Bad Harzburg, Goslar and Harz Mountains

It was a day on the road and I started by planning a route that avoided the motorways and autobahns.  Not because the roads are hard to use, in fact, they are simpler than driving in the towns, but there is so much more that can be seen when driving through the towns rather than around them.

We left our accommodation around 9 am after having an in house breakfast we purchased previously. Kellogs Cornflakes and a cup of tea. It is small sacrifices like having a simple breakfast
we purchased from the supermarket, that helps with the cash flow on trips like these.

First stop was the town of Bad Harzburg, and thankfully to devices like SatNav, the drive was quite simple and uneventful.  I have found that German drivers, in this region at least, to be very courteous and patient.

We parked the car and took a stroll down a town we knew little about other than retirees come here for that reason and the health benefits of the mineral water and fresh air.

The town is based along one long strip which we walked along, for me it was lovely to stroll along under the tree-lined street and admire some of the items for sale in the shops. We stopped for a coffee (Kaffe in German) and shared a lovely cake.

It was also an opportunity to stop off at a supermarket for some lunch items.

With two hours spent walking up and down, we were back in the car headed for Goslar.  Goslar was selected as a destination on this trip as it was one of the few towns in Germany that were largely un effected by the destructive bombing of WW2. The Tomtom was preprogrammed with a parking lot in check and after about 20 min we arrived to find it was closed and being renovated!  Thankfully without too much stress, I was able to follow the well-signposted roads to an alternate location.

With our previously purchased shopping in tow and the help of google maps, it was to the closest park to have some lunch with the locals, local ducks.

 

The next few hours were spent exploring the town of Goslar, made rich by mining and also the Harz region.  Our ride on a little train was in order too, where we put on the red earplugs and for 30 min were bounced around the cobblestone streets and learned about some of the features of the town. Before we boarded the train when purchasing our tickets, we had a chat with the driver, he had been to Australia and toured from Cooktown to Cairns.

After walking the streets and the short train tour we went to the Imperial Palace of Goslar and took a self-guided tour and used a smartphone app.

We returned back to Wernigerode via a loop of the Harz mountains and whilst typing, Katie is trying to find somewhere for dinner, as last night was not very successful.  It turns out that on a Sunday night in this sleepy town, that from 6pm all restaurants full quickly.  It wasn't until we went to the fourth place on our list that we were able to get a table. The meal was ok, but as no one was in there it would appear the locals avoid it for a reason. Fingers crossed we have better luck tonight.