Romantische Strasse – Roaming About

Not too many people seem to have heard of – or been to – the Romantic Road (Romantische Straße) in Germany. When Mark, Maya, and I found ourselves at the southern end of it while visiting friends, it was a no-brainer that we would explore the area during our four days off. We actually had six days left before we needed to be back in Belgium, but the drive itself took two.

One of the Romantic Street signs

That way to the Romantic Road!

After little research and talking to Sabine and Michael in Murnau am Staffelsee, I created a short-list of the seven towns along this route that sounded most appealing. As always, we never researched much ahead of time or looked at photos. Actually, Mark had no idea whatsoever where we were going or how long we’d stay. So, the surprise and wow-factor were genuine for both of us.

The most picturesque view in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Schongau

Our first stop was only an hour or so away from our friends, whom we left in the afternoon. It was a quick drive and an easy, short visit since the town was small and we were camped at a free parking lot on the edge of the town walls.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Our parking spot for the night in Schongau

Walking outside the wall in Schongau

Entering this small town via one of the gates

A colorful downtown

The center of town had the best concentration of historic buildings.

Reflection of the colorful downtown

Landsberg am Lech

The following morning, a short drive and a lucky break secured us the last spot on a free parking lot about 15 minutes by foot from the historic center.

Approaching the city center of Landsberg am Lech

I liked the canal through town

Colorful buildings here as well

Once we crossed the bridge into the heart of Landsberg am Lech, we were drawn to the watery ways and the colorful buildings. We splurged on a pastry while taking in the market area and its surrounding structures and gates.

Bavarian church with its typical dome

Market square with some elegant buildings

The heart of Landsberg am Lech

Interesting-looking tower on the outskirts of town

Harburg Castle

On this trip, I wanted to visit one castle. Harburg it would be!

Approaching Harburg Castle by camper

To our surprise, the dedicated RV parking spots alongside the popular river were open, so we doubled back and picked a spot. After our lunch with a view, we crossed into town and climbed a narrow trail towards the top of the hill. There, Harburg Castle awaited.

Our RV-dedicated parking spot in Harburg

View of Harburg from where we were parked

Harburg Castle – our destination by foot

Map of the Romantic Street

We paid our entrance fees, which I thought included access to the interior spaces. Maya was allowed on the grounds and – understandably – not inside the buildings. We could work around that, taking turns.

Hiking towards the castle

Entrance gate to Harburg Castle

On the grounds of Harburg Castle

Maya is standing guard!

But our tickets only allowed us to visit the exterior areas. For the rooms, towers, and walkways, a guided tour was required. Unfortunately, we just missed the 2pm tour, and exploring the grounds took less than an hour, so I didn’t get my inside-the-castle look.

Within the castle walls

Part of Harburg Castle

View over the river and the bridge we’d crossed earlier

The walls had a covered walkway, but it was only accessible on a guided tour.

Leaving the medieval castle through the gate

The actual village of Harburg looked cozy and picturesque as well, but we decided to move on since we didn’t have much time for this driving route and needed some relaxation as well.

Crossing the cute bridge into and out of Harburg town

View of Harburg from the bridge

July was one of the busiest months we’ve had in years. Mark and I barely had a moment to breathe. In my last (Vario) post, I mentioned that we finally managed to buy our future overlanding vehicle in the Netherlands.

We are a two-car family!

Our Vario progress

Unfortunately, it wasn’t and won’t be the easiest transition between campers for us, because we found ourselves in a complicated mess here in Europe. In the US, as US residents, the process has always been straightforward for us. We purchased a camper, registered it in one of the states, bought insurance, and were good to go.

Not so in Europe. But we knew this ahead of time, had researched solutions for every curve ball that might come our way (or so we thought!), and set out on our mission to legalize and personalize our 4×4 Mercedes Vario (technically a T2) from the moment we obtained it on July 1st.

First, we bought temporary export plates and insurance in the Netherlands. These would be valid for exactly 14 days. It started the clock and raised our stress levels immediately. Since we wanted to import and register this Vario in Germany—a country notorious for its rules and regulations but the only one where non-European residents can “easily” do this—we had no time to lose. Yet, I still thought we could take care of the entire process within a week and spend the rest of the month visiting friends and sightseeing in Germany. Ha!

Second, after buying motor oil with Duke and getting cash for the next step, the Vario was jump-started and we drove both vehicles to a battery shop, where Mark replaced the two starter batteries. The truck had sat unused for six years in a garage so lots of maintenance was due! Still, we had to prioritize because of our time constraints.

Third, Mark and I drove in tandem to a DIY garage, still in Zeeland, the Netherlands, to change the oil. Since it was our first time working on this truck, things didn’t go exactly as planned, but we did get the job done within our two-hour lift rental.

Driving the Vario on a tight lift in this garage was challenging.

The first time we changed the oil took a bit longer than expected. Many firsts now!

Filling the reservoir with oil, while Maya patiently waits on the floor.

We did all that on the same day, falling asleep exhausted at a free camping spot in an industrial zone. This would become the norm. Since the Vario box didn’t have locks yet, we parked both campers facing each other’s doors. Not that there was anything to steal yet in our six-year-old-brand-new habitat box.

Our first night with the Vario, which didn’t have locks yet.

The following day, Mark, Maya, and I drove in convoy to Much, Germany, which would become our base for the time being. With lots of traffic and everything being new to us (including a fuel gauge showing “empty” which was confirmed), it was another stressful day. We had to discuss a few things with our builder, Mirko, and he was leaving at 1pm. Needless to say, we felt rushed.

Filling up with diesel on the drive to Germany.

The Vario is parked in front of Mirko’s workshop for the time being.

I won’t report in too much detail what happened next, but suffice it to say that preparing our Vario to pass the German TÜV inspection—which, fortunately, was located across the street from Mirko’s workshop—did not take five days. We had to cancel seeing our first set of friends and delay visiting our second set.

Mirko was super helpful and generous, letting us borrow all his tools, giving us the keys to his workshop after hours, and allowing us to use electricity, potable water, and the bathroom facilities whenever we needed. What an angel!