparable, in scale and depravity, with the worst the Nazis were ever accused of, or were really guilty of.
Combined with the suffering of the Russian people under the brutal Stalin Jewish-Communist regime, where perhaps as many as 20 million, or more, Russians were slaughtered since 1917, and after WW2, I have reached the almost inevitable and reluctant conclusion, that it may have been better for humanity, and the future of the world, if "the allies" had not won WW2.
It is interesting that now that this information about these "other holocausts" is being brought to light, on the Internet, that no one is denying that they occurred. You just never were told about them, only about "The Jewish Holocaust", as if they were the only people to suffer, or that their suffering were of incomparably greater importance than the suffering of any other peoples.
Why is it so? Maybe "sheeple" are just cattle?
You want proof? You want to really know the full extent of manifest evil perpetrated by America and Russia after WW2? Even Winston Churchill, warmongering drunken dupe of Zionism, baulked at the vengeful plans of Roosevelt (the infamous Morgenthau plan) and Stalin, who in concert formed an evil alliance of death, misery, genocide and, yes holocaust, comparable with any crimes of Hitler. Even if the Nazis had exterminated 6 million Jews, the enormity of that well known holocaust fails to top the list of unmitigated evil in comparison with the magnitude of the Russian holocaust that followed the so called "Russian Revolution" (in fact a Jewish capitalist coup), and the atrocities inflicted on the German people that followed WW2.Uncomfortable to Americans to know? Tough shit! Read some of this and see what rampant evil was done in your name, while you ponce around the world mouthing platitudes of democracy and freedon.
These links are to books available at Amazon.com.
Crimes & Mercies: The Fate of German Civilians Under Allied Occupation, 1944-1950
The USA, as part of policy, starved 1 million German POWs and 10 million German civilians after WWII. But Truman reversed the policies of FDR and Morgenthau. So, by 1946, the USA, under Hoover, was attempting to reverse the horrors of FDR and Ike's policies. The numbers are sound. Backed up by US occupation government census numbers.
Canadian writer Bacque's shocking and controversial account of American mistreatment of four million German WW II POWs. Centering on American idol Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bacque's indictment strikes to the heart of the American dream, charging us with much the same kind of brutality that so incenses Americans when practiced by foreigners--allowing POWs to die by the tens of thousands from disease and starvation. In a skillfully organized, meticulously documented brief (86 pages of notes and appendices), Bacque charges Eisenhower not with neglect but with setting policy- -and charges subsequent authorities with a methodical cover-up, including destruction of evidence. The narrative is strongly detailed, beginning with an old Frenchman, accompanied by Bacque, opening an ancient, dusty box to find--nothing: missing evidence. From there we have a real-life thriller, complete with security forces bullying aged witnesses. Surprises are nonstop, beginning with a damning introduction by respected military historian Ernest F. Fisher, Jr., who speaks of Eisenhower's ``fierce and obsessive hatred of...all things German.'' There follows a jolting indictment of high American figures, starting at the top. The tone is set when Churchill walks out of a Big Three meeting as Roosevelt jokes with Stalin (recent perpetrator of the notorious Katyn Forest massacre) about exterminating prisoners. The point is driven home a thousand ways, most effectively in the knowledgeable analysis of Eisenhower's management style, which allowed subordinates to carry out policy with little paper to back them up. The general who sends military aircraft to pick up oranges for breakfast while prisoners are starving is especially memorable. Even more so is the repeated British refusal to countenance the US policy in principle and detail. Explosive and deeply iconoclastic, this book is sure to enrage many. Refutations without research as painstaking as Bacque's will lack credence.
Although some historians, who are often opposed to any so called "revisionist", that is more truthful view of historical events, criticize the quality of Bacque's research work, and deny the numbers claimed by the author to have died, or seek to make partial excuses based on food shortages in Europe, that there was immense unnecessary vengeful suffering inflicted on the looser of the war is undeniable.
Terrible Revenge: The Ethnic Cleansing of the East European Germans, 1944-1950
Most historians or the public in general do not have knowledge of this ethnic cleansing. 15 Million Germans were herded out of their homelands of eastern Germany and other parts of eastern Europe, that in earlier years were part of the German Empire. People act as if this never happened or dismiss it. Any attempt at making this expulsion known, was until now totally rejected by any mainstream publisher. Anyone daring to even hint at it, was and was immediately attacked. America and Stalist Russia, the original Evil Empire, created the greatest holocaust the world has ever known.
I became more interested in what other great historical intrigues had transpired that few people know about, and intent on discovering more of the real history of WW1 and WW2. My interest was wakened and I researched further on the Internet and found the incredible facts to which I have referred in the earlier section of these notes on the WW1 sites in the Somme area of France.
While war was waged by Britain, America and their allies, including Australia, against Germany, American technology was being used to produce the oil, rubber and explosives that Germany needed to fight the war. Produced in factories financed by New York based international bankers, by companies that were subsidiaries and affiliates of leading US and British international companies, that are still today, household names throughout the world.
With the continual barrage of TV and newspaper propaganda we have all been exposed to all our lives about the undoubted horrors perpetrated by the Nazis, the equally monstrous, maybe even WORSE crimes against humanity of men who owed allegiance to neither side, but fomented and profited from the conflict have been almost completely hidden. Yet these stories are vastly more significant than yet more tales of battle and heroism, but they are never told by the mass media.
Why is it so?
I believe that the answer is clear. History is written by the victors and the same family dynasties, corporations and groups that were behind these things in the early 20th century are still, via their successors, in control of the world and its mass media, and it is they who were the real victors in WW1 and WW2. Both the German people and the allied soldiers, and millions of civilians on both "sides" who died in these conflicts were their victims. Without them, and their earlier actions connected with WW1, Hitler could never have come to power. WW2 was a planned continuation of WW1.
You don't believe this, well find out for yourself, don't take my word for it. Search the Internet - The truth is out there - Seek and you will find it.
No wonder I have captioned one of the photos I took of graves in a WW1 military cemetery in the Somme in section 3 of this site:-
We signed the book. Contemplating the horror of it all, the almost unimaginable inhumanity of those few powerful but unseen individuals who planned for this to happen, made it happen, gloated over their evil handiwork and relished the immense profits. Rejoiced that they might be even richer and more powerful than before, and whose successors still perpetuate the myths that they died that we might be free. They died as heroes believing in their cause, but deceived, they died to make rich men richer.
Now the world faces the prospect of significant, if not total, domination by the successors to those same men, in some cases by the very kin of their bloodlines, by the same dynastic family groups, or by men possessed of a similar degree of monstrous inhumanity, by means of the multinational corporations driven only by profit and greed, which they control, and which are tightening their strangle hold over my government and yours by means of what is euphemistically termed "Globalisation", a code word for effective global enslavement of the common people of the world, by a super rich micro minority who constitute the "unseen hand", in the terminology of 19th century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.
In 1902, Pope Leo XIII wrote of this power: "It bends governments to its will sometimes by promises, sometimes by threats. It has found its way into every class of Society, and forms an invisible and irresponsible power, an independent government, as it were, within the body corporate of the lawful state."
Walter Rathenau, head of German General Electric, said in 1909: "Three hundred men, all of whom know one another, direct the economic destiny of Europe and choose their successors from among themselves."
In 1966, Dr. Carroll Quigley, a professor of history at the Foreign Service School of Georgetown University, published a 1311 page book called Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time.
On page 950 he says: "There does exist, and has existed for a generation, an international Anglophile network which operates, to some extent, in the way the radical Right believes the Communists act. In fact, this network, which we may identify as the Round Table Groups, has no aversion to co-operating with the Communists, or any other groups, and frequently does so. I know of the operations of this network because I have studied it for twenty years and was permitted for two years, in the early 1960's, to examine its papers and secret records. I have no aversion to it or to most of its aims and have, for much of my life, been close to it and to many of its instruments... my chief difference of opinion is that it wishes to remain unknown, and I believe its role in history is significant enough to be known... because the American branch of this organization (sometimes called the "Eastern Establishment") has played a very significant role in the history of the United States in the last generation." On page 324, he elaborates even further by saying: "In addition to these pragmatic goals, the powers of financial capitalism had another far reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole."
On Australian ABC Radio National program 'Background Briefing" Sunday 30/05/1999 entitled Global Finance: Dismantle or Reform? Produced by Kirsten Garrett - The Honourable Paul Hellyer, an ex deputy prime minister of Canada spoke as follows, quoted from the transcript at:-
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/bbing/stories/s27463.htm
Downloaded 20/02/2001 :-" Well what transnationals want, of course, is the right to fish in other people's pools and without any obligations in return. I'm told by someone very knowledgeable that in Australia they're not paying taxes in Australia, they're paying taxes offshore, and this is one of the benefits that they are looking for. And what we're seeing of course is the death of democracy, in the sense that you can no longer run your own country in the interests of your own people, which is presumably what it was all about.An interesting little thing in my book which gives you some insight into this, and I quoted American because I was talking about the United States and I thought it would be better coming from him than from me. He says there are two governments in the United States: I've learned from talking to a couple of old friends here in Australia, that maybe you have two governments here too. We have two in Canada. In the United States, the permanent government is the Fortune 500 list of companies, the largest law firms and public relations firms in Washington and the senior bureaucrats, both civil and military. And they are the permanent government. And every four years they have what they call an election, and they elect the provisional government. And it doesn't really matter very much the way things work out who the provisional government is. You elect a provisional government, they come on stage and they read the script written by the permanent government. "
Now it is all coming out into the open, and as more people belatedly begin to realise what has been happening you find protests such as the May 1st demonstrations happening all around the world. Similarly at World Economic Forums, WTO meetings etc.
The New World Order is the ultimate obscenity.
Resist before it is too late. But most of all educate yourself.Knowledge is power.
9/8/2000 From DACHAU we proceeded S/W on 471 to the A96 autobahn west to near BERKHEIM stopping for several hours in the afternoon in the picturesque city of LANDSBURG one of the Romantic Road towns, and then the 312 to REIDLINGEN. There are rest stops along the autobahn, some with a WC where you can empty porta poti toilet tanks into the ordinary pans, as they don't provide special dump facilities. We stopped in a "P" area along 312, many have good shade and picnic tables. The road is quiet at night, but like all German roads busy from early morning around 5AM till after dusk.
Route map Landsburgh - Frieburg Im Breisgau [148 Kb]
9/8/2000 There are many areas of forest with small roads, which although signed no entry, you can park near the start of the roads, but off the main road, to rest or stay the night. There are many "P" areas along 311 towards TUTTLINGEN and the 31 to NEUSTADT. Taking a round about way towards FRIEBURG IM BREISGAU, we diverged via FELDBERG, passing the TITTSEE!!, a very popular German summer vacation spot, crawling with local tourists. Perhaps they all come to see the Tits! The road climbs to near MT FELDBERG, a ski area, and there are no good parking places or SONPS because of the steep terrain. Beyond Todtnau the minor roads towards FREIBURG pass through dense forested mountains, and there are many small forest roads, OK for campers, but take care not to get bogged by getting onto soft edges. Many roads are signed no entry, but some are open and lead to great spots in the forest to spend the night, rest or just walk to explore.
Route map Freiburg - Baden-Baden [66 KB]
10/8/2000 We travelled on through FREIBURG IM BREISGAU, a medium sized city, and noted several campervans at P&R spots, but we didn't stop here. North on 294 to WALDKIRCH and ELZACH to OFFENBURG which is a picturesque drive, but there are few places to stop and no SONPS. From Offenberg we took unmarked (on the AA map) roads via OBERKIRCH to ACHEN through wine growing country, delightful scenery, but again few places to stop.
ACHEN has a large modern supermarket complex, the only one that we have seen since entering Germany over 1000 kilometres ago. "Supermarket of the year 1999", it boasts on a big sign. No wonder, most of the others we have seen have been the size of a small country town general store in out back Australia, where they only get two customers and a dog a week. The large modern hypermarkets so ubiquitous in France and Spain are almost totally absent in southern Germany, as is the case in Switzerland, Austria and Italy. Penny Mart and LIDL are the best places to shop, with lower prices than the myriad of other small supermarkets.
The BLACK FOREST area provides some pleasant drives and quiet places to stop, but the main appeal to locals is just walking or cycling in the forest itself, which lacks any spectacular land forms or other features.
Proceeding on to BADEN BADEN we found the tourist office easily on the main road and soon found there was no camping park, the nearest being at BÜHL- OBERBRUCH 12 Km from town which charges DM39.00 (peak season) for 2 and camper, although there are cheaper ones 25Km away. The tourist office has a listing.
Badan Baden is an expensive spar resort town, pleasant to explore, and you can drive down into town from your delightful free SONPS overlooking the city, and with a bit of searching find free parking within walking distance of the centre.
There is another excellent supermarket in Baden Baden East called HANDELSHOF, large and modern with good prices.
11/8/2000 We spent a second pleasant night at the Altenschloss road SONPS after driving down into town and exploring Baden Baden.
Route map Baden-Baden - Stuuugart - Nordlingen [92 Kb]
Moving a couple of kilometres from the mosquitoes we soon found another good SONPS, however it proved to be a rather noisy night, as the little Elves in the Black Forest were working night shift at the Volkswagen factory nearby.! Maybe it was too much good cheap German beer!.
German beer, a fine drop Rats Krone (don't ask!) costs about 45 pfenning a can in supermarkets. Free of any impurities under laws dating from the 1300's.
It was hot summer weather, too hot for cloths, and I'm a nudist at heart, and I enjoy a "Rats Krone" beer at one of our shady and secluded forest SONPS off the 'Romantic Road" in Germany.
Route map (The Romantic Road) Nordlingen - Rothenburg - Iphofen [99 Kb]
15/08/2000 We proceeded to NÖRDLINGEN on the Romantic Road and then on to DINKELSBÜHL both of which are very picturesque towns well worth visiting. The romantic road is so named because of the delightful old towns scattered along its length. It is one of the undoubted highlights of a tour of Germany and one of our highly commended attractions that none should miss. We lunched out in NORDLINGEN at a German pub, and enjoyed a fine traditional schnitzel, reasonably priced. We camped for the night in a "P" area on route 25 north of the A6 crossing. A pleasant area with tables and seats, and there are plenty of other good SONPS in the area.
Rothenburg from the tower of the Rathaus.
16/08/2000 ROTHENBURG further along the Romantic Road is a highlight of the area, The old town walls are well preserved and you can walk all around the old town on them.
Rothenburg. Gem of the Romantic Road in southern Germany. A clock tower gate in the old city wall spans the road.
After spending most of the day exploring the town we proceeded along the road to BAD MERGENTHEIM via CREGLINGEN and in the mid afternoon stopped in forest on a minor road parking area where a number of walks into the forest started.
Although it was still well before evening, here some interfering busy body took it upon himself to confront us about camping in the forest, although we were only parked with levelling blocks under the wheels on one side, with no indication that we intended to stay for more than the night at most. Two men in a 4WD insisted we had no right to camp there. I told them to call the police if they wanted, and that it was none of their business, and after an unpleasant few minutes of arguing the point, they left, as I stood my ground and told them that they had no authority, and that if I was breaking any law, I would move on if the police asked me to do so, not them. Although they made no actual threats the attitude of one of them was somewhat aggressive and I was a little apprehensive and ready for anything they might have tried. After he and his fat friend left, we decided to move on, just in case they decided to come back and cause any more serious trouble. There are plenty of forest SONPS and "P" areas throughout this area.
This was the only incident of its kind in our entire trip, and we never had any problem with police or city officials in any country. I don't believe I was breaking any law, it was daytime and I was just parked. Yes we intended to spend the night, but so do lots of locals in similar places, and there were no posted signs restricting parking.
17/08/2000. After a pleasant nights rest, we then took the Autobahn toward WÜZBURG which is at the northern end of the Romantic Road, then A3 east. There are several major rest stops near Würzburg on the autobahn, where fuel, water, toilets, showers and plenty of parking is available that could be used as good SONPS.
Iphofen, a road through one of the gates.
We headed toward IPHOFEN, a small walled town, south east of KITZINGEN . Iphofen is delightful, almost totally untouched by tourism, although even more charming and picturesque than the towns along the Romantic Road. Fruit trees line the banks of the old moat and you can pick free apples and pears in season, as they drop in their thousands to the ground, too many for locals to harvest.
The main gate at Iphofen. Quiet and unspoilt by mass tourism, a place not to miss.
After spending several delightful hours exploring Iphofen and taking photos, we took a minor road NE to BIRKLINGEN, which is not on the AA map.
It passes through forest and open grasslands which have wildlife observation towers, probably for observing deer on the forest meadows. There are various marked walks from several "Park and Walk" areas, and one of these a few Kms from Iphofen is an excellent SONPS, where you can spend a day or two and enjoy the forest walks.The road is very quiet for a German road, almost no traffic at all at night.
It was still hot weather and we enjoyed relaxing at our secluded SONPS in the tree covered parking area, just off the road. We were the only car there, and only a few cars went past all afternoon. There are no facilities at all, but it is an excellent SONPS. The area is a nature reserve, with marked walking trails and extends north to along route 22 around EBACH. The road is dotted in on the route map, with the approximate SONPS location shown with a red dot, as the adjacent symbol
Route map Iphofen - Bamberg - Coburg [61 Kb]
18/08/2000 Leaving the forest near Iphofen we followed the minor road to BIRKLINGEN then 286 North to route 22 east to BAMBURG, a delightful small city. There is a P&R on the south side where you can park your camper and get the bus into the city, where parking may be difficult. You could probably also stay overnight in the P&R area if you wished, although we did not.
Bamburg. The old gate house bridge.
After exploring Bamburg and returning by bus to our camper, we took route 4 north toward Coburg. This is not a good route for SONPS the small forests either side of the road providing no suitable locations, so we camped in a "P" area along the roadside.
The Bamburg Gate.
19/08/2000 COBURG proved to be uninteresting after all we had seen in Germany so far, and so after discovering a new chain of supermarkets NORMA, is like Penny Mart and LIDL, a good place to shop, we proceeded directly along 303 towards HOF. In part the road follows a small river and near WALLENFELS we stopped for a very extended lunch break, and to wash some cloths, and bathe in the river. As is the case all over Germany a bicycle path runs beside the river, and cycling is popular with many. We often wished that we had room on the van to carry bikes. This would be a good SONPS.
Route map Coburg- Zwickau [66 Kb]
Plauen Cathedral, Stunning brick architecture in a dead grey city. Still almost a ghost town ten years after the fall of the Berlin wall.
In the afternoon we proceeded on to PLAUEN, the first town that was very visibly a remnant of the old East Germany. There were still many dirty run down and abandoned buildings, and derelict factories redolent with crumbling chimneys and myriad smashed windows, lining the grey and lifeless streets that history had bypassed. Then along 173 to ZWICKAU for more of the same, but contrasted with some modern developments, car dealerships and supermarkets, along the roads with hundreds of grey box like blocks of unimaginative flats from the communist era.
There are also no "P" places or picnic areas along the roads of old East Germany and the only open area we eventually found was a rubble dump with a bit of flat ground, west of CHEMNITZ. so it was here that we parked for the night. There was a noticeable deterioration in the road surface after crossing "the border" although we could not pick the exact location where it had been.
Route map Zwickau - Chemnitz - Dresden- Leipzig [123 Kb]
Fuel is noticeably cheaper in "East Germany", with a general sudden reduction of 10P per litre from around 155/159 to 145/147 Pfenning per litre. Occasional discounts in the west to these prices are the common prices in the east.
20/08/2000 At least it was quiet at the rubble dump. There are still far fewer cars on the roads in East Germany, and almost no traffic at night. You can still see the funny little three wheel two stroke Trabant cars around, blowing blue smoke as they scuttle about. Communist technology at its best.
Dresden - City of Martyrs
We set out for DRESDEN on the Autobahn which has no proper "P" places, just like all the other roads in East Germany. Communists do not need to rest!! Even the autobahn is of a noticeably lower standard than in the west, but it is undergoing massive works. All over east Germany infrastructure construction is going on to rebuild after the years of stagnation and decline during the communist period.
What is left of Dresden after WW2 is very impressive. The area around the Domplatz needs lots of restoration work as the remaining buildings are all filthy, encrusted with centuries of grime and need a good scrub.
Dresden was the target of a massive fire bombing raid by the allies near the end of WW2. The civilian areas of the city were targeted, as it was not a major industrial centre, and in one nightmany thousands of people were killed in a massive firestorm that destroyed most of the city. More people died in Dresden that night than in the Atomic bombing of Hiroshima. This was intended to terrorize the German civilian population and must stand as one of the greatest single acts of mass murder in the history of the world. In the light of the fact that it was the British, not the Germans who started the WW2 aerial bombardment of civilian areas, an act which was not practised by either side in WW1, the allies are guilty of war crimes as heinous, or worse, than any committed by the Germans.The Dresden bombing receives very little publicity compared to the propaganda about the London blitz and the exaggerated claims of the number of Jews who died in WW2.
Detailed historical accounts of these matters have been documented by historians who have researched the subject in a professional manner and provide cross references to source documents, official records, interviews and military sources. It is an example of the gross inhumanity that was just as much a part of the allied sides conduct of the war as of the Germans. Again I don’t expect you to believe it just from me. Search the Internet, the truth is out there.
Read the story of the fire bombing of Dresden.
Free PDF book "The Destruction of Dresden".
We drove into the centre of Dresden and were able to park only a few hundred meters from the Domplatz, where a large fair and an open air classical concert were in progress. It was so hot that we decided to have our picnic lunch in a secluded shaded area by the river, rather than stand in the blazing sun to listen to the concert. The architecture of what remains is impressive for its elaborate decoration, and when it is all cleaned up and more restoration is done, as I am sure it will be in a few more years, Dresden will be even more attractive.
Dresden, the Domplatz.
We spent some time exploring the palace grounds, and marvelling once more at the existence of yet another enormous palace. The economy of the 17th and 18th century must have been firmly centred around the concentration of wealth in the hands of the ruling elite and a small wealthy class, and we contemplated the changes that had transpired since those times.
It is interesting that it seems that the tide is turning again, and that wealth is again starting to become more concentrated in western society, with a shrinking middle class and a growing under class of neo-surfs. Comparatively poor in education, self image and material possessions the new serfs are appearing all over the western world, and it is apparent to me that it is no accident, but the intended result of a calculated policy that goes under the name of globalisation.What it amounts to is a form of new feudalism, where the "serfs" are bound by sophisticated manipulation through the media, their mind set and values slowly manipulated and eroded until they are no longer capable of independent thought, not even aware of their own incapacity.
Educated in a second class manner, separated from the elite who will receive a "proper" education, the neo serfs are trained to be malleable and compliant, have little capacity for innovative or critical thought, and to be occupied by sport and trivial diversions, to have no aspirations and values. Too apathetic even to participate in what little remains of true democracy, they even fail to vote when given the chance, as evident in the low turnout in the recent British general elections of June 2001, where Tony Blair, a true puppet of the NWO (New World Order), supported by the mindless "popular" press, was returned to office on just 24% of elegible electors votes, because so many failed to even vote, that this number constituted a landslide victory. Such apathy is an objective of the NWO, control is simpler when people have ceased to care, believing that there is no hope of improvement of their situation through the political process.
In a world flowing with new riches and knowledge, but increasingly inequitably distributed, symptoms such as drug addiction, youth suicide, homelessness and despair, point to the iniquity of our present power structures. These are things which when I was a young man were rare, and which we expected to never see again in the western world, but which are now growing phenomena in all our countries.
It can not be due to stupidity that the policies of deregulation and globalization giving rise to these things, have been adopted by all western governments in rapid succession, and can only be part of an intentional course of action, directed by the same evil power hungry minority of people whose influences have, from behind the scenes, directed the worlds affairs for so long.
21/08/2000 The roads around LEIPZIG are lined with apple, pear and a few plumb trees. The fruits were in season and tons of fruit was dropping by the roadside. Locals would stop to collect fruit but still vast quantities go to waste. We stopped to collect pick some apples and pears, which proved to be delicious and kept us in fruit for several weeks.
We drove in to Leipzig, which is undergoing a building boom, and it is not so drab as the other smaller East German cities we have seen.
There is a large "city forest" north of the city, a feature of many German cities, where one could easily park overnight in many locations. We had lunch in the van in one such place, but we did not stay the night, and took route 2 towards BERLIN.
Route map Leipzig - Lutherstadt Wittenberg [60 Kb]
Through more forest, and farmland with fruit trees lining the roads. Road works were common and several long detours were required. Extensive road reconstruction is going on all over East Germany. From BAD DÜBEN to KEMBURG is forest country and there are plenty of SONPS on forest tracks. Most are signed no entry in German, but there are enough where you can park at the entry in a small parking area before the signs, where people park to walk into the forest, and there are some tracks where vehicular access is allowed.
The other sections of the road from LEIPZIG to LUTHERSTADT WITTENBERG are mainly farmland of limited scenic interest, but well beyond the latter town you again pass through some areas of pine forest. These are old pine plantations that have not been thinned properly, and are full of overcrowded spindly pines, communist mismanagement perhaps. There are tracks into the plantations with no posted restrictions on entry. We drove into a track on the LHS of the road, the exact location escapes me, but it was well past WITTENBERG and shortly before a small village, in any event the area of forest can’t be missed, so just explore when you come to it and find a wide dirt track on the left leading straight off the road at right angles, and going deep into the forest. Side tracks lead off to the right, that eventually connect up with others leading back to the road further north near a village. You can park well back from the road, in a variety of spots, totally screened by about 100 meters or more of pine trees. We spent a very quiet night here and it makes an excellent SONPS.
Route map Lutherstadt - Berlin [74 Kb]
Berlin
22/08/2000 After a restful night in the pine forest, we continued along route 2 to POTSDAM and then took the autobahn to BERLIN. Eventually, by using our compass, which I had mounted permanently on the dashboard with double sided mounting tape, we found our way to STRASSE DE 17 JUNI, the main thoroughfare leading to the BRANDENBURG GATE.
The compass had proved useful on a number of occasions to confirm that the direction we were heading was the correct one, and it complimented the maps. The AA road atlas is in my opinion generally adequate, but a map of this scale can not give a lot of detail, particularly of the approaches to major cities. As in the case of Paris, a more detailed map of Berlin would be useful, but we managed well enough. Once we found our way to the tourist office near the Brandenburg gate we were of course able to get a more detailed free map. So with the experience of most of our trip now behind us I am convinced that we did the right thing by not getting a lot of more detailed maps.
The Brandenburg Gate, symbol of Berlin. Note the incompatible buildings either side. Architectural vandalism. Good SONPS within a kilometre.Along the Strasse de 17 Juni, which is a very broad avenue, with service roads either side, there were literally dozens and dozens of camper vans parked for several kilometres almost up to the Brandenburg Gate. There are no time restrictions here and you can park close to the city and explore on foot.
Map Berlin SONPS [84 Kb]
There are no campsite close in to Berlin, and at the tourist office although they said it was strictly speaking "illegal", that many vans parked overnight on roads bordering the TIER GARTEN, such as JOHN FOSTER DULLES ALLEE, and TIER GARTEN STRASSER, meaning that no one minds. So if you are just a little discrete you can park overnight in the centre of Berlin, for free in your camper van, just like you can in any other city. Vans also park overnight along the Strasse de 17 Juni, within sight of the Brandenburg Gate, and another good place where we observed vans parked is in the parking area of the SLOSS CHARLOTTENBURG.
Initially we parked for the afternoon in Strasse de 17 Juni, while we went to the tourist office and began to explore on foot. In the evening we moved to John Foster Dulles Allee, which runs through parkland close to the river, because we thought it would be quieter than the main thoroughfare, and spent a very quiet night. It is only a short distance through parkland to Strasse de 17 Juni and within easy walking distance of the Brandenburg Gate.
The Wall in Bernauer Street.
The best place to see the remaining sections of the Berlin wall is along BERNAUER STRASSER, where there is a free museum displaying the history of the wall, with exhibits with commentary in English German and French. We drove there in the camper, and had no problem parking, but you can also get public transport. However we were so central at our Berlin SONPS that we were able to walk almost everywhere else in the city that we wanted to go, and didn't need to use the public transport.
At the wall in Bernauer Strasser you can get in to the Eastern side from the SOPHIEN-KIRCHGEN CEMETERY, which you enter from AKER STRASSER. At one end of the remaining wall section.
Another section of the wall is in NEIDERKIRCHMER STRASSER, north of the GESTAPO MUSEUM west of WILHELM STRASSER not far from CHECK POINT CHARLIE. The Gestapo Museum is free, and is a mainly outdoor display under temporary shelter structures until the end of 2001 when building is expected to be completed.
All over Berlin massive amounts of building are taking place. Around the Brandenburg Gate you can see several modern structures which are totally architecturally incompatible with the classic style of the gate. Architectural vandalism is rife, Prince Charles was right in his criticisms of such thoughtless development.
The Berlin Dom, almost opposite the ruins of the Berlin Castle.
The BERLIN DOM, or cathedral, charges DM8.00 admission, no doubt a fine church, but not so special that I would pay to see inside. There are many others all over Germany and Europe that are free, not even St Peter’s in Rome charges admission. I could have bought 16 litres of fine Spanish wine for the price of two admissions, so lets keep things in perspective here, and keep our priorities in order.
Near the Dom and outside the site of the old ruined BERLIN CASTLE is a parking area for camper vans, in the very heart of Berlin, where there is a "meter parkschein" or pay and display machine, so you can even park here at little cost.
The Berlin Castle, severely bombed in WW2, is now just a ruin of basement structures below ground level, but well displayed. What was left after WW2 was almost completely destroyed by the communists in 1985, except for a very small section. A balcony was left, because it was from here, in 1918, that a communist republic, led mainly by Jews and financed from New York by the same Jewish interests that had initiated and financed the Russian revolution in 1917, was declared. Most of the display interpretation is in German, but there are a few details in English. They do not mention the fact of the heavy Jewish involvement in either revolution. The communist republic didn't last long as it was overthrown in a matter of days or weeks by German troops returning from WW1, after the armistice of 11th November 1918.German socialist leader Kurt Eisner was assassinated in Munich in 1919, and notes promoting historical walking tours of Munich indicate how Eisner’s left wing, largely Jewish, revolution was directly linked, by a reaction against it, to the rise of Hitler.
The history of the this Jewish-communist revolutionary period in Germany is not widely known, because it is not usually included in any detail in western mass media propaganda about WW1, Hitler and WW2. Perhaps its not considered kosher, to let the full story be known of what actually went on.
This almost successful communist take-over of Germany was a factor in the instability of Germany in the 1920’s and was no doubt partly behind why Hitler gained support from German industrialists, and foreign multinational corporations.
Gestapo Museum
The GESTAPO MUSEUM in Berlin provides a fascinating insight into the operations of the Nazi regime. They publish a book available for DM15.00 from the museum office, which is available in a number of languages entitled:- TOPOGRAPHY OF TERROR. GESTAPO, SS AND REICHSSICHERHEITSHAUPTAMT ON THE PRINZ-ALBRECHT-TERRAIN - A DOCUMENTATION.In this book, on page 42 of the English language edition, I found another reference to the company that I had first come across in a display referring to the financial supporters of Hitler at Dachau Concentration Camp.
In a copy of a letter dated 29 September 1943 written by international banker BARON KURT SCHRÖDER TO REICHS-FÜHRER SS HEINREICH HIMMLER, is a listing of donations to the Himmler circle of friends a Nazi party fund raising organization, including two donations of 10,000 Reichsmarks each from officials of and on behalf of "DEUTSCH AMERIKANISCHE PETROLEUM GESSELSCHAFT",. as well as a personal donation of 4000 Marks from one of them Herrn Straatsrat Linderman. The letter lists other donations from companies and individuals totalling RM 1,100,000.
This was in 1943, at the height of the war, and a company apparently with some American connection was funding Hitler. What did it all mean? What was the connection, indeed was there any real connection to American interests?
On my return to Australia I soon found the answer. In a book entitled "WALL STREET AND THE RISE OF HITLER" published many years ago, there is a well researched history of how it all came about, tracing the history of western (American and other) multi national corporate involvement in re arming Germany, and funding Hitler and assisting his rise to power. This book is available on the Internet and makes fascinating reading. It is a well documented work of professional historical research, with myriad quoted references and source documents so that other historians can check on the accuracy of the research that has gone into it.This is not your superficial TV propaganda to delude the brainwashed masses of sheeple into a quiet acceptance of the popular simplistic myths about all those nasty Germans and Hitler. I recall seeing the films myself on TV, Hitler raving away in German to great crowds of uniformed Nazis, but you never actually were told what was being said, except for out of context grabs of dialogue.
I often wondered in my youth how such a cultured people could sink to the depths that the propaganda claimed they did, vilifying the Germans, as if they were all Nazis, which of course when you get to know the facts, was not true. Hitler was helped into power and he and Nazism were foisted onto the German people by the same international financiers who had fomented WW1, and were planning a continuation of war, that was to eventually become WW2. The German common people were as much the victims of these men's ruthless lust for wealth and power as were the common masses of Jews, Russians, Japanese, and nationals from all over Europe, America and Australia who became embroiled in the war.
Anthony Sutton's book is in no way an apology for Hitler or Nazism, but what it does do is show how money power, and greed contributed the finance which was the primary driving force which enabled it all to come about. It also leads you to understand how similar influences are the real factors behind most major conflicts, and world movements in politics. The same influences are still the driving force behind so called globalization.
Route map Berlin - Magdeburg [106 Kb]
24/08/2000 After spending two nights in Berlin we turned westward on the final leg of our trip, headed for Calais and England. We took the A2 autobahn to MAGDEBURG. The road passes through miles and miles of pine plantations, fairly flat and uninteresting country. There are plenty of "P" and rest areas along the autobahn, with toilets and water etc. Bypassing Magdeburg on to route 81 via HALBERSTADT we headed to the HARZ MOUNTAINS. More a range of hills than mountains, but some relief from the rather boring northern German flat terrain. Between HASSELFELDE and TANNE we found plenty of areas to park at the start of forest tracks, some with small parking areas for walkers, and rested for the night at one such. Although not spectacular scenically, the Harz Mountains are a popular place for walkers in Germany and receive a lot of visitors.
Route map Magdeburg - Kassell [135 Kb]
Route map Kassell - Marburg - St Goarshausen - Koblenz [184 Kb]
28/08/2000 We continued on through the HARZ MOUNTAINS on route 27 to near GOTTINGEN and the A2 autobahn toward KASSEL, then the A49 and route 3 toward MARBURG. After a few miles on route 3 after leaving the A49 and passing through JESBERG, we turned NW on to the minor road to GEMÜNDEN to find a suitable SONPS in forest country. There are several here near the western end of the forest where tracks lead off the road. On the LHS we found an excellent SONPS wit a small stream nearby where we were able to be 100 metres of the quiet road.
As we often did when we found a SONPS with a clean running steam nearby we lingered the next morning to do our washing, in the plastic box which often functioned as our "washing machine" while we were driving along. After a leisurely morning coffee, to give the washing time to partly dry, we retraced our tracks a couple of miles back along the side road to route 3 and resumed our journey to MARBURG.
In this area of Germany many of the small tracks leading from roads into the forest are signed "Privatweg". However most tracks into the forest have a small open area close to the road, where you can park without obstructing the track, or trespassing beyond the Privatweg sign. It seems that locals largely ignore these signs and use the forest tracks when they want to as we have often had cars drive past us on into the forest.
The Rhein between St Goarhausen and Koblenz.
26/08/2000 We passed through Marburg to GLESSON and LINBURG via 49A E44, thence toward the RHEIN at ST GOARSHAUSEN via route 54 and 274. We had hoped that the Rhein would be as pleasant as the Danube had been in Austria, but from ST GOARHAUSEN to KOBLENZ the river is highly developed, there are few points of access, and no appealing natural areas for SONPS. River, road and rail run close together and the natural state of the river has been so despoiled that we found it totally unappealing. We crossed the Rhein at the first bridge, south of Koblenz to avoid the city, and followed route 258 to MAYEN, then headed toward KELBERG on 410 and eventually found a very good SONPS in a forest "P&W" (Park and Walk) area on the RHS of 410 a mile or so west of the junction after it turns off 258.There were BBQs and a little shelter hut and some locals were having a BBQ and a party. We spent a very quiet night in this pleasant location.
Route map Koblenz - Luxumburg [94 Kb]
Our route all the way from Berlin had been chosen to avoid large urban centres. Although we used sections of the autobahn network, and there are plenty of stopping places to park overnight along them we also preferred to travel partly on minor roads and stop on the plentiful pleasant forest SONPS that are to be found throughout Germany. We were also aiming for the LUXUMBURG ARDENNES.
Driving on the German autobahns was really very pleasant. The standards of highway engineering are unsurpassed and the German drivers are extremely disciplined and follow the rules, which is just as well because some of them drive at 200Km an hour. At least it seems they did, we generally travelled about 100 to 120 Km/Hr on the autobahns, in the slow lane most of the way, and cars in the fast left lane would pass as if we were standing still.
Luxembourg & Belgium
Route map Luxembourg - Belgium - Cambri [181 Kb]
27/08/2000 We proceeded west on 410 via KELBERG, PRÜIM and DASBURG on the LUXEMBOURG border. Immediately on crossing the border the decrease in traffic was noticeable. The 410 is not a busy road by German standards, but almost all roads in Germany are bustling with traffic, and the sudden change in crossing into Luxembourg was striking. The ARDENNES are delightful scenic hills covered in forest with many roadside parking places and forest tracks where you could easily park overnight.
There are many marked walking tracks in the area and it is easy to see why it is very popular for such activities. On narrow steep and winding roads we proceeded to WILTZ where we stopped for lunch beside the road, before pressing on via ESCH SUR SÛRE and crossing into BELGEUM at MARTELANGE Thence via N825 to NEUFCHÂTEAU N845 and BERTRIX to the N89 and turning SW into FRANCE at SEDAN.
We had now travelled through four countries in one day, with no border formalities at any of the crossings, The only manned crossing being on the French border on the N89 where the Gendarmes merely waved us through with no more tan a cursory glance.
From Sedan we followed the D 764 avoiding the E44 toll road to CHARLEVILLE MÉZIÈRES and then the N43 -E44 NW toward HIRSON. We found the roadside parking along the N43 to be very poor, until we came to a forested area where there are a number of good SONPS. We stopped on a forest track only about 20 meters back off the road, as this was the only place where it was wide enough to avoid blocking the track. Although busy in the day, the N43 was fairly quiet at night and we enjoyed a good rest, on what was to be unexpectedly our last night in Europe.
28/08/2000 The N43 from our modest forest SONPS toward CAMBRAI, after leaving the forest area, is almost completely devoid of any good parking areas. The "P" areas being small roadside parking bays, barely clear of the edge lining of the road, and not at all suitable for SONPS, and it is like this all the way to CALAIS. So the forest area near Hirson is worth noting if travelling this road, as apart from the possibility of parking overnight near one of the many WW1 cemetries, between Cambri and Arras, preferably off the main road, which have small parking areas, there is little other suitable parking available.
After driving for about twenty minutes I noticed that the temperature gauge was reading hot, and on stopping to investigate found that our radiator was leaking. There were no towns in the area and after allowing the engine to cool some, I refilled the radiator, as the leak appeared to be slow and was coming from around the edge of the radiator where the core had been bonded into the frame. We stopped at a small village garage but they seemed to not have any radiator leak sealant, or not understand what I wanted. We had not lost much water, so I determined to press on, keep an eye on the gauge and check the coolant level every 15 minutes. After a while the temperature gauge also ceased to function, apparently getting too hot had somehow finished off the sending sensor in the top radiator tank. I was able to determine that the electrics were still working by shorting the gauge lead to ground and having Sharon observe the gauge movement. Fortunately the gauge had managed to alert us to the problem in time to avoid any serious engine damage, before the temperature sensor unit failed.
However we were now loosing almost no coolant and I decided that as this was the case we could safely keep going, and just keep checking the level.
It appears that with this type of leak occurs where the radiator core which is moulded into a block of plastic resin which then forms part of the header tank becomes unglued from the tank, and is prone to leak most when the engine is cold. The leak tends to seal itself up when everything gets hot again, but by then you have probably lost most of your coolant. So most of the coolant had probably leaked out last night. Having figured this out I decided we should make for Calais without delay, where we could either get it fixed, buy some sealant additive for the radiator, or get back to the UK.
Subsequent checks revealed we were now not loosing any more coolant, and we kept going, having only a brief lunch stop lest the engine cool too much and start the leaks again.
We had intended to spend a few more days in France, possibly go back into Belgium and Holland, but we were also getting a bit tired of travelling and looking forward to going home, and this relatively minor problem I think gave us the excuse to call it quits and return to the UK.
In this area of northern France the villages look run down, generally poor and decrepit and apart from the WW1 sites we found little of interest in the area, compared to the more appealing areas in the south of France.
Arriving in Calais late afternoon we decided to check with Sea France, and on going to their office in the town only to be told that they couldn't tell us if we could get on a ferry that day or not, and that we would have to go to the ferry terminal and check. It is not far and we did just that and were immediately able to make arrangements for a crossing at 9.45 PM that night. No more leaks, things were looking good. We had dinner in the van in the ferry terminal car park while waiting for our boarding time, and in a couple of hours we were back in the UK.
Route maps and details of SONPS added September 2001.
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Part 9 Back in the UK and selling "Our little blue house"
