May 22, 2018 – Day Seven – Fussen to Constanz

May 22, 2018 – Day Seven – Fussen to Constanz  (photos later, if you're reading this in the morning!)   Now it's the illustrated version!

(First, a note about yesterday – Marilyn got pulled over by a stationary policeman!  We finally figured out that she was driving with her high beams instead of her regular headlights.  In Germany you drive with your lights on during the day as well as at night.  He was very polite but really scrutinized all her papers – international driving license, Florida license, and passport.)

Now, back to our regularly-scheduled program!  After breakfast we went out to the car to find someone parked behind us!  Marilyn went to  reception and the owner quickly appeared;  but that was only half our problem.  We still had to figure out how to get out of this tiny enclosed parking area with the impossible small entrance arch.  It took about six or seven backing and forthings to get pointed forward;  there was NO way anyone could have backed out of that archway!!

(Aside – I dropped my phone about two feet and when it hit the tarmac, it gave up the ghost.  Funny how dependent we are, even if we are in airplane mode! No watch, no camera, no sense of security that you could use it if you had to!)

Victory is our!  And now we go back up our same road;  but this time we know where to turn to get to the castles.  Just like Disney, where the copy lives, Newschwanstein and its sister, Hohenschwangau, there is a whole complex built around the attractions, with four major parking areas, hotels, souvenir shops, restaurants, buses and horse-drawn carriages!  We park in the lot closest to where the bus departs, buy our tickets and join the queue for the next one.  (There’s a sign that says no dogs are allowed on the bus, not even the cute, small ones!)

Hohenschwangau, from the parking lot!

The bus comes quite quickly and we are among those standing for the steep and twisty ride.  Our stop is first, though, so it’s not bad.  We are heading for Marions-brucke, or Mary’s bridge, for what is described as the best few of Newschwanstein.  And it is lovely.  There are even little waterfalls, hence the bridge.  There are lots of people taking selfies and enjoying the vista.  Luckily, no one monitors how long you spend on the bridge, so there is plenty of opportunity to get your favorite shot.  

Back down and onto the bus, and a brief tour through a couple of shops, and we’re back in the car, heading for Meersburg, where we will begin looking for the ferry, and the Pfahlbauten or pile dwellings from the stone and bronze ages.  We find the ferry easily and know that if we start from there and follow the shore of Lake Konstanz we should get there. 

Presently we see a sign for a TI (here they are just called “I”) and pull into the parking lot.  Inside we find that we are actually where we need to be!! There is a short walk and we can take a cute little white train with golden wheels to the site.  This ia actually a tourist complex with a reptile house, putt-putt golf, children’s play area and lots of hotels.  The train conductor gives us directions to the houses and we pay our admission and are free to roam as long as we like.  There are guided tours and a video, but they are only in English.  However, each of the fifteen or so houses has a sign in English giving a brief  explanation of the significant features of the house or the living styles of the times.  The houses are all been transported swamps in the area;  but weren’t collocated.  There is also an area where the kids can learn about archeological digs and an expert who is making bronze from copper and tin.

I just realized this is the same shot they used on the poster!

The train takes us back to the tunnel to our parking lot and we’re off again, back to the ferry.  But this time we’ll actually get on for the trip across the lake to the town of Konstanz.  The ferry is packed and Marilyn has to climb across the console to my side of the car to get out!  It’s a quick and pleasant trip with the wind blowing in our faces.  We get back into faithful ol’ Bessy and wait our turn to get back onto dry land.

We are torn between going to our hotel first, or going straight to the Island of Flowers, Mainau.  It’s already almost five and we’re afraid of losing the light, so we turn right at the sign, follow the road, and arrive just after five, which just happens to be when the admission drops to half price!  (Yes, we did know that in advance – once a cheapskate, always a cheapskate!)  We park and head to the ticket kiosk where we also buy our parking chip, which will open the gates when we are ready to drive out!

winery!!  Maybe next timeQ

Our ferry wasn't this fancy!

The love ripe and over-ripe bananas!

This guy just couldn't figure out that his treats were covered for the night!

This is what he looks like with his wings open.  I think he's a blue morpheus.

The entire island is a botanical park and it is just becoming spring here.  Lots of beautiful flowers, topiaries under construction and a butterfly house!!  Lots of pretty pictures and we’re starving so we find one of the six or eight restaurants on the island that is still open.  When we walk in the maître d’ asks if we have reserations!  We can see about fifty empty tables and only to that are occupied!  I manage not to giggle and he says it’s all right, he can seat us!

Tobias is our waiter.  What a charming, engaging young man.  Marilyn asks him what he recommends for a fish dinner and he suggests Fischteller Mainua, a dinner with five different kinds of fresh fish from the lake, with carrots and potatoes.  While that is being prepared, we enjoy a sweet, white wine spritzer, also his recommendation.  We are splitting dinner and it’s just enough! Tobias is a winner!  Everything is delicious!  He even finds out what the English names are for the fishes.  And we all enjoy a laugh when he says his boss is watching him and we tell his boss that Tobias deserves a raise!

Basically, we closed the place down!

It’s sunset as we’re leaving!  That’s lovely, and would be fine if we had been able to follow Google’s simple-looking directions.  Would that it were so.  We drive a lot.  The fun part about German cities is that they never identify the streets which you’re on!!  That means you never really know where you are.  We eventually stumble onto the road on which the Gastehaus Centro is located;  but we’ve driven both ways on it a couple of times without seeing it.  Finally Marilyn parks and goes to the MacDonald’s to ask – we have to be close!

When she comes back, she says, “Don’t laugh”: but I can’t help it when she tells me that it’s above the MacDonalds!  The sign is a little over a foot wide and eight inches tall.  And it’s on the side street, not the street in the address.  Now we just have to find a parking garage and find our way back.  We should be home free now, right?  Well, it’s taken so long to find the place that it’s after ten and the door is locked.  No one answers the bell.

As we’re mulling this over, three young travelers approach – and they have a key!!!  They let us in and we trek upstairs to reception where we have a conversation in almost-English that, at least, results in a room key!  We’ll worry about the rest of it tomorrow, because there was something about paying in the morning, even though we’ve already paid.  Who knows what that means!  Tomorrow is another day.  At least the room is larger than last night’s and the shower is hot and the air is cool.  Could be worse!  We could be paying for the room and sleeping in the car!!  

Can you see why we didn't see the sign in the dark?

And the entrance isn't even on the road that's listed in the address!