We have a long drive ahead of us today - we want to make it as far down into Germany as possible so we do not have that far to drive to Frankfurt tomorrow. But we still have a relaxing breakfast, sitting at the table outside our cabin. It is a nice way to start off the day. But soon we must get on our way.
We drive for the whole day. We make our way down the whole length of Denmark. They have very nice highways - often speed limits of 130 km/h, but sometimes down to 110 km/h. We just cruise along. No time on this visit to stop at any of the sights. We stop for a quick picnic lunch at one of the rest stops.
During the afternoon, we cross from Denmark into Germany. Just a line on a map now, as there are no checks. We carry on on the German Autobahn. While they may not have a speed limit in general, many stretches of the Autobahn do have speed limits and they can change suddenly and often. But at times we are able to test out the engine under the hood of our new car. And she does not let us down.
We pass through Hamburg, taking the tunnel under the river. Then we need to start to think about a place to stay for the night. We want to combine a bit of sightseeing with a rest stop. In the end, after looking at our guidebook, we decide to check out the town of Goslar. We exit the highway at the appropriate off-ramp and make our way through the country to the old town. Along the way we are treated to a nice rainbow that stretches form one horizon to the other.
We arrive in Goslar shortly before 7 PM after driving almost 750 km. Our first job, after parking our car in a public parking lot, is to find a hotel. We check out a few places, but soon settle on a nice little gasthaus run by an old couple. It is nice, good location and the price is good. We have soon settled in and then it is time to go and explore the town and look for a place for dinner.
We are very pleased with our choice of Goslar as a place to stop. It is UNESCO World Heritage Site and it certainly deserves the designation. The old town is very captivating and has enchanting charm and great beauty. The collection of old, and well restored and maintained, buildings, is stunning. They are everywhere. The town is located at the foot of the Harz mountains and has 1,800 charming, half-timbered buildings. For 300 years, the Holy Roman Emperors of Germany resided in Goslar.
We wander through the streets in the slowly dimming daylight taking in the rustic buildings as we pass. But our priority at the moment is finding a place to eat - tomorrow we can take in more of the sights. In the end, we select the Weisser Schwan on Münzstrasse. It is cozy, warm place and we settle in to our high-backed booth for our dinner. We have a friendly, chatty waiter and order our Hefeweizen Bier and food and then just sit back and enjoy the atmosphere.
After dinner we wander a bit more and then make our way back to the guest house and call it a day. We will check out the town a bit more tomorrow.