Day 1 Rothenburg to Schrozberg (19 km)

It was an easy, relaxed day. Beautiful landscapes and - surprise! - good company!

A fantastic breakfast was included with the room at the hotel. Decent coffee, tons of choice. Except for fruit and yoghurt, everything else is brought to your table , with options raging from vegan to seriously carnivorous. 4 different kinds of bread. Sliced and soft cheeses. Various unknown to me meats, three different kinds of vegan pate. A few vegetables. Eggs were a possibility. I had muesli and fruit and yoghurt and cheese and bread and jam. It was all so good. And about three times more than I would normally eat when I walk.

I stopped at the bakery on the way out of town and got a sandwich for later and a pastry for second breakfast. No coffee stops on the way today.

It took me about 45 minutes to go the first kilometre and a half. So many pictures. The route starts at the church and passes through a tower in the town walls then out through the castle gardens, which at that point are fruit orchards and grape vines. Down a narrow path to a small river - the Tauber. Past and then over a weird double bridge and then up into the woods. European woods! Open and full of ivies (that word looks weird) and other ground covers that we would put in a garden.

After the town the marking of the route was excellent. The same yellow shell on a blue background you would see in Spain. The path comes out of the woods to agricultural fields. Lots of apple trees around their edges. At one farm there was a little farm store with an honesty box for paying. Yoghurt, cheese, meat, ice cream. Everything too big for a knapsack.

When I came out of the store there was another woman with a pack! A pilgrim! She lives about 80 km from here. We are both walking the same route, which is not a popular route and is one of three that follow the same path for the first day. You’re from Canada!!!???? How did you find out about this? As she went into the store, she said, don’t go yet! I have so many questions!

We walked together off and on for the rest of the day and we are both staying in the same place tonight, which is the only place to stay in this town. Her name is Angelica, but apparently her nickname is Marie Louise, which is just funny. And we are both the same age. We have been mostly speaking English but she is also making me practice German, which is great.

The walking was super easy. Everything feels great. The day was short. Lots of tracks in the woods. Clearly there is a lot of hunting here. There were lots different stands or blinds for hunters. I sat on one to have second breakfast (a delicious hazelnut ‘snail’).

The place we are staying in is an old hospital that has been converted into a kind of big guest house. It seems like there are people staying here who are working in the area, and then the two of us, and later two other women pilgrims came in. They are also from somewhere very close by and just walking for two days. I think Angelica is only walking until Sunday or Monday. If you live close, you can do these things on the weekends. They are so lucky.

Schrozberg is small and there is not a lot here. We tried to go to a café, which seemed quite chic and urban, but they were closed for a private party. So for dinner I had the sandwich I bought this morning and an apple and some cookies from home and there will be a big breakfast here in the morning. No one is going hungry.

So far walking in Germany is good!Read more