German Weekend

The old fashioned automobile – there’s no other word for it – didn’t seem out of place on the cobblestoned streets of the small German town I was visiting. The distinctive putt-putt sound of the early horseless carriage with its high back wheels and glossy cream body shattered the silence. Where on earth was everybody?

OK, it was Sunday, but even on Friday and Saturday, the town had seemed deserted. Maybe the rain was keeping everyone inside. Not me, though. I didn’t want to waste the chance to wander through a 450 year old town full of houses with the distinctive Fachwerk (wooden strips on the outside).

The streets were steep and narrow, leading down to the marketplace, the fast moving river and the centre, which featured a few small luxury shops selling Chanel cosmetics and very expensive shoes. Even though these were modern, they blended right in. This was no doubt deliberate.

Outside one shop was a ride on toy into which you could put a coin. This was no Bob the Builder or other TV show character. Instead, it was a bright yellow donkey – and it only cost 10 cents, a tenth of what it would have cost back in the UK.

As we wandered through the town, a large ice cream caught our eye. Germany is justly famed for its Eiskafees (ice cream parlours) and the ice cream treats were indeed wondrous – cherry, strawberry, mango, tiramisu – real Italian ice cream with not a preservative in sight. The flavours exploded into my mouth. I’d definitely be back for more.

The half hour walk round the town culminated in a trip to the summit for a picturesque view. Back on the ground, we checked out the children’s play area. Swings, wide slides and an intricate system of buckets and chains for endless loading and emptying of sand and stones. My daughter loved it – and the dirt soon became the contents of her ice cream shop. Hmm; I wonder where she got that idea.

This is a draft of a travel article I’m working on – it’s incomplete, of course. Next: The hotel

What do you do when someone else is driving your car? Do you even let them do it? When my relatives come to visit, I’ve always wished there were an easy way to cover them to drive my car but it’s been a cumbersome and expensive process, so usually we don’t bother and I do all the driving. Now Norwich Union Insurance has launched the perfect product for this situation: short term car insurance. For 10 pounds or less a day (a good car insurance rate) your friends and family can drive your car and you can relax, knowing you’ll be covered if there’s any damage. This information is in a web release from CarInsurance.com, which provides quick car insurance coverage across the US.