2019-07-22 Frankenberg To Alsfeld

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Frankenberg To Alsfeld

Here in Frankenberg on the Eder another blue-sky day begins, not a cloud anywhere and the temperature soon starts to rise.

Breakfast, shower, service the vehicles and an Aldi or Lidl shop before we all get on our way. We are last to leave and drive out of Frankenberg, looking wistfully at all the stages and venues where we have danced (now mostly gone) and drive up hill and out into the countryside. All the planning, anticipation and adrenalin of the performances is a thing of the past, our brains are full of memories from this event. We think and talk about what we enjoyed and what could have been better.

We join the B62 and head south for Marburg on the A3. It takes us a little under an hour to reach Marburg. It is another town like Frankenberg, with castle, church and old town on top of the hill, Marburg looks well worth a visit. Unfortunately for us the main road through the town is closed as they are resurcfacing the main bridge that crosses the river (which is also closed). There are tortuous diversions and the town in grid-locked, no where to stop or park. We find a space outside the bus depot (not officially for parking) but long enough to stop, have a quick lunch and rethink our plan. We look again at the Grimm brothers’ ‘fairy-tale’ route and decide to go to Alsfeld about an hour and a half away. Back on the B62, it is a pleasant drive. We find the Aire (Wohnmobilstellplatz), just on the edge of the town of Alsfeld, only a few minutes walk from the old city walls.

The heat is intense, well over 37°C in the shade,  but there is no shade. We park up in full sun, get the chairs out and sit in the shade of the vehicle, it is bearable. At 4.30pm when the heat of the day has passed, we put on our hats and sandals and walk over the river to the old town of Alsfeld.

Founded in the 8^th or 9^th century, it became a city, along with Marburg and Gruenberg between 1220 and 1230. Marburg prospered on trades and handicrafts and many of the old timbered houses have wood carvings of their tradesman (carpenter, stonemason, blacksmith etc). The Landgrave (Lord) Hermann II of Hesse lived here in the mid 1300s and built the castle in 1395 (although we found no castle ruins while we were here). We begin our exploration of the town at Leonhardsturm (Leonard’s tower), the one remaining city wall tower. It is round in construction, 27m high, the basement had been used as a prison at one time. It has been restored to very good condition. We walk along Fuldergasse, the main street, that takes us to the Rathaus (town hall) and Walpurgiskirche (St Walpurgis Church) behind. Like all Rathaus in Germany, it has a stone arched underpart, that was used as the market, very ornate half-timbered black and white upper storey with many ‘fairy-tale’ conical towers with slated roofs.

The Marktplatz is a square of old and ornate buildings dating from 1500 – 1600 and in the same half-timbered style. All have been maintained and restored in the style of the town. We find a remarkable hat shop on Rittergasse (one of the main narrow shopping streets leading away from marktplatz) and spend a good half hour looking at hundreds of hats. I buy two, one for costume dancing and another that is a wide straw brimmed hat suitable for any sunny or hot occasion. We pass the house where the Grimm brothers stayed and (reputably) wrote Little Red Riding Hood. The house is now a museum to the fairy tales and has an excellent collection of doll’s houses. Unfortunately, it was closed by the time we got there, but it really is a remarkable ‘fairy tale’ town. Back along Mainzergasse to the Marktplatz and then back to the camp site.

On our way back in, we see a parking spot in the shade and move the camper onto it, it is somewhat cooler. The side facing the sun is so hot we cannot touch it it must be over 50°C in the full sun. Wine, starters and stir fry and we feel a whole lot better as we sit in the cool of the evening until dark.

Frankenberg To Alsfeld

Summary of motorhome journey through Germany and France

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