A Quick Drive to Weimar

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Tuesday 30 June 2015

What a great stay in Dresden. Great hotel, great weather and great sights. What more could we want. But today we have to move on. This time we have a 2 o'clock appointment in Weimar with the sister-in-law of our daughter. Our GPS friend says we'll get there in plenty of time so we will have time for a coffee break and lunch.

After a quick stop at a Netto supermarket for some fresh bread rolls and drinks we head off for another fast and furious drive. We drive at a sedate pace and our arrival time doesn't alter too much. At a McCafe near Munich we received two €1 coffee vouchers so why not use them. "Sorry sir these are not for this region". Oh well, perhaps we might need them the next time we visit Munich. Then the response will be, "Sorry sir these expired some years ago".

A bit further on it was time for a lunch break. Soon it was road works. Our estimated time of arrival had crept out to 1:45 pm. Hope there are no more deviations. But yes, someone put an Autobahn where Polly said there was none. At 120 kph we were instructed many times to, "Do a U turn". Our current position on the screen had us in the middle of a paddock. After a quick deviation we over-rode the GPS and continued. Now our ETA was 1:56 pm. With some catch up speed, and an effortless drive into Weimar we arrived at our destination on time, 2:00 pm. Perfect Kiwi timing.

After introductions to Edith's parents we set off on a walking tour of Weimar. This quiet city is famous for several reasons. It was here after WWI that the Weimar Republic was established. Its famous sons are Goethe and Schiller. It is the birthplace of the Bauhaus movement. Bach lived here for some time. It is a very intellectual city and currently about 20,000 students study here.

We are taken on a tour of this quiet city and get the feeling we are the only tourists in town. It is a town where pedestrians and motorists get along together, the speed limit is set at 30. The local public gardens are a peaceful spot on the edge of town and it is here we find Goethe's house and garden, reminds us of Monet's house and garden but on a smaller scale.

We thoroughly enjoyed our unplanned visit to Weimar and recommend it as a brief stop off on any tour of that region of Germany. We really appreciated the time Edith and her parents gave us. We learnt a lot more about the region and life under the East German regime.

Heading to our hotel we noticed a sign near the hotel directing drivers to Buchenwald. This is not on our itinerary, but then we would not have imagined it was so close to lovely Weimar. Perhaps we will make a visit tomorrow before we head to Berlin.

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Photos

Weimar
Building where the Weimar Republic was established. Schiller and Goethe stand outside.

Weimar
Inside the palace courtyard.

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Street scene.

Weimar
Goethe's house and garden.

Weimar
Is this a family restaurant?