Gobble Up Turkey

Saturday 19th September 2026

Cissone to Cravanzana

Even the weary bones couldn’t defeat the mind and a 401 wake up set the scene for a long day. Another beautiful day with a touch of mist to provide an eerie view of the surrounds, but it augurs well for beautiful walking weather.

Foodland delivered again with a delightful breakfast in a room full of hikers, bikers and good old fashioned holidayers. The spread was amazing and based on last nights menu pricing I can only say it was nice to have it included in the price of accommodation.

The age, perhaps an inadequate preparation and tougher than expected conditions certainly left its mark on the body of us both and we took the recommendation of the tour company to take a taxi so as to shorten the day. In the end it was a blessing with today’s route vineyard free and mostly walking or in many cases scrambling through forests and hazelnut plantations.

The walk started in a small village where most people had dogs less friendly than those encountered yesterday. We were not on the tarmac very long and spent an hour heading downhill on a track that had an ankle twist waiting to grab you every step. The sides of the track were scarred with the rooting of feral pigs and thankfully none were around, actually on the whole trip the absence of animals generally had been noticeable. The sight of a road midway way down was heartening, unfortunately the track down was eroded away and it was a bum slide down for about 10 metres.

At the end of the track was a tarmac road which we trod for a while on the flat . Jane had a broken language chat with a delightful old guy who was harvesting the last of his vegetable garden.

Reached another turn into the forest or more appropriately a mountain bike track that steepled up into the sky. Can imagine it would be a hell of a ride down on that terrain. Interestingly where we joined the track it was a 45 minute road walk to the town where we would end after our rocky odyssey.

Thankfully we didn’t encounter any motor bikes on the way down finally reaching the top after about an hour. Unlike yesterday there was no religious inspiration from a Bhudda statue trackside.

The next 45 minutes were spent winding through forest trails before a tarmac walk towards town. Couldn’t resist a stop at the spring fountain to slake the thirst.

With town in sight the track veered up into the hills again and 2 kilometres later we ended up in town to sit in a bar with the locals and enjoy a beer and pizza. It was an eclectic bunch of patrons ranging from 18-80 most simply sitting around chewing the fat. We managed to grab an outside table after the 80 year old left only for him to return and give us the evil eye before disappearing into the back blocks.

Fed, watered and heartened by a supposed downhill run to home for just over an hour, we headed uphill for about 20 minutes ( go figure) before wandering through kilometres of hazelnut groves for about 30 minutes, excluding a 500 metre backtrack to retrieve my lost hat, before catching sight of town- yep high on a hill.

A couple of hundred metres out a local farmer was bucking the trend putting in a small vineyard. Completed the uphill route to reach our hotel and head straight for a refreshing swim – oh didn’t the aching muscles enjoy that 20 minutes.

Wandered around town which was deathly quiet except for the 6 year old birthday party across the road, then sat in the courtyard taking in the sun over a couple of Aperol’s.

A bit of housekeeping and then a 730 dinner appointment in another restaurant with a great food and wine offering where Jane continued her penchant to eat her way through the Pet Shop menu. Day 1 Pidgeon Day 2 Rabbit and Day 3 Guinea Fowl.
It was a great way to finish an arduous day made even better by the taxi ride.

Friday 18th September 2026

Montforte to Cissone

Sleep monster is still winning the battle and it’s 400am trying to resolve issue with the renovations back home and praying for an unexpected victory tonight for the Swans.

Pretty sumptuous breakfast partaken, followed by a visit to panini shop to get supplies for a long and rolling trip.

First hill of the day was to retrace steps up past the grass amphitheatre which was doubly hard with 6Kgs of supplies on the back. Thankfully the decision to pull out the poles was vindicated in the first 10 minutes.

The sun was trying to peep through the mist and we enjoyed filtered views of more hills covered with grape vines , in some places interspersed with hazel nut plantations, where the Italians contend the best crops in the world are grown.

Having conquered the first up we were soon on a seismographic journey across the hills on a mixture of surfaces including more of the tractor scrapes which were often at 45 degree angles and constantly testing the knees, calves and ankles.

Whilst the towns grew smaller the wineries and outhouses seemed to gain size and quality. Even mid morning tourists were starting to fill the carparks and probably empty their pockets in a region famous for its high quality wines.

The density of the grapes on the vines was amazing and augured well for a good late harvest. The vineyards were full of workers readying the crops, tractors were a dime a dozen and driven on slopes where it was even difficult just to walk.

After an arduous few hours of walking we reached our first rest stop which just happened to be the hazelnut production facility in Sonia. We were greeted by three very cheerful dogs who became our trail buddies for a few kilometres. It’s amazing what a little affection does to dogs over here.

We helped the economy by buying some nuts and two very delicious sundaes with nuts and chocolates- who needs wine and cheese when this delicious food is offered up.

The next part of the journey was through forests which abutted the vineyards and on were slightly more comfortable footing, though the gradient wasn’t very kind and sweaty brows was the order of the day until we popped out onto a tarmac road just short of town (Roddino where we availed ourselves of the picnic tables to devour but another prosciutto and ham panini washed down with spring water from the adjacent well. We were soon joined by a few of the Swedish hares and locals picnicking and enjoying the view.

Headed up into town and gave it a cursory look over as most shops etc were closed for siesta.

Struck out down a very steep trail , again on mixed surfaces, to reach an unusual phenomenon – flat ground- which lasted about 100 metres before more vineyard hopping and finally a paved road towards home base which zigzagged its way to the top and our Agritourismo. Bags hadn’t arrived so it was a bit of rehydration and taking in the view across the valley to the host of hilltop towns.

It was a great set up with big rooms, good view, pool and a dining experience where quality and price were high but very enjoyable.

The rigours of the day started to kick in and the need for sleep was almost immediate, albeit with a little time to watch the highlights of the Swans demise.

Thursday 17th September 2026

Alba to Monforte

Up early ready for Day 1 of the Bar to Bar walk and it’s spectacular weather in which to walk.

Breakfast with a huge crowd of bus tourists and what we subsequently found out 7 Swedes on the same walk.

All 9 loaded onto a bus driven by a bleary eyed Italian who obviously failed spatial awareness classes when he gave up on trying to load the luggage and a few of us had our suitcases as travelling partners.

It was a fast and furious ride to our starting point Barolo where a group vote (in Swedish) decided we should add 3 kilometres to the day and backtrack to a top of the hill viewpoint.

Whilst not unhappy with the 360 degree view of every vineyard coveted slope , the extra Kms of pretty steep downhill walking on everything from dirt tracks to tarmac to tractor scrapes through vineyards were a bit of a worry on the ‘Easy’ grading assigned to the walk.

The Piedmont region has no equivalent in Australia to the mountainous landscape in which vineyards are established. Patchworkquilt like scenery greeted the eye as they rolled across the hillside. Not unexpectedly upon most hilltops were small to medium towns, many through which we would pass on a rollercoaster trail where ‘flat walking’ was not an option.

The vines were still full of lush red sweet and juicy grapes, with workers trimming the vines to let in the last vestiges of autumn warmth.

After an hour and a half or so we negotiated a steep grass track into Barolo with its famous Wine Museum situated in the old castle and every second shop offering an array of wine where one hoped the flavour matched the price.

Took a little break and worked out our navigation App which is fabulous. It is a bit like the car GPS with both visual route tracking and audio guidance to keep you on track.

In what would become a feature of the day the track to our next town Novello , about 2-3 hours away, started with an upward climb to a hilltop adjacent to the one we just shimmied down. Same mix of tracks with many wandering through the vineyards and close and personal with workers and equipment.

Getting towards picking time the grapes are a target for the birds and in Hitchcock like scenes the birds sat on the electricity vines eyeing off the next feed. The vines in many places are covered with mess to ward of the birds, so droppings on the ground are the main target.

The farms/wineries themselves are huge establishments with a mix of rough sheds and pretty opulent tasting buildings and houses. At 11am many of the tasting rooms were filling with tourists on this famous wine and food route.

Unsurprisingly, a long uphill finish had us in the pretty village of Novello which was big enough to have a school where kids were filing out to go home for Siesta time.

Again it was wine shops and restaurants dominating the street front. Lots of restaurants were closed for private functions to accommodate the bus tours. Luckily webspied a small panini shop to grab lunch, partaken with a glass of nebbiolo, which happened to be last sale before the owner of tasting shop headed off for his own siesta. He was happy for us to leave the empties on the table rather than wait around.

We ran into a couple of the other groups in what turned out to be a day of the hare and tortoise. They would swish by but only for us to amble on up and pass them as they rested at the top of the hills.

Whilst they stayed looking for an open restaurant we took in the scenery and a deep breath before leaving town passing a church with not a religious statue out front but a huge wine press- seems to indicate what gets worshipped up here.

First it was the thighs twinging as we headed steeply down out of town and then the calves as we spent long periods heading up roads in the vineyards which might be better described as tractor scrapes- thank God they were dry. The good part about the ups was the time to stop and take in the views- which many a picture could not do justice to. It also gave you time to ask yourself the question of whether walking the streets of home was adequate preparation.

Back on the tarmac road for a last haul into town on top of the hill-bloody Atruscans and Catholics- to wander into Monforte d’Alba which was absolutely buzzing with tourists filling the bars and cafes.

Our hotel was right on the squire and our rear of building room gave magnificent views into the hills.

Spent the afternoon wandering around the village including conquering the steepest hill of the day to visit the grassed amphitheatre where the annual jazz festival is held.

Trip down was much easier as we wend our way through the residential area which included one house painted bright blue , for reasons unknown, before ending up in a small bar doing what the tourists do- sipping wine and tasting the cheese offerings from the region.

Did a wander around town dodging a horde of cyclists as we tried to find a dinner spot. Eight restaurants later we found nothing much better than our own hotel.

A little siesta of our own and researching tomorrow’s trail,which again is a sawtooth pattern, wiled away enough time to take us to dinner and the inevitable great fate of food and wine.

Dragged the weary bones upstairs hoping predicted rain stays away tomorrow and also waking hour is after 430.

Wednesday 16th September 2026

Bologna to Alba via Torino

Again no alarm required and we were soon packed up and heading for the Quadrilateral for breakfast and a last wander around town before leaving the apartment and joining the locals on a trip to the station to for our trip to Alba to start our walk.

Bologna station was a mini version of Rome Termini and its multi storey design had us playing Lift Lotto to get to our departure platform.

It seems our taxi experience was to be replicated with the trains. Our 1006 train departure time changed 4 times and a platform reassignment before we eventually boarded a packed train, initially visiting Milan where most exited and then Torino.

It was a very pleasant trip through the rural north of Italy before the hills kicked in around Torino. Travelling at 250 kms an hour certainly helps conquer the distance.

So entranced reading good news stories about the house renovation I nearly missed getting off at our station, scrambling off with bags and armful of other accessories rather than making a graceful exit. A quick sprint to the ticket office to secure tickets to Alba and 9 minutes later it was onto a packed local train for 2 hours. The scenery changed a little as we head east with town sizes growing, industry appearing and then the hills draped in grape vines.

No scrambling this time as it was the terminus for train so it was a more elegant exit followed by avstroll to our hotel just out of the old town.

Accommodation was pretty salubrious, but it’s hard to imagine this standard in towns of 200-300 where we will be staying over the next week or so.

Unpacked and headed to town dropping into a cafe for a late lunch. We were brought to heel by the owner who quickly explained we were not in a cafe it was a ‘gastronomica’ which really translated into flash pre made food of which some was warmed in a microwave. That said it was tummy

We spent the next few hours wandering through a very pretty town full of cafes, restaurants and specialty shops selling wine, truffles, cheeses , plus cakes and sweets to die for. Of course there was a Gelateria too hard to bypass.

The town was adorned with flags,of we think local villages, for an Autumn festival and was reminiscent of Sienna without the Il Palio horse race. The portico theme continued up here with many of the older buildings featuring them.

Unlike the unfinished Basillica in Bologna the Dourmo here was finished in all its glory. The steepling beams inside were an amazing piece of architecture and construction which you can only look at in wonderment.

We visited all four local squares which were just starting to get into the swing of passeggiata and warming our hearts.

Despite our intent to have a light dinner we failed miserably , putting the head on pilllow for a pre dinner nap and waking at 355 to start writing this blog. Today we start the walk on a trail that has an elevation map that looks like a seismograph printout.

Tuesday 15th September 2026

Day in Bologna

Hard not to wake up early when it’s the bedfellows milestone 70th birthday.

What more appropriate way to start the day than with a 700am visit to the laundromat where one could wash and dry both clothes and the pet. It would have been some spectacle seeing Rover in the tumble washer!

No fancy dining experience to start the day instead it was a typical Italian fare of coffee and croissant, without a cigarette.

A lovely stroll through the modern and ancient porticos with a throng of locals and kids heading off to school – some looking none to pleased returning to the classroom. With no school uniform the older kids certainly wore outfits that touched all spheres of fashion- showing plenty of skin seemed to be the aim.

We made our way down to the Quadrilatetal where the steps of the unfinished basilica San Petrionia were already packed with awaiting visitors and locals enjoying a coffee and a ciggie.

A run through the narrow streets heading towards the university was a real feast for the eyes with, small goods, pastries, fruit , seafood and diary products displayed in a plethora of ways to lure the customers. Cafes and restaurants already enjoyed great patronage creating an amazing atmosphere in this City of The Food.

The streets closer to the univetsity were inundated with bubbly fresh faced kids carrying arms full of new glossy textbooks as they kicked off the educational year.

Seems the area had more Copy shops than Coffee Shops , that said the latter were well patronised by a Cosmopolitan group of students.

The university is supposedly the oldest in Europe with graduates and lecturers including Copernicus and modern day Nobel Prize winning poet Caraducci- the preserved lecture room of the latter had an atmosphere where if you closed your eyes you could imagine him lecturing..

The Library and its Museum tour was amazing the breadth subjects covered by the science exhibitions was amazing. One quirky one enhanced my knowdge on the birthing process- oh it’s good to be a male.

For the next 30 minutes walking back to the square we were about the only ones over 21.

Back in Food Land we collected a takeaway lunch and visited a local bar where as long as you were drinking you could eat your own fare. It was dark and dingy but had a good vibe. We shared a small courtyard with a couple of painters eating pizza and quaffing down a bottle of red. Hoped that the next paint job didn’t involve scaling a ladder in those wobbly boots.

Full of fine fate and a couple of beers/wine we headed home for a Nanna Nap before our Birthday Bash. Pretty ironic that we decided to have our renovations done whilst on holidays to avoid the noise and disruption only to have our apartment next to a property where jackhammering was pretty constant.

Karma comes served in many ways!

Fresh and dolled up we enjoyed an aperitivo in a street side bar in the company of a Kujo like mutt just watching the world go by – boy was it a mixed bag .

Killed a bit of time sitting around the local square watching the locals enjoy the family time so well embraced in Italy.

Time could not wait for two partygoers so we headed off to the recommended restaurant. What looked like a doorway into a small bar ballooned out into a magnificent covered courtyard catering for 100 people. At 730 when we had our first drink it was 2% full. It slowly filled and then by 900 was almost at capacity.

Dinner was again typical of the region washed down with a Piedmont Vermintino. It was a wonderful way to finish the day and head home working on what to do for birthday 71.

Monday 14th September Trastevere to Bologna

Body clock beat the alarm clock by about 2 hours, so a little time to linger in bed and catch up with the world until 700am.

Walked the local area where the locals were coming to life with the market operators setting up, local kids heading to school, local gypsies sadly draining beer bottles into plastic cups for an early morning heart starter and like many places in the world the homeless were rustling out of their overnight haunts.

Many a local were out taking dogs for the morning ablution. With a paucity of trees the locals hubcaps were obvious targets for a leg lift. Chained dogs are chained for a reason as we got too close to a savage dog fight that involved both pets and owners – thankfully all finished unscathed.

Grabbed a pretty hearty breakfast then waited nervously for a taxi that in Italian terminology was only 5 minutes away – it turned into 20. Despite heavy traffic encountered whilst passing all of the go to scenic attractions and a very circuitous route we arrived at Termini about 20 minutes before departure . The approximate fare of $15-$20 turned into $35 once the luggage surcharge was applied- just to cement the story about robbing Italian taxi drivers.

The Termini is just a heaving mass of humanity and if you have an aversion to being jostled in large crowds it’s the wrong place to be.

Found the platform, boarded the train and wrestled with 10 other passengers to secure a spot in the tinniest of luggage racks. It was a pleasant trip through beautiful countryside, some of which we had traversed on our Florence to Rome walk.

Bologna station was a maze of tunnels and elevators but eventually we found the bus station, albeit after questioning a myriad of locals, and headed to our accommodation just out of the city centre, but close to a lot of attractions. Our host greeted us and thankfully ushered up to our room via a lift. The apartment had everything we needed and soon headed off on our journey to 25,000 steps for the day.

With Bologna famous for food and porticoes we headed along the shaded streets to the local undercover food market. We passed on the chicken, pastries and horse meat offerings instead opting for a mortadella (Jane) and (proscuitto) with ham roll as long as your forearm. Enjoyed at a stand up table with a band of locals before taking on the recommended walk to the Santa Luca Sancturium.
it is an opportunity to enjoy a fully covered portico walk uphill on path and stairs to reach a hill top Basillica and an outstanding view of the city and surrounds- some 4kms and a couple of hundred metres in elevation.

Whilst the scenery was magnificent getting there was a very tough haul which exercised the limbs, muscles and lung capacity to their limits. A couple of puffing and sweaty campers enjoyed the serenity of the Basillica whilst offering some thanks for the practice for the next few days n Piedmont region and prayers for a safe journey down on rubbery legs.

It is an interesting phenomenon that only those going down hill seem to be able to talk and crack a smile whilst those coming up do so in relative silence with a grim look on their faces- has to say something about walking uphill.

Made our way down and first port of call was the local cocktail lounge where the $5 beers and $10 Hugo Aperitivo eased the dehydration but increased the level of insobriety. Despite the level of delirium we managed to use Maps Me App to get us home safely

A cold showet and laydown was the order of the day to regain the strength and determination to attack the evening walk into the foodie heaven the district around the famous 600 year old unfinished Badillica offers up.

As like the Rome Termini the major square was packed with people enjoying the buskers and simply people watching over a quiet drink and aperitivo.

We found a great little restaurant serving typical food of Bologna and washed it down with some local wine and beer. Finished off with a stroll to the local gelato store and licked our way home to find the pillow on the eve of Jane’s 70th birthday.

Saturday 12/9/26 Sunday 13/9/26 Sydney to Incheon to Rome

Who would have thought your day could get any worse after being flogged by Jane at golf in the morning, the Citizen watch dying on the day we are due to fly, then a 45 minutes battle to get out of the Westfields carpark after getting it fixed , followed by being confined to the bedroom like 2 naughty children whilst builders installed protective materials in preparation for the renovation whilst we are away for 6 weeks.

Logical answer – NOBODY. That is until you arrive at the check-in desk and discover your passport and credit cards are nowhere to be found- unless you are a diligent Uber driver.

Some how they were left in the rear seat .

Thankfully the technically adept airlne staff tracked down the Uber driver and $50 later we were gratefully reunited. Only a couple of champagne’s in the Lounge could bring the heart rate down from a 100 to 70.

One might say an inauspicious start to the journey. The remainder of pre flight time was spent self berating for being so stupid- and that message was reiterated more than once by the travelling partner. Think she may have been miffed having to walk the length of the terminal on an unsuccessful search mission.

It was pretty uneventful flight due to the desire to get some sleep and put the previous 3 hours out of my mind. Managed some fitful sleep and woke around 500 am – a few hours out of Incheon.

I will need to remember when freshening up to check that the writing on can says deodorant , not deodoriser as that liquid under your arm smells good but you still feel like you are doing an advertisement for Glen 20.

Off the plane it was 6 hours of washing away the sins of yesterday, avoiding another soirée of food in the lounge simply wandering around the huge terminal and sitting in the lounge wiling away the time until our next leg to Rome- hoping that the predicted airport strike is over when we arrive at 730.

Seems the forgetfulness is infectious as Jane managed to forget the number on her luggage locker , but thankfully it was inside the Lounge and she was again the recipient of great help from the Asiana staff.

This time boarded a slightly bigger Airbus for the 12.5 hour trip to Rome. Two good movies, followed by the worst movie ever watched which was named after the former Tiger Bennt Elias – Backdoor . It was pretty macabre and I am sure it caused my very interrupted 5 hour lay down.

Arrived in Rome in 29 degree heat , but thankfully no sign of the strike, at least fir those with electronic passports We whizzed through in about 10 minutes, quickly rescued the suitcases and were on a local train to Trasteverr situated on the opposite side of the river to all the main attractions.

We grabbed the local bus and ended up in our hotel in a very cosmopolitan part of town where the locals were out enjoying the balmy night around the square. It’s the lifestyle we enjoy when overseas – away from the madding crowds.

We dumped the bags and headed back to the square for dinner around 930 and the outdoor cafes were buzzing. Enjoyed a delicious pizza and started the body count for Aperol Spritz downing a couple served in glasses big enough to mix a decent batch of concrete.

Finally after about 35 hours we were ready for our first sleep in Italy ready to start another adventure which will begin in Bologna where a small gathering of 2 will celebrate Jane’s 70th birthday.

29th 30th 31st December 2025

Bergheim to Frankfurt to Seoul to Sydney 

Well as old Blue Eyes would say ‘and now the end is near..’.

Up for an early breakfast on another brisk morning with temperature hovering around 2. Enjoyed the ‘cash only’ cafe yesterday, so replicated the walk and the order in my case. Jane couldn’t resist her last eggs and smoked salmon.

Packed up and lugged our cases to the station and caught an earlier train to our connection point at Manaheim. Thankfully we did because the originally scheduled train would have missed the Frankfurt train.

It was pretty fitting that our last memory of Bergheim and Getmany generally was another weird statue and a parking lot of bikes- thankfully none needing to be avoided.

Jumped on an 18 carriage train already full of travellers, but had a booked seat. Luggage space was at a premium and some not very cooperative passengers insisted we didn’t stack our luggage on top of theirs, despite Frankfurt being the next stop.

Train stopped inside the airport but at other end of the terminal. The walk could only do us good.

Arriving earlier had its benefits as there was nobody at check in counter.

Went through the now obligatory body pat down for Jane in security before a bit of time in the lounge before heading on board for our 11 hour flight to Seoul.

Again the food and wine was excellent, as was the service and with the luxury of 7 hours sleep there was minimal need for the entertainment facilities.

Seoul airport was a dream, but the 6 hours in the lounge was a bit tiresome, no matter how much free food and alcohol was available.

The second leg to Sydney was just on 10 hours and it was an emulation of the first leg. 

Arrived at 800, but a 30 minute wait on tarmac because of gate unavailability delayed touching feet on home soil.

Customs was a breeze and we were soon home. Got a pleasant surprise when I had a walk over to Golf Club in a bid to fight the jet lag when told I won the Xmas raffle – a bottle of 2018 Grange Hetmitage.

That will be drunk quicker than the 1984 one I kept 47 years.

Celebration of my my birthday was circumspect as was NYE, probably because I fell asleep on the lounge at 830 only to be woken by the local fireworks.

So after 34 days we again have an album full of photos, a blog and some wonderful memories of an absolutely fantastic holiday. 

All that’s left to do is work on the next one.

28th December 2025

Bergheim

Woke on the last day to do any real sightseeing and greeted with a nice 2 degree day after frost left its mark overnight.

Headed out for breakfast in a cash only cafe who served both a tasty and decorative scrambled eggs on brioch. 

Lots of others out having Sunday breakfast and an early start to touring. Luckily we just beat the crowd for tickets on the cable car and then old funicular railway.

It went through three stations on the way to 1809 feet at the top of the hill.

We opted to jump off at the castle first and surprisingly it was a free tour. The external walls and facade generally are in good condition and a few of the internal rooms have been restored and repurposed as museums and exhibition halls.

The Pharmacy Museum was a hit with Jane given her Dad’s background. There was a raft of old equipment and some great literature about the evolution of pharmacy.

Deep in the bowels  of the castle was a wine cellar with 2 barrels 10 metres long and about 5 metres in diameter – there was plenty to go around for everybody.

There was an interesting offering at the bar which was hard to resist.

Up on the castle wall there was a breathtaking view all the way down past Manaheim with its coal fired power station belching out plenty of steam.

It was also a lovely view down into the old town and the river with its mix of old and new bridges.

The castle had been just to a range of musical favourites, with more to come.

Out of the castles it was another cable car ride which rose steeply up to the next station That silver strip of cable definitely had my attention after the Lisbon incident.

It was straight out of the new into the 5 carriage wooden funicular with operational equipment still looking like that used in the 1900’s. It chugged away at a snail’s pace to the top.

The top of the hill view was just as spectacular as from the castle, but it was decidedly chillier , that much so that the frost on the table provided an ideal cooler for our beers.

Top of the mountain provided lots of opportunities for walks and bike riding. Two guys in their 30’s seemed to be revisiting their childhood with remote controlled 4WD vehicles.

Tossed up whether to walk down, but decided to take the return journey and visit the Market area again. It was still abuzz, but with a few more people imbibing in the gluhwein.  On the way down passed a beautiful house which had been paint bombed.

Popped over the beautiful old bridge and decided to tackle the much vaunted ‘Philosophers Walk’ high up into the hills amongst the mansions on the other side of the river.

There was no philosophising on the way up , just plenty of huffing and puffing before reaching the top and discovering the Philosophets Garden. Amazingly the climate on the hill is such that some tropical flora survives- even palm trees.

At the top you basically looked straight across to the castle and down on the old town dotted with its church spires. A couple of rowers were enjoying a very peaceful time in the downstream current.

Enjoyed the down hill walk a little more than the uphill and walked along the riverside park. It seemed to be a favourite spot for people to sit and soak in the afternoon sun, with no chair staying vacant for more than a minute. There was plenty for kids to do including a sand pit the size of a football field.

Enjoyed an interesting cup of coffee, infused with a one Euro coin after the barista dropped it in when giving change. Did nothing to the flavour and gave me a bit more change to spend later in the day.

Continued along the river, passing the Beach Club which had a few late afternoon customers.

Had another couple of bridges to cross and frost to crunch before heading home, passing a bell tower with no church- go figure.

Dolled ourselves up and went hunting for a last typical German dinner which evolved into the best meal on tour- it was all Italian.

Meandered home a bit melancholly that the trip was nearing its end , but happy with an experience that will linger on in the memory for a long time.

Thought we would catch a late night view from the rooftop terrace, but track conditions were not suitable.

Tomorrow will be a day of hop on , hop off , wait – rinse and repeat as we make our way back to Frankfurt.

27th December 2025

Munich to Heidelberg

Up early and did a bit of a coffee hunt, albeit unsuccessful. If you wanted, fruit, a haircut or a strip joint you would be fine.

After a home made breakfast we did an expedition towards the suburbs. Close to us was mainly parks, universities and kids hospital., with a couple of weird statues.

When there was residences they were all 5-6 storey high rise post war design.

Got to train station and farewelled the kids who were off to airport for a flight to Edinburgh. We had a 3 hour train trip to Heidelberg.

Pretty packed train as it was taking a route via Stuttgart and finishing in Frankfurt. Glad we were not in cattle class they were stacked in like sardines with lots carrying skis  and snowboards as well as luggage.

Our seats were fine but one woman sat in 3 different seats and always seemed to schedule a pit stop when the guard passed through. The old buy cattle fly first class trick. 

It was a pretty scenic route with plenty of snow on the ground and lots of small rural villages, all with the obligatory spired church.

The town of Ulm was an exception it had a gothic Munster whose spire was the second highest in Europe. Sadly it was hidden by ‘close to transport, houses built right on the railway line so no photo just a memory.

We were up at 1500 feet so plenty of hilltops to house the occasional small castle.

As we neared Stuttgart the hills got steeper and higher and surprisingly covered in grape vines. Some had little train tracks to facilitate collection and movement of grapes.

Did a U-turn in Stuttgart and headed WSW to Heidelberg. No snow, but a chilly wind for our walk through what appeared to be a pretty modern town, albeit without any high rise. As we wend our way to our accommodation,about a kilometre away, it changed as we crossed the intersection into Bergheim which is a triangular suburb where most of the best places to visit are found.

Pretty hip hotel again and our choices have been spot on for amenities and location – will be getting Jane  a job with Bookings.com if she keeps this up. 

No time to rest with only a day and a half to go,  so headed off for a walk towards the Neckar River, a major tributary of the Rhine. We were actually only a stones throw from Cologne and a short drive from one of Germany’s still operating Nuclear Power plants.

Wandered through suburban backstreets which led to a kids park with an inappropriate Mr Bubbles sand pit. Tried a short cut but caught up in the grounds of the local rowing club which saw us ‘gate hopping’ to get back on track. 

It was not the first rowing club we encountered. Several more were interspersed with motor boat clubs and a bundle of docking stations.

Back on the riverside we passed a huge barge and then a lone rower as we worked our way closer to the centre of town.

Like many European rivers it was criss crossed with bridges and also  looked down upon by forested hills, beautiful houses and the imposing Heidelberg castle.

We reached the town centre which was abuzz with people. The main plaza was a sea of faces with many taking advantage of the Boxing Day sale bargains ( if only Xmas decorations were 50% off ) or enjoying a drink or three.

Unsurprisingly just off main plaza there was another Xmas Market selling mainly food and gluhwein. It was after sunset which got the digestive juices flowing  and Jane couldn’t resist the freshly smoked salmon and me the sausage, both washed down with a gluhwein.

Decided to chance our arm with the main plaza and walked almost 1 kilometre to the end dodging crowds, dogs, buskers and trinket sellers.  Couple of shops tweaked our interest and tickled the cash card. That included a guy selling a yummy desert with no name but copious calories.

Managed to find our way back to the hotel, polish off the last dregs of the gin bottle, watch Sunderland play Leeds and ready ourselves for the last day in Europe doing touristy things before starting the journey home on Monday.