# Rhine in Flammen (part2)



## whistlinggypsy (May 1, 2005)

Rhine in Flammen 2007

Well we waited at Funboat Marina for nine day's waiting for the firework show to start, and to be honest it was great fun with our neighbours being so close and there was lots to do and see around Sankt Goar including lovely trips along the river Rhine, great and easy cycling along the many Radwegs.

It took us 3 day's to get a premium spot along the river and then the site really started to fill up until we were very well packed in but no more than all the sites and stellplazt along the Rhine, in fact it is reported that Sankt Goar itself has an 100,000 person population explosion for the one night of the show and I can certainly vouch for that as the where hundreds and hundred of m/hs everywhere and in any and every spare parking place.
On the night of the show we all got settled down alongside the river with our tables and chairs and with enough wine and nibbles to keep a small army going, we had Germans on our left with Norwegians on our right and we all had different food and drinks to consume so it was a very pleasant evening conversing with them all (best we could) and watching all the cruise boats sailing into position all lit up in their strings of lights and crowds of people, also the music from over 40 boats all playing different tunes only added to the confusion.

Once the boats where in position the 2 Schloss on either side of the river lit up in a wonderful glowing red light and then the show got under way and it was a great show of light and noise first from one side then the other lighting the sky in a spectacular shower of colour
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We had a great night and I can certainly recommend this as a must see event.

The Phalz Weinfest 2007

After leaving Sankt Goar we headed directly for Hagenbach too our friends house where we are to meet up with them and a couple of our friends from the UK who have hired a m/h for a month and then we will all set off around the Rhineland- Palatinate region for a visit to 9 festivals in two weeks.

We will only travel around 80kms. from base as all our plans are in the same region of the Dornfelder wein and along the famous Weinstrasse route. The first 2 nights are at Flemmlingen on a small stellplatz (actually it was among the vines) belonging to the owner, after a little tasting during the afternoon we went into his restaurant in the evening for more tasting, great food and of course more of the lovely Dornfelder, this time as it was going to be a long night we started with a 1/2lrt glass with equal parts of wine and water and starting with Portugieser Weissherbst, before going for the Rotwein Trocken.

We then went back to Hagenbach for a party with the Phalz m/h club which was being held at the local butchers, although we where parked up in the local school. The party was a free "DO" and so it should have been as we were expected to eat pig's ears, nose and feet and I must admit I did try it all and found it quite tasty, even the pigs snout which I think is called snuffle (not sure of spelling) but the best bit was the home made cakes (Kuchen) the butchers wife made for us all, needless to say there was more wein to drink, the drinking was the main feature of this trip but too put your minds at rest no driving was involved between sessions.

After a good nights sleep we all (30 of us) set of for our next destination which was the lovely town of Edenkoben were we parked up in stellplatz next to our next tasting session and a very good time was enjoyed by all, and the glasses were enormous 1/2ltr ones.

We needed two nights rest at Edenkoben before setting off for Niederkirchen which was all of 4kms from last stop and a lovely little town it is. We went to another butchers this time for the very famous (if your German) white sausages and some kind of meat made famous by Chancellor Helmut Kohl which is must say was very tasty and of course the obligatory wein. From there we parted company from the club members for a while as we went to a friends house in Deidesheim for a rest and some very tasty pumpkin soup and flam kuchen made by the lovely Hilda and her husband Karl Heinz who made the bread and kuchen in his own ovens in the part open air cellar surrounded by, wait for it, his own vineyard in the garden.

We had a very nice evening in the company of Hilda und Karl Heinz and our other friends and it was nice to have a cuppa instead of alcohol, so next morning we are of again to Niederkirchen, it was so close we could have pushed the m/h there. This was to have a good clean up, empty the tanks and toilet and fill with fresh water, guess were we did that, no your wrong, it was at the local sewage works they allow m/hs access from Mon/Fri too service the m/h for 1 euro, splendid idea and do you think that this could happen in the UK, not on your nelly, I can see the health and safety brigade looking horrified by such a suggestion, in fact at Hambach they opened the school swimming pool complex every two day's for exactly the same use, the German system is so good and travelling around away from the touristy bits is not a problem.

We had to have a few days away from the tasting and drinking so we did a runner to the Swartz Wald and found a beautiful village called Buhl with a nice stelplatz next to the sports centre. We stayed for 3 days and cycled around the foot hills of the Black Forest region, it was so peaceful and relaxing, then it was back into the fray, but somehow it was different now as we trundled along around the weinstrasse route visiting lots more places for tasting until we reached Ortenberg the village of our friends youth where we parked up behind the fire station on the car park/stelplatz (once again could you park on the fire station car park in the UK, I doubt it very much,) We had a very pleasant few days here doing some fishing at Karl's club and quite a lot of walking, cycling, eating fine food and of course the obligatory wein. A first class meal in the restaurant on the hill just outside the town, which involved an appetite building thirst quenching 30 minute uphill walk for 6 people including wein was a staggering €10 per couple, Fantasic Value.
From here we could explore the surrounding area very easily as the transport system was 1st class, so it was a trip too Gengenbach for the market on one day out, then a coach ride and train trip to Constance on Lake Bodensee which is a most beautiful place for a visit and of course one must take the ferry around the lake and see the 3 different countries that are possible from the lake, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and a visit to Landau is also a must see, there is a fine campsite here as well.

The trip to Constance (Konstanz) was I think the best value for a journey we have ever had 
in all the years of travelling around Europe.

We caught a coach from Ortenberg to Gengenbach from there we went to the Bahnhof were we caught a double decker train too Constance, we where 5 persons in all and for a return 30 min. coach ride and then 2 ½ hrs. on the train the total cost was €18.50 that's all of us NOT each, €3.70 per person it was unbelievable value. We made our own breakfast on the train of cheese and meats with boiled eggs made earlier, all with fresh bread and butter and even a bottle Cava to wash it down, and on the return leg we had cakes, and nougat and washed down with a nice bottle of Portugieser wein. All in all it was a fabulous day out even though the rain tried to dampen our spirits.

We returned to Ortenberg very tired but with a smile of happiness on our faces for our great day out and spent the evening sat outside in the evening sunset just relaxing and chatting about our recent adventures and the places we had visited some of which we would never had sen if not for the Phalz Camping Club and our dear friends Ilonka und Karl, but it was now time to say our goodbyes to all our friends and wish them a continuing trip as we had to start our return journey back to the UK.

So it was with much kissing and a few tears that we parted company early the next morning for the return leg of our trip, we intended retracing some of the places we had visited and some new ones along the way home and eventually arrived at Camping Blaarmeerson near Ghent for the final couple of days so we could give us and the m/h a good clean up before setting of for the return crossing from Zeebrugge.

Our arrival in Hull early the following morning was saddened by the nearly 1 ½ hrs. it took us to clear the docks as the customs where having one of their "lets make e'm wait days" then too finish off the trip with more problems it took us over 3 ½ hrs to do a 2hr. Trip because of traffic accidents on the M62, Oh for the trouble free roads of Europe once again.

We now have to get down too planning our winter sun trip so after the rally at Southport we will get down to some serious thinking of our next destination. Happy travels to everyone.

We travelled 2012 miles and used 67galls of fuel, which is approximately 30mpg and used 21lts. of LPG from the Gaslow bottles at €18.21

We found LPG quite difficult to find in Germany if you where not on the Autobahn as they tend to use private companies like taxi firms or even Bosch outlets, we did see some garages that sold it but nowhere as many as you would find in France.

There are some of pictures in my folders, have a look, but i have loads more to add as well as the stelplatz and LPG sites i used.

Barbara and Bob Quinn (whistling gypsy)


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Thanks for that Bob, an enjoyable read.

Sounds like you had a good time, the Rhine in flames is definately on our 'to do' list for the future.  

pete


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## mangothemadmonk (Aug 6, 2006)

Good read Bob, thanks. A most interesting read.

We are doing France again next year but want to try Germany the year after, well you have to when you have a German quality MH :wink: :wink: 

Will have to get together and do a bit of planning over a few beers (preferably Desperados) and a good Chinese buffet    

Take care matey, luv to Barbara.

Johnny F


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