Aviation Tour - Maps on www.bankleft.com

With the season still allowing good weather, we decided to head north into Germany to visit a few hot spots that Helen had in mind. We just had to fly over Neuschwanstein, the castle on which Disney based their emblem, which says it all really. Constructed relatively recently it bankrupted the state but is now a hige tourist boon for the area. So there you have it. Voila. A megalomanic's ozymandean edefice may in an even longer time frame end up an asset. Tough in the mean time for the serfs of the bankrupt state though. I wonder what austerity package involved in those days. No food I assume. While in our era the people over here are about to string Sarkozy up for making them work an additional 2 years.

This brilliant German Speed Canard was on the apron with us at Aalen as we stopped for Mogas (car petrol) which is readily available in Germany. As long as one has access to long hard runways, this kind of plane is very fast and efficient, though without much wine capacity when two up unfortunately.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is an unadulateted picture perfect ancient walled German village. 

We spent a few days exploring it and hiking around the top of the walls.

It seemed a little like an adventure playground for adults and less commercial than somewhere like Carcassonne. There was a strong club at the airfield and we were invited to Octoberfest by some locals at a nearby village. I'm guessing that what we experienced was similar to how the original Munich octoberfest would have been before becoming such a destination. Awesome beer. Real taste.

Peter took pity on us one day while it was raining and invited us to stay with him for a few days in his lovely hamlet above the town. A retired Urologist, he has spend 30 years travelling in Scandinavia and was able to flesh out our understanding of many places up there.

After taking us on a tour of the local area we droppen in on this old school bar/food place which seems pretty much unchanged for about 100 years. Someone later told us in jest that the pale square on the timbered wall was where they have only recently removed Hitler's portrait. Being here was a real experience, with the normal daily locals arriving to sit in their personal seats around the huge fire and discuss the day's events. I understood how comfortable and personal the small village life can be.

It is official - the Germans make the best donuts. It became really clear how influenced American food is by German immigration.