Travelled : 84 kilometres from Winssen, The Netherlands to Xanten, Germany.
Visited : Xanten. St. Victor’s Cathedral. Archaeological Park โฌ9 pp
Stayed : Womo-Park Xanten, municipal stellplatz (Aire), โฌ15.50 including power. N51.65500 E6.46278
Our mini break on the Rhein is over and it’s back to the daily grind of camper car life. We took a lay-day at Camping De Muk, did a couple of loads of washing and some shopping at a local supermarket. It was also a chance to download the latest Apple system updates and app updates on our iPhones and iPads. We have all the normal automatic updates turned off, as well as photo streaming and iCloud backups switch off during our travels to save it from consuming our cellular data package. So when we get a chance to use some free wifi for the day we make the most of it.
We say goodbye to Caroline and Erik, thank them for keeping an eye on the Hymer and head for Germany. As we cross the non-existent frontier the Hymer does a little sigh. Obviously glad to be home after 10 years away from the motherland. It’s an overcast day, with a very light drizzle. Not enough to turn on the wipers more than every 5 minutes. We appear to be bring Holland’s weather with us.
A new country for our motorhome travels, Germany. Our blogger friends Joy and Johannes from Western Australia sent an email overnight saying how much they enjoyed being back in Germany, paraphrasing ‘the Germans have lots of rules but everything is orderly so you know what to expect’.
Arriving in Xanten we soon turn into the stellplatz and find a spot. Not a spot with a yellow marker however, as they are already been booked. Thanks Johannes we have discovered our first rule. It’s actually a very nice stellplatz, The sites are roomy and it’s very neat and tidy. It also boasts a ‘wellness spa’ with massage and other beauty treatments.
If you need a packet of cigarettes on short notice 24/7 Germany’s the place to be. Standing in the checkout line at the supermarket in Xanten, I notice you can buy a pack of 170 cigarettes for โฌ14 much less than a 40 pack in Australia. Mind you they do have pictures of people’s cancerous parts displayed on the pack, so Nichola Robson has been here too.
Whether it’s the Walther P99 to help settle that big business deal or perhaps the snub nose 25 for that personal touch, they have you covered in this shop.
Walking down the street toward the Altstadt. We find this lovely little hand pump, by the end of the day we have seen several of these on the pathways around the old town.
Another hand pump this one bigger and more elaborate in the Altstadt square.
Xanten is famous across Germany for it’s Dom (Cathedral) of St. Victor. Consecrated over the tomb of St. Victor, a Roman soldier martyred because of his Christian faith. We notice this appears to be a common theme in Cathedrals in the Netherlands and Germany.
The high alter at St. Victor’s. A church has stood on this place since 400 AD, work on today’s Cathedral started in 1263 and took 250 years to complete. That’s dedication.
Built on the site of an old Roman military camp in 12 BC, there are many Roman arctifacts on display around the town walls.
Walking along the old north wall we find this lovely old windmill. It’s still working to grind flour on a daily basis. There is a bakery in the basement and small shop selling the bread on ground level.
Xanten is the home of Germays biggest archaeological museum, Colonia Ulpia Traiana. We found it was too late to visit yesterday so we have an early breakfast and head over at 9.30 am.
The park is huge something like a hundred or more hectares. The original roads have been laid in gravel and lined with trees to give the area perspective.
The structures are largely re-creations however, this one, the Temple of the Port is constructed with typical German precision and would probably withstand the test of time and tide better than something knocked up by the Greeks.
The Museum is very interactive and modern, possibly more suited to a bunch of year 8 students.
This panorama should open in wide format if you click on it. This is the covered excavation of the Roman Baths at Traiana.
Travelled : 114 kilometres from Xanten to Ludinghausen in the Northern Rhineland of Germany. Visited : LudingHausen including Vischering Castle โฌ1 pp […]
One thought on “Xanten, Germany 2016 ๐ฉ๐ช๐ณ๐ฑ”
Good to see you are back on dry land. The photos of the streetscapes are lovely. Enjoy your travels.