Hotel Waldsaegmuehle Pfalzgrafenweiler

... Moscow (20 h)

Longest train trip:
Moscow - Ulan Baator (6 days)

Longest flight:
Frankfurt - Brisbane (with stop-over)
Frankfurt - San Francisco (no stop-over)

Best flight:
First class Emirates Melbourne - Singapore

Most exhausting cities:
New York, Shanghai
Rottweil, Baden-Württemberg, Germany tilman

This place was incredible! There was just too much that I loved to talk about, but one thing that was really cool was a hotel that they have called "The Little Prince"...after the book and movie The Little Prince. My parents and I LOVED this book when I was little and we used to read it and watch the movie quite a bit. It's a pretty strange story but really neat. One the side of ...

... correct route.

Unfortunately, the noise that had been notices yesterday reappeared, much more disturbing now. So we stopped at the side of the road, and took a look. Gaz got out to have a look, too. The bearings on the viscous fan unit had all but disintegrated, and so the fan was no longer being held in position, and was likely to twist itself into the radiator, causing a lot more damage ...

... sample the therapeutic waters..well Lauren did, she fell in the public fountain..alittle too enthusiastically reaching for a twig.

Then back to the caravan for pasta in a pan and of course Black Forest Gateaux...Frankfurt 5 star Hotel for Stu's birthday is on the cards next..hurrah!

One observation, Germans tend to decorate the gardens of their static caravans with gnomes and model deers, while the Italians opt for a yappy dog on a piece of string.

... farm house, sort of semi-bored, looking at how hard life was for the German farmer, I discovered life on the farm also involved Natzi's. When I climbed up to the second floor, I found the entire space was dedicated to the Natzi presence in Schwarzwalder. It was laid out like a museum. White walls with photographs of Natzi's and letters hanging on them ...

We caught the wrong train and wound up in Gengenbach. While we were waiting for a train back we met a lady who told us the town had a beautiful old-town section. So we went discovering again. After a good look around we stopped at a pub while we were waiting for the next train and got talking to the owner. Turns out he'd been to Australia on holiday, so we had a good time talking to him until it was time to go.

Day trip from Villingen. Wolfach has a factory cum tourist attraction where they blow the glass manually. It was good to watch them making vases etc. in the traditional way. The highlight for me was dobbing Roz in to get up on the stage and blow her own vase. She did a good job, and we bought the vase and brought it home. A very special souvenir.

Home of the world famous Hubert Herr clock factory. Met Reinhard Herr, Hubert's great grandson, who still owns and runs the place. The clocks are still handmade and handcarved in the traditional designs. They even make their own clock movements. Spent an hour or so talking to the gentleman, and he explained ...

... department of Macy's or Nordstrom back home. It was fun shopping with the girls, Libby tried on a shiny plastic jacket and proclaimed herself a super hero. I found an adorable warm jacket that I really like and I bought it. Crystal tried the same one on and liked it so much that she bought one too. Good thing I don't have a hang up about wearing the same clothes as someone else ☺. The jacket is 100% cotton, which surprised me, because almost all of the clothes I've ...

... I had had enough. I have the feeling I've been to a spa before and decided that I shouldn't go again - and this time I hope I remember in the future. It was just a little too artificial and I didn't find it that relaxing. Simba stayed in while I meditated outside by a nice pond. I think maybe because I find I can relax with meditation, places likes spas which people that like them say help them relax ...