August 19, 2018. In the morning, I continued to Lübeck and arrived around 11:15 a.m. I really enjoyed the city—it was beautiful, with a charming tower, a moat, and a well-preserved old town. I met a friendly hairdresser who had trained with Vidal Sassoon and said her credentials took a lot of time to keep up. She had lived in Lübeck for forty years.

I joined a tour of the Rathaus conducted in German. After waiting two hours, we began the tour and visited the parliament room where the Hanseatic League once met. It was a very old and historic setting. On the advice of a local, I bought some marzipan, then went to an incredible museum about the Hanseatic League. Although I only had two hours, I learned a lot. The main trading ports included Bingen, Visby, London, Brussels, and Novigrad.

I didn’t have time to explore the cloister or the church. I walked along the entire circumference of the city before leaving around 7:30 p.m. and driving to Hamburg. The skyline was lovely—lights reflecting off the water. The city itself was busy, with people rushing around. I walked through beautiful arcades and admired the marble buildings near the city hall. A massive fire had once wiped out the old town. I decided not to stay and instead drove toward Lüneburg. I camped off what looked like a quiet rural road, but it turned out to be an artery of the freeway, and the traffic kept me up all night.

August 20. I awoke frazzled, and headed to Lüneburg. A road work diversion led me to a cloister, so I decided to join a guided tour—only in German, but one of the visitors translated a few things for me. His American cousin was visiting. The tapestry museum was beautiful, though mostly religious in theme. After the two-hour tour, I went downtown and found Lüneburg to be very pretty—nicer even than Lübeck. There were lots of well-preserved old buildings. I got a latte and forgot to pay at first but went back. I visited a few stunning churches with ornate altars. I felt really happy there.

I left around 4:30 p.m. and decided to head to Potsdam instead of Berlin, given the hour. I arrived at Park Sanssouci and walked until nightfall, past the Orangerie, the Summer Palace, and the Belvedere with its vast overlook. The scale of the park was grand, filled with follies—it was the largest grounds I had seen so far. Afterward, I went into town and had an excellent Adana chicken sandwich, served by two Turkish brothers who had come to Germany when they were seven. They were warm and appreciated the opportunities they had found. I then drove toward a forested area and camped near a farm. The next morning, people were walking dogs nearby—it felt a little too close to houses.

August 21. I woke up late, still tired, and headed to Einstein Café for a great latte and some cheesecake—more German-style than American. I walked to the round church and then through the grand state buildings, learning a bit about the history of Potsdam. It was a very hot day.

I crossed the canal and explored the botanical gardens. These canals had once been filled in and later reopened. I walked through some community gardens and watched a man repeatedly throw a stick into the water for his dog to retrieve—it always jumped in from the same spot. Very amusing.

From there, I entered Park Sanssouci again through a different gate and headed to the New Palace. I spent nearly two hours exploring the rooms—almost not enough time. I wandered the park until dark, passed by the Charlottenhof Mansion, and spent quite a while trying to find the downtown. Eventually, I stumbled upon a great ice cream place called Eis Frau—excellent quality and not too crowded.

I returned to my car, which I realized was parked in a handicapped spot. I got some water and went to say goodbye to the brothers at the kebab place. One of them wished me well. I then drove to Caputh, where Einstein had lived, and camped in the nearby forest. As I drifted off to sleep, I heard a few animals in the woods.

August 22. I had a great sleep and headed toward Berlin, but got sidetracked by yet another detour. German road detours never seem to indicate where they’re leading—or maybe I just can’t read the signs. I eventually arrived near the Brandenburg Gate and parked, deciding I wouldn’t find a better spot. It was already sweltering by 11 a.m., eventually reaching 93°F.

I passed the Reichstag and considered walking back to it, but instead wandered along the river near the Brandenburg Gate to find some relief from the heat. I had arranged to meet Ken, Shawn’s friend from Japan, at 5 p.m.

I had a nice stir fry lunch and explored the museum district and the rebuilt old town. I saw the statue of St. George and the Dragon, and many canal tour boats. Berlin had massive modern developments interspersed with older buildings. I thought about going into the Pergamon Museum but decided against it—I had already visited Pergamon and knew many of the original reliefs were now housed in Berlin.

It was a few days away from the Long Night of Museums, when the museums stay open late. I searched for good ice cream but didn’t find anything in that part of town. Around 6 p.m., I phoned Ken again to let him know I’d be late due to heavy traffic. Eventually, I made it to his neighborhood and found a fantastic organic ice cream place—then saw several more nearby. It was a very hip and trendy area. Ken told me it used to be a rough neighborhood, but over time, Lebanese families had purchased many of the flats and were now renting them out to the government for Syrian refugees—apparently at very high prices, which he called a racket.

Ken was a great guy. He works in behind the scenes TV production management for soccer games, managing several soccer stadiums, including Dresden and Leipzig. He’s divorced and facing many legal issues with his ex-wife, who has kept him from seeing his children much and keeps demanding more money.

After our chat, I wandered around the area and got a fantastic chicken rice salad plate from a Turkish place—really delicious. Then I drove toward Dresden and camped near a peaceful lake and bird sanctuary. The sound of wind in the trees kept me company all night. I swam the next morning after watching a man do the same—I started out taking a birdbath but was inspired by my fellow bather.

August 23. I arrived in Dresden around 11 a.m. and first stopped by the library to use the restroom. Then I headed toward the palace and decided to visit the Green Vault (Grünes Gewölbe) and the Kunstkammer exhibit. There were beautiful handcrafted rock crystal vases from Venice and other regions—sadly, no photos were allowed. I especially loved the mirrored and copper statue rooms, as well as the coat of arms gallery.

The four rooms in the inner courtyard had been destroyed during the February 1945 bombings and later reconstructed. After spending a bit too much time there, I explored more of the city and found the city museum, which had an excellent exhibit on Dresden’s history—free entry, likely part of the Long Night of Museums.

I rushed back to the Frauenkirche hoping to glimpse the interior, but they closed ten minutes before 6, allowing only worshippers inside. The staff threatened to lock in anyone trying to sneak a photo—very German. I only managed to peek in through the outer door.

A sudden rainstorm had come through earlier, but by evening, the weather cleared. I walked to the Nymphenbad, a lovely spot with fountains and statues of Greek goddesses. A concert was taking place nearby. I also climbed stairs beside the museum for a panoramic view of the river—truly beautiful. On the opposite bank were two elegant buildings that I initially mistook for the opera house. I later got a photo of the real opera building, with the statue of the Kaiser in front.

That night, I camped near a quiet wildlife sanctuary lake. I considered driving to Leipzig, but I would have arrived after sunset. In hindsight, I regretted not going—it’s a beautiful city.

August 24. Faced a long drive ahead—two days to get back to Albi. I had originally planned for three, but decided I could manage it in two. Drove on good German roads; there were some slow sections due to road work, but overall, it went smoothly at a good pace. I decided to camp near Lauf.

August 25. Woke up and drove into town to get bread and cake, and hopefully a latte. Walked through the town gate and discovered a beautiful old town. There was a farmers market selling meat, bread, produce, and other local goods—it was Saturday. I got a cake and a latte, then realized I had been here before. I came across a working mill (at least the water wheel was turning) and visited a castle situated on an island in the river. I had some excellent ice cream and struck up a conversation with a friendly local woman who had grown up there. She now lives in a village outside of town and loves her old house. It sounded ideal. I didn’t want to leave.

Eventually, I pulled myself away and drove to Schwäbisch Hall, arriving around 1:30 p.m. Visited the main church, but there was a wedding underway. It was a cold, rainy day. I wandered near the Swabian-Franconian Museum, then through a park. I finally listened to Markus’s messages, laughed, and responded. I visited both the Würth Church Museum and the modern art museum. Saw some Cranach paintings and a lovely main altar, though I didn’t care for the modern art. Last time I was there, I had seen a great Max and Moritz exhibit.

Found a falafel pita stand—the pita and falafel were both handmade and very good. I walked to the other end of town near a building with another house perched on top of it. The library had a charming puppet exhibit in the window. I reluctantly left.

Stopped by a church on my way out, walked around, and took some photos. I left around 5 p.m. and headed toward Basel. I considered stopping there but it was too far off my highway route. Instead, I camped just over the French border in a terrible spot between a field and a forest. I had planned to set up my tent but it was wet, cold, and there was a foul smell. Ended up parking on the road, having tried to head into the forest. At 4 a.m., someone came with a tractor to harvest lumber—he passed within inches of my car for hours. I didn’t get up until 10 a.m. It was a horrible night’s sleep.