We left the safety of Stefan’s for the big journey. As I approached the turning point on my GPS, I saw a blur and then another. Holy Moley, those are cars on the famed autobahn. I was doing 75 mph and, at times, I felt like I was standing still. As one young man told me, he generally does around 105 mph. I just hid among the trucks. We arrived at Ansbach. It has a small military installation where I immediately received police attention. All I did was purchase gas on the base. Gas on the outside runs between $8 to $9.00 a gallon. On base it is only $4.00 a gallon. After getting 2 gallons, I tried to pay. Well they wanted my ID card, auto registration, and an SO card. What is an SO card? Well, gas is rationed. So they had to call the police, and I had to pay economy rates. The police officer (MP) was from Greeley, Colorado. Nice fellow. He said it happens all the time. Then, the next thing that happened was our credit cards got blocked. Our anniversary dinner was a hamburger and coke at Burger King! 3 day holiday, however, got it straightened out. They saw a purchase out of Ansbach but processed in USA. They thought someone was using our credit card while we were overseas.

The German population has been very friendly and helpful. We went to Rothenberg. A beautifully medieval town. The town is surround by a defensive wall which we walked part of. The entire town was closed to auto traffic. We had an ice cream. They sell you the ice cream and then you can put any fresh fruit you want on it.

The next day we went to Nuremberg. We are talking about cities that have a history prior to the 1500’s. It also played a significant role during Hitler’s rise. Again, the beauty of the clean cities and nice people strike you. The country roads are just great for motorcycling. Also, parking is free to motorcycles, in designated areas. The main castle was huge, with gardens, moat, and a huge defensive wall. In the center of the town square was a huge clock tower. At noon, we watch the huge figures parade in front of the king in the clock tower.

We visited Ansbach today. This small city, like the size of Fort Morgan, can trace its history back to 1100.

After 3 days of walking it is time to rest. The statutes are of the same person. He went from rags to riches as a poet in Ansbach. He was stabbed to death one evening. This is his memorial.

Here is to the ice cream club.

Next stop is Vienna (June 1).