Early autumn holiday, 6 and 7 September 2019

Fritzlar.

I am very unimpressed with my phone. For the past two days it has refused to find 4g signals, with the result that most of my apps haven't worked. I have now forced it to find a perfectly good 4g signal and am back in communication, but the  draft blog post I made  in WPS Office, and I know I saved, has vanished!

So yesterday we first of all did a bit of shopping (Federweisse!), and got diesel, which we were annoyed about as the service station that had been selling it at €1.16 per litre the previous day had put it up to €1.22 overnight.

We then drove to Battenberg, which was disappointing as the aire was a long way out of town (although a lovely view)

and, despite its royal connections, there appeared not to be a great deal to see or do.

So we decided to visit the source of the Ruhr, which was not far away. The nearest access road was closed, as was the car park, because of road works, but you could, and we did, park up at the ski centre which was roughly a 2km walk from the source. So we trudged up there - and it was a bit of a trudge - finding a random adventure playground in the middle of nowhere

and fording what was to become the river, dry-shod.

The source itself was pleasant,

although not exactly brimming with water,

and I was pleased that there were seats provided before the walk downhill, which was rather cold, but enlivened by making friends with this lady:

We then drove to Frankenberg where the aire was in a swimming - pool car park, and hoped to swim this morning, but it was so wet and cold we didn't even consider it, but went shopping after breakfast and then drove up to the Eder dam, or as near to it as one can get in a motor home. These drives, and the little towns one goes through or stops at, are all so pretty. Well, the outskirts are less so, with their petrol stations and supermarkets and do on, but those are at least useful! And once beyond them, the towns are lovely.

As we did not stop at Battenberg, we are a day ahead of ourselves and have come to lovely Fritzlar, one of our favourite places 24 hours earlier than expected. The SW, needless to say, has gone for a walk, and I am looking forward to one in the morning.