I have done a few long road trips throughout my years of travelling and I always tend to pick routes with interesting stops in between. Where could I go this time? After all, there is not always a rush to get to a destination. Except when I’m escaping… (remember the trip from Rome? After I got robbed?) Not to mention my escape from Spain due to the lockdowns early last year. Crazy!
Either way, whether it is a long or a short road trip, visiting new places, as I drive, are a must for me. So, after my holiday in Poland I chose to drive back to Germany via Czech Republic and Austria.
And my first, very unexpected stop, was…
Mikulov, Czech Republic
The drive through Czech Republic was pretty quick with only a little bit of traffic. And then, as I was nearing the Austrian border, this unbelievable grand castle was suddenly looking down at me. WOW, what a great view! I did not expect this. Should I stop or not? I needed a break and a walk, so, I drove into the old town of Mikulov.
What a beautiful town Mikulov is. Sitting in the Moravian Region of Southern Czech, the historical and well preserved town is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
Back in the early 1200 the castle and surrounding area belonged to the Austrian noble Henry I of Liechtenstein only to then be occupied (after the 1278 Battle on the Marchfeld), mainly by German citizens until the second war in 1945. It has quite an interesting history. If you’d like to read more about it, click here.
As for me, I was really glad I stopped here. I can now add Mikulov to my list of places to visit in Czech Republic (read here my post a few years ago).
I love those surprising stops that come out of nowhere.
Funnily, I did consider stopping at Brno originally, but didn’t want to waste the time to get into the city, finding a car park and getting out of Brno again. In addition, it seemed there was lots of traffic that day. So I gave it a miss…
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Braunau am Inn, Austria
Next border, next stop. I had already 600km driving behind me and was definitely ready for an overnight break. Braunau am Inn was my stop because I had a room to stay at one of my friend’s parents home.
Walking through the city (just before a big storm hit), Braunau is a cute little border town, with a bridge across to Germany. It is not a town I would usually consider stopping here, but then I googled the history (which I do with most places) and something peaked my interest…
Braunau am Inn is the birthplace of the man, who’s name I am never sure if I can say out loud here, but who we all know as the WWII guy. And although he apparently lived in this particular birth house for the first three years of his live only, some locals still feel haunted by it. Nor want to talk about it.
For me however, it is part of history, and I always have had an interest in it. I mean, we are all born somewhere, right?
There was also a quick stop at the oldest city of Austria, Enns (near Linz). But besides the tower, and a big square that was pretty, but not very picturesque, it wasn’t really worth the stop.
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The next day I was up early and ready to continue my last part of the road trip.
There would have been a few places to stop along the Austrian/German (apparently the longest castle in Europe – Burghausen Castle -was just 10km away) but it was rainy and cold and I was looking forward to be back in my little apartment. I will come back here again one day. I think?!
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Ulm, Germany
I wasn’t sure whether I should stop in Ulm until I was very close. It was still a bit cold, especially after the hot days in Poland, but, it wasn’t raining and I needed a break. I also knew that I wouldn’t come back this way again too soon. So, sitting just a few kilometres off the Autobahn, I stopped to see the grand Ulmer Münster Cathedral (Ulm Minster).
I parked the car in the city, walked up to the Cathedral, took a few photos, went inside the church and left Ulm again. Quick and easy.
But WOW, what an amazing church it is. Apparently it is the tallest one in the world. It was soo tall, I couldn’t even take a full photo of it. Especially since there was a market on the square so I didn’t get a good position. That said, you can click here for some images because the Ulm Minster Cathedral is certainly breathtaking. Another stop well picked.
The city itself looked quite cute as well so I might have to come back to Ulm after all.
For now, I was happy with my stops, especially surprising Mikulov in Czech Republic, and was ready to get home. Until the next road trip.
(post 161)
