Day 6 Winnenden to Esslingen 21 km+

Today was a shorter day (by about 10 km) that somehow took longer than yesterday! Shoes to tie, stamps to stamp, and so many pictures to take! It was a gorgeous, gorgeous day. After a foggy start, the sun came out and then wow. Impossible not to trip over the clichés. Stunning sky and robins singing and the smell of apples. About 80% of the day was astoundingly good.

Great exit from Winnenden along a paved cycle path surrounded by green. In the city it passes some big modern institutional buildings where the place that lawns once were have been given over to biodiversity projects. It seems like the walking/cycling paths are cleaned in the winter. Good public service.

The exit from the town opens into fields full of apples and plums and quince. And these gave way to a forest, similar to yesterday’s but with sun! And so very different. So bright with all the yellow leaves. I came out of the woods to the really fun sound of a little kids’ ‘play group doing some kind of forest art.

And then after the forest, the vineyards. Foggy vineyards at first, but then they were spectacular. And they carried on for the rest of the day. I have never seen anything like it. Big block patterns of colour sweeping up steep hillsides, making them all the better to see. I guess I have really only seen grapes in the spring!

The jakobsweg passed through four or five villages of varying sizes. Churches were all open - and several had sandwich board signs on the sidewalk to let you know. I got a couple of stamps. I stopped for a coffee.

The walking today was pretty easy. Nothing too high or too muddy. I managed not to lose the route. The only annoyance was another “life danger” sign blocking off the path - with no other information. You could hear the chainsaws in the distance, so I made a big circle around them to the left, but I probably should have gone to the right. A big chunk of the alternative path I took was overgrown and super steep. I was hot and cranky by the end of it. But then I came out to a sunny road and a jaeger hut — hunter’s hut, but really a restaurant — with a good terrace and spectacular view. I was too late for lunch but a radler in the sun definitely helped!

From there it was pretty much straight down paved narrow paths into Esslingen. I’m staying in an Airbnb, a room in someone’s flat. It is a beautiful little town - a river, a canal, great views of the vineyards. Lots of really old buildings. This flat is in a house from the 1700s. The buildings in another part of town are even older.

All the restaurants the woman I am staying with recommended were having their rest day (again). I ended up at a place with a fall pumpkin menu. Pumpkin soup, pumpkin risotto, baked pumpkin with Gorgonzola and some other things I forget. I had the pumpkin maultaschen- the big ravioli-like things I had the other day.

The room I am in has no heating - so that’s it for me tonight. I need blankets!
[Edited to add: I just found a warm hot water bottle in my bed!]

Tomorrow’s distance is a bit of a mystery. I had to go off the jakobsweg to find a place to stay. The Camino goes up through the hills -and I could get to the place by going that way and then dropping down into the village or I could take a different route along the Neckar river. We’ll see! Tonight’s town is Esslingen am Neckar. Tomorrow’s village is Neckartenzlingen. The town that some people suggest you stay in on tomorrow’s route is Neckartailfingen. A different guidebook suggests Neckarhausen. It’s confusing! But clearly the river itself is important!Read more