June 26: The Romantische Strasse

We broke camp and pulled out of the Walfgangsee campground about 6:30 AM. We hauled off down the autobahn from Salzburg to Munich and then to Augsburg. We joined the "Romantische Strasse" and traveled north through Donauworth, Nordlingen and Dinklsbuhl. The road traveled through very nice farming country and through small villages in which tile-roofed houses surrounded the high steepled churches. Nordlingen and Dinklsbuhl still maintain their centuries-old city walls. We climbed up and walked the gaurd walk all the way around the town of Nordlingen. The wall is essentially complete. It took us about 45 minutes to walk the circle around the city. The "gaurds walk" was perhaps 15ft high, a 3 ft wide stone walkway with a tile roof. The outside of the wall was probably 25 ft high. Regularly spaced along the wall were narrow slits or "murder holes".

After eating lunch in Nordlingen we drove to Dinklsbuhl. It is a more attractive town than Nordlingen with many bare-timbered old buildings. The moats as well as then town wall are preserved. We spent only a short time there and then pushed on.

Driving to Hellbrunn, we joined the Neckar valley and traveled along it to Heidelberg. The Nechartal was very interesting. There were many barges and heavy freight boats on the small Neckar River. On the hillsides above the river were vineyards and forest land with a lot of picturesque castles and old houses.

We joined the expressway at Heidelberg and reached Charlie and Debbie's about 7:30 PM.