The usual pre croissant walk took us to another part of town and passed two beautiful houses, one lived in by the town architect. His house personifies those grand old mansions.

Then it was a bus ride to our forest walk in Wasserkuppe. But there was a difference of opinion about timetables, so we asked an off duty driver to help us out. He assured us that German buses leave on time so be here. At his time of 10.10 the bus arrived and Corrie and I were the first ones on. As I went to get a good seat Corrie was working out destinations and costs. She was having a pleasant chat with the driver but getting nowhere so after some time a woman behind Corrie helped. As you could tell I was of no help.

The large bunch of large men in their fifties including the retired driver and some others were just chatting quietly. The seventy or so climbed on to the bus in half the time it took us two to get settled. This was one German bus not leaving on time. We left at about 1015 which allowed for two more late comers who were surprised the bus was still there. Our next stop another fifty got on. As they moved on the last few seats were taken with our large bus driver friend sharing a little of his two seats with a young man; four young men with cerebral palsy (CP) swung themselves purposefully from seat handle to seat handle down the back with their four girl carers giving them as much independence as they could. 

The bus was full but another with CP man scooted up the ramp, taking his boy carer with him to clear out his space in front of us. Then he arranged for an elderly woman with a four wheel walker which she changed into a chair to share his space. The carer girls had taken up the middle door space, while a few older men were encouraged to move down the back with one falling into a seat made vacant for him. Everyone was talking quietly.

They were still clambering on, probably holding the bus up longer than Corrie. One who wasn’t so quiet was the CP one who chatted for the whole journey getting a few nods from his carer while even insisting that he pull his own mask up over his own nose. No-one wears a mask on the street or in stores but everyone wears one on the bus.

We arrived at our destination almost on time! So having little to do besides minding other people’s business, I minded it. The large men soon sat down at a beer place and ordered their half pints. The crew of very able CPs with their carers went round the corner to the games area where they wizzed around on whizzing machines with some carers egging them on, others joining in. Anyone who had heard about the 10.10 from Fulda had somehow arrived earlier finding it safer and less crowded to go hang gliding while others took to the sky in their gliders.

We, meanwhile were talking jibberish with the information woman whom we had a lot of fun with as she took us out on the street to point out important stuff that couldn’t be conveyed through normal speech. I, now, for the first time today, began minding my own business, and Corrie and I took off through and around a large forest, past a mound of rocks that had a geological history which I need to find more about from our English friend whom we are to meet up with next weekend. While the forest is beautiful, once the tree felling starts the beauty fades as only stumps remain completely changing the forest’s atmosphere.

Tomorrow we head for the start line of The Romantic Way – Wurzburg, where we will stay for two nights. Before we leave we need to replace ‘past retirement items’ such as a jumper that keeps on being just good enough, and a hat that can’t get a hold on my new haircut. And we especially look for romance as we start on this last two thirds of our challenge.