Rottweil & Mössingen, Germany
Oh, I’ve got wheels now. After packing up from my Airbnb in Konstanz, I hiked to the local Europcar station and called up my reservation. It’s much cheaper to book your rental back in the States and have it waiting for you in Europe.
The first car the man at the counter tried to give me looked nerdy like the blue one below. I politely declined so he hooked me up with this hot-rod:
It’s only a hot-rod in the sense it’s painted crazy red and yellow. At least I can find it in a crowded parking lot. It does get good gas mileage and has a British lady on the English-language GPS directing me where to go. She sounds quite perturbed when I take a wrong turn. Evidently she has to put down her tea to recalculate…
Having a car allowed me to make stops along the way to my next Airbnb:
My first detour was to the castle ruins on Hohentwiel near the town of Singen. The ruins occupied the top of an extinct volcano which you could see for miles (eh, kilometers). They’re the largest fortress ruins in Germany.
Man, was it a hike to the top. But little old Germans were huffing and puffing their way up there so I just kept climbing, trying not to look like I was going to pass out. The view made it worth it. I could see the Bodensee in the distance and even the spire of the Münster back in Konstanz (yep, I climbed that too). Beyond Konstanz was the Alps.
It was much easier heading back down to the parking lot. Once there, I had trouble figuring out how to put my little car in reverse for the first time. I could see the six gears and the “R” on the stick shift but it wouldn’t budge. I fished out the manual from the glove box and found the right diagram (in German). You had to push down on a certain part of the stick shift to engage.
That solved, I floored it for the Autobahn. Seriously, you have to stay alert driving in Germany. I’ve navigated tiny Irish roads and crazy Italian drivers so I think I’m fairly seasoned. My best advice on the Autobahn? Stay to the RIGHT. The left lanes are for passing (more like blowing by). You look in your side view mirror, no one is there …and then wooosh, a big Audi flies by.
My next detour was the town of Rottweil. Yes, this is where Rottweilers got their name. Roman legions brought along herds of cattle for food on their conquests and these dogs drove and protected the herds. After the Romans were driven out themselves by the Swabians, the breed was used by butchers to drive stock to market. They were subsequently named after the town.
I rubbed the shiny nose of the Rottweiler statue guarding the Rathaus (city hall) and tried to find something for lunch. Evidently Easter Monday is ALSO a holiday in this Catholic part of Germany. Virtually everything was closed.
Thank goodness for Döner Kebab shops. The kebab was popularized by Turkish guest workers in Berlin in the early 1970s and spread throughout Germany. They’re about the only thing reliably open.
While I was sitting outside having lunch, a Krankenwagen drove by. If you’re seriously Krank, it will take you to the Krankenhaus. How great is the German language? Definitely one of my favorite words here (and, hope not to use).
After lunch, I drove on to my base for the next week: the town of Mössingen (pronounced Moos-ing-kun). I chose this town because it was small, quiet, interesting and in the middle of places I wanted to see. It will serve as the “hub” for my “spoke” day trips. Hub-and-spoke travel is my favorite. This town will quickly become familiar and I won’t have to pack and move every day.
After the hiking and Autobahn driving, I chose to walk around town this evening to relax. I think I chose wisely, this place is beautiful.
Sometimes I walk past a house in Germany and wish I could pick the whole thing up to take back home with me. Like this:
It doesn’t seem like much has changed in Mössingen, at least not since right after the war. Compare this photo from 1952 with the view I had this evening:
I didn’t know this when I booked but Mössingen evidently has its own brewery too. I think it’s important to support local businesses so that’s a good reason for me to try them out in the next few days, right?
German cemeteries are interesting. I was just reading about all the regulations regarding death and burial here. German law requires a burial plot even for cremation. But, because space is scarce, the plots get turned over every 30 years or so. The only really old graves you see here have historical significance or are soldiers’ graves like these I found from World War II.
It was a busy day. I’ll close by showing you everything I just emptied from my pockets:
You’re required to carry identification with you at all times in Germany and as an Ausländer (foreigner), I have to register with the local authorities. There’s a form for that, like many other things here. Sometimes the place you stay takes care of it. Often, it’s me filling out my Meldeschein.
I’ll get to it. Guten Abend!
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