My travel in Europe:
By train in Southern Germany, 2023

Content:

• Planning for a round trip in Southern Germany
• Day 1, Karlsruhe
• Day 2, Heidelberg
• Day 3, Heidelberg
• Day 4, Mannheim
• Day 5, Mannheim
• Day 6, Speyer
• Day 7, Rastatt
• Day 8, Rastatt - airport

Day 7, Rastatt:

The last night we decided to stay in Rastatt, very close to the airport and we only need a bus to take us to there.

Overview of Rastatt city center:

Many of Germany's cities was destroyed during the WW II but this small town looks to have been spared.

Speyer:

This morning we got up at 9 o'clock, we bought yesterday evening our breakfast and no need to walk over to the restaurant. Here we look out over the roofs from the fire staircase before we leave the room.

When we walk towards the train station we find more of this memory plates, mr and mrs Adler ? Deported 1940.

The sign say something in Hebrew, or ?

At the station at 10:24, plenty of time to buy tickets and Gunilla even got a cup of coffee.

The train arrives at 11:03, just in time.

Beuschal:

After more than halfway to Rastatt at Bruschal we got heavy rain.

Rastatt:

To come to Rastatt from Speyer which is placed at opposite sides of the river Rhine the train has to go all the way back to Mannheim, cross the river and then down again to Rastatt. We could have done a short cut with a bus or a tram, but little bit complicated so we took the train. Arrived at Rastatt about 23:00. The walk through the other edge of old town to see if there are any restaurants, yes it were. Then continue walking to our hotel. It's a small town and not very long way to walk anywhere. The little house is a Biergarten but closed.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Rastatt (Rastatt, Wikipedia)

Our hotel is on the other side of the river Murg.

At the other side of the bridge, the water tower and a brewery.

Lot of small side rivers go through the houses, very nice, it's a little bit like Venedig.

Hotel Da Franco:

At pur hotel Da Franco, a nice lady came out and meet us. Show us the room and give us the key.

The rooms are at the next gate to the restaurant where the reception is. Our room at the door on the right.

We asked if there were any restaurant open nearby and got instructions to get here, Hopfen Schlingel.

It's a very big restaurant and the waitress told us that at lunch time it full of people here. But we are here late, 14:30 and almost empty here. We ordered two dinners and was way too much for us, couldn't almost don't walk after eaten this. But it tasted very good.

One reason to go to this restaurant was that we already know that there was a fortress nearby.

It was closed but we only need to see it from the outside.

An opening for the riflemen. The name of the fortress, maybe Cavalier 1 and built 1849.

Now we want to see the old town, take the street Zur Friedrichfeste to cross the river once again.

First crossing one of the small side rivers.

And then the big river Murg.

The bridge only for walk and bicycles, part of Badstrasse.

Now we can see the water tower again but now from the other side.

Einsiedelner Kapelle:

A chapel we also found in the park, Einsiedelner Kapelle, it's in the garden of the castle.

A lot of statues along the wall of the garden.

Schlösschen Pagodenburg

Pagodenburg, this is a tee house.

Schloss Rastatt:

We found a map how we could walk to get to see all old things in old town. We follow it and came to the castle.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Schloss Rastatt (Schloss Rastatt, Wikipedia)

In front of the castle is a big garden, we sat down on a bench for a while to rest.

It's very beautiful here in the garden.

Follow the street Lyzeumstrasse to come around the castle to the other side.

One of the castle's side doors.

New Britain Park:

A hotel for the birds.

Here we turn left to Kaiserstrasse, it will take us to the main square.

Marktplatz:

The big market square, very empty this evening.

Alexiusbrunnen:

In the center of the square is this well, Alexiusbrunnen

Parish Church of St. Alexander:

The big church of the square, Parish Church of St. Alexander.

Städtische Galerie Fruchthalle:

We find this ice cream bar and that was something at least I wanted. We sat down near the foutain Pfeifferbrunnen.

What a tasty ice cream, we talked to the waitress and she told us that she came here every summer and work. She came from Italy and we asked from where and she said Sardinia. We told here that we visited Sardinia a couple of years ago and like it very much.

When we sitting here I realize that we are less than 5 km from the French border.

Tired and back to the hotel.

It's a very big room with private shower and a small kitchen. But tomorrow we will eat breakfast in the hotel's restaurant, very early because we must go by the bus early to the airport.