For several days DonQui explores a corner of southwestern Germany. It is a region he knows well so he is partly revisiting old places and memories as well as making new discoveries.

His route winds through the flat Rhine valley and up into the vineyards on the Badische Weinstraße (Baden wine route). Baden wines are excellent but are pretty well unknown in the UK as virtually none are exported. Produced in relatively small quantities, the locals prefer to drink it all themselves!

DonQui stops off for a couple of days at Durbach where some of his favourite wines are grown in the vineyards surrounding the Markgraf von Baden’s Schloss Staufenberg. For centuries the Schloss has stood guard against invading French armies with the Markgraf (Marcher Lord) having responsibility for the defence of this border region on behalf of the Emperor in Vienna.

Needless to say DonQui picks up a bottle or three of the Markgraf’s wine— bringing him perilously close to the 18 litre limit he is allowed to bring back to the UK. He may have to drink a few bottles on his trip before passing through customs.

Then it is up the long and winding road into the hills and forests of the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) towards Freudenstadt.

Here he takes the opportunity to trot along some of the many nature trails. Hopefully he will burn off a small proportion of the calories he has been consuming!

This being an asparagus producing area and it being asparagus season, the vegetable appears on virtually every menu. DonQui enjoys the more delicate white asparagus for a change as they are very hard to find in the UK.

The weather turns when he makes a trip to the Mummelsee. It is said to be an incredibly beautiful lake but DonQui cannot conform this as the rain and thick fog reduces visibility down to just a couple of meters. The Mummelsee is said to be inhabited by Nixies (water sprites). The low cloud and mist makes it easy for him to imagine that this may very well be true.

DonQui’s route then takes him down to Lake Constance at the southern end of Germany. Switzerland is on the other side of the lake. Finding a relatively empty stretch of Autobahn on the way down he gets the chance to blow out the cobwebs from his car at 100 mph without having to worry about speed cameras (there being no speed limit on a German autobahn).

His final pit stop in Germany is the pretty town of Landau. The old fortified town is on an island in Lake Constance and boasts a most impressive 15^th century town hall…

… and 13^th century tower than once also served as a lighthouse. It is known as the Rapunzel tower. hence the ‘rope of hair’ hanging down from a high window,

Situated at the juncture of the German, Austrian and Swiss borders Lindau is a perfect jumping off spot to cross the alps and head down on into Italy. This is what DonQui will do tomorrow.