Day 40 – Goodbye to Germany
Lindau to Bregenz, 12Km I feel like a local here on Lake Constance having started my 2023 pilgrimage just acrossContinue Reading
Category: 2024
Germany
Day 39 – To the shores of Lake Constance
Scheidegg to Lindau, 22Km Last night the innkeeper took my 80 euros in cash and I asked the time ofContinue Reading
Day 38 – Tomorrow belongs to me
Stiefenhofen to Scheidegg, 18Km Last night I read about five year old Gabriele Schwarz, whose memorial plaque is now attachedContinue Reading
Day 37 – Pilgrims Ahoy!
Weitnau to Stiefenhofen, 20Km Finally, a couple of pilgrims: two German men from Munich. I noticed them at breakfast inContinue Reading
Day 36 – The Gasthof Krone
Buchenberg to Weitnau, 17Km Today was forecast to be the coldest and wettest day of this unseasonably dreadful weather whichContinue Reading
Day 35 – Nationwide Alert Day
Bad Grönenbach to Altusried, 12Km I forgot to mention yesterday was Nationwide Alert Day here in Germany. At precisely 11:00Continue Reading
Day 34 – Foot Massage
Bad Grönenbach Rest Day This is a good rest day. I idled away an hour or two in the breakfastContinue Reading
Day 33 – Daily except Wednesday
Markt Rettenbach to Bad Grönenbach, 26Km There was no breakfast at the pilgrim house but that was fine because theContinue Reading
Day 32 – Bavarian Alps Ahead
Bad Wörishofen to Markt Rettenbach, 25Km I didn’t fancy standing in the Kloster’s Kneipp pool while taking breakfast this morningContinue Reading
Day 31 – Kneippland
Ettringen to Bad Wörishofen, 19Km As forecast, I woke at 6:00 to a steady rainfall and howling wind. AccuWeather thoughtContinue Reading
Day 30 – Summer’s End
Reinhardshofen to Ettringen, 25Km Today was the last hot day of summer. The temperature has soared into the high twentiesContinue Reading
Day 29 – Rag Doll
Augsburg to Reinhardshofen, 18Km I feel like one of those rag dolls that won’t stand up, whatever you do toContinue Reading
Day 28 – Train to Nowhere
Langweid am Lech to Augsburg, 21Km I dutifully woke up at 6:15 in Augsburg, caught the 07:37 train back toContinue Reading
Day 27 – Strange Days
Kloster Holzen to Langweid am Lech, 17Km I always enjoy staying in a monastery; it reminds me of my schoolContinue Reading
Day 26 – A night in the Kloster
Donauwörth to Kloster Holzen, 15Km That should have said Harburg to Kloster Holzen, 27Km but I felt slightly rough thisContinue Reading
Day 23 – and 24 and 25: once upon a time, in a country far, far away…
Wemding to Harburg, 17Km It’s no fun being ill with the Covid in a far away land (Bavaria) where wolvesContinue Reading
Day 22 – Intermission
0Km I’d barely dripped the four drops into the little hole on the Covid test card this morning when aContinue Reading
Day 21 – Reflections on Richard the Pilgrim
Gunzenhausen to Heidenheim, 17Km I took a Covid test yesterday evening and thankfully it was negative. Both times I gotContinue Reading
Day 20 – A pleasant day in Bavaria
Wernfels to Gunzenhausen, 22Km It was a decent breakfast in the Wernfels castle youth hostel this morning. The highlight wasContinue Reading
Day 19 – A night in Wernfels castle
Neukatzwang to Wernfels, 27Km Who doesn’t like a night in a 13th century castle, even if it’s a youth hostel,Continue Reading
Day 18 – The Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg to Neukatzwang, 13Km The last month has been the longest rest day ever, I’ve done my cat feeding dutiesContinue Reading
Day 17 – Schengen
Merzkirchen to Schengen, 20Km It was past 10 o’clock when I finally slapped on my suncream in dusty Merzkirchen thisContinue Reading
Day 16 – The Apostle Matthias and I
Triar to Merzkirchen, 29Km It’s bizarre to define a long stage of a pilgrimage without any accommodation closer than anContinue Reading
Day 15 – Trier, Germany’s Oldest City
Rest Day After a leisurely breakfast, I strolled down to St Peter’s Cathedral and visited the Pilgrim Office. They wereContinue Reading
Day 14 – Earth, Wind & Rain
Minden to Trier, 32Km Another rather pleasant walk today despite the weather. It was one of those days when youContinue Reading
Day 13 – A Triumph, Father Kneipp and then Luxembourg
Mettendorf to Minden, 30Km I shared the all too familiar experience of watching England lose a final, with three DutchContinue Reading
Day 12 – Another Day of Contrasts
Waxweiler to Mettendorf, 28Km Before I raid the breakfast buffet for my picnic lunch, I always announce my intentions andContinue Reading
Day 11 – Breakfast in Germany
Prüm to Waxweiller, 27Km The Germans take their breakfasts seriously. Hotels generally lay out an enormous buffet with a rangeContinue Reading
Day 10 – Thunderstorm Alert
Kronenburg to Prüm, 25Km The day started with an alert for thunderstorms and I wondered whether to stay in bed.Continue Reading
Day 9 – Today it’s Kronenburg
Blankenheim to Kronenburg, 25Km Blankenheim is not a place for late night revellers and there was nowhere to watch theContinue Reading
Day 8 – Into the Eifel
Bad Münstereifel to Blankenheim, 21Km This first stage within the Eifel region was a gentle warm up before the nextContinue Reading
Day 7 – After the Floods
Rheinbach to Bad Münstereifel, 27 Km Today’s stage was due to be 22Km but the Camino was once again divertedContinue Reading
Day 6 – Rheinbach, eventually
Bonn to Rheinbach, 30Km Germany has experienced extremely heavy rainfall in the past several weeks but that seems to haveContinue Reading
Day 5 – Sunday in Bonn
The Sternhotel in Bonn is good value if you don’t have a heavy suitcase and can reach the top floorContinue Reading
Day 4 – Walking up the Rhine
Brühl to Bonn, 22Km This Camino, which starts in Cologne, offers a choice of routes via Brühl or Bonn forContinue Reading
Day 3 – On My Way
Köln to Brühl, 18Km It felt good to get my backpack on this morning and start the walk, even ifContinue Reading
Day 2 – Four Seven Eleven
I started the day with a splash of the famous eau de Cologne in house number 4711 where the perfumeContinue Reading
Day 1 – The Via Coloniensis
Hello from Köln or is it Cologne? It doesn’t matter because I’m not staying for long. I’ve wanted to makeContinue Reading
Pilgrimage 