Bad Tolz- Alpine Road Trip
Paloma is in the camper park in Bad Tolz (€8 overnight N47.76314 E11.55015). It’s on the banks of the river Isar, but the river looks so low in this in ridiculous high 30s heat than the fact the camper park is also the flood plain shouldn’t cause us too much trouble.
German camper parks/stellplatz/ Aires( still not sure what they are called) have, alot fewer rules ( if any) than other motorhome parking places in Europe, so all the other vans have chairs and awnings out, we’re not packed together at all.
And as the saying go if you can’t beat them, join them! So our table and chairs currently reside under our Fiamma wind out awning.
Fred’s swim in the lake yesterday did the tricks, with him sleeping like a log, it seemed such a shame to pack up and move off from our lakeside spot but the road was a calling,more that might just be that I’m not chilled enough to see a good thing.
We had found the German Alpine Road in a tourist information leaflet we picked earlier in the week. It’s been around as a tourist route for 80 ish years and stretches around 500 miles through the German Alps but neither Michele or I had ever heard of it. The first few miles yesterday provide only to point out that it was an epic motorbike route, now that would be a way to experience this road. But the question was Paloma, a beast of a machine at over 3 tonne and 7 meters long with brakes which smell like their on fire at the first hint of a ong decent downhill , even tho we had them replaced the day before we left, will she make it ?
Checking out the website shows the intresting places to stop on route, so these are our markers Starting at Fussen, Oberammergau and then Garmisch yeasterday.
The Alpine Road, at least the short couple of stretches we’ve done, were a great drive in Paloma. Dropping her down into 3rd gear on descents seems to do the trick, allowing us to safely go around the hair pin bends time and time again.
The road from lasts nights stop brought us around many other parts of the lake which Fred and I had swam in the day before, thankfully leaving early ish, meant not to much traffic around allowing us to pull over and take in the view a fair few times. The alpine road twisted and turned, dipped and climbs until we reached our next stop over.
We’ve left the Alpine Road to come in towards the centre of Bad Tolz, for somewhere to kip the night. It’s a pleasant spot right on the river, having bagged the last free spot on the front row, giving us riverside views and just a few minutes walk into the historic town centre. The one Main Street of interest was Market Street, with it many painted buildings.
Also sitting high up on the hill side is a church that should provide a epic view of the river valley.
Having always lived on the coast, it amazed me that people use the river bank in same way I would use a beach.
Today’s fantastic weather meant the banks were a premium space, sun bathers fought for space against the picnic posse whilst the young dive bombing lads splashed and crashed until everyone was wet through.
Apparently I need to work on my girly spotting technique as Michele informs me tha I missed the young lady in a thong walking along in front of me !
The other thing Germany seems to have right is the sense of Family, in England I’m not sure you would go on an outing walking the local river banks as a family in the evening, but here it’s granny, granddad, husband,wife, sister and brother out as a family unit, enjoying time together.
We whiled away the evening after dusk watching the fish jump from the river to take the bugs…
Paul.