Lovely Ludwigsburg

Thankfully the ambulance sirens weren’t screeching all night. In fact, despite being in the centre of the city, it was very quiet, with just the birds making a noise.

We’d read that Ludwigsburg Palace opened at 9.00 so we wandered along the tree lined avenue through the park to the gates. Only a couple of people were ahead of us and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Even as the morning got later, it didn’t get much busier.

The palace is huge. We decided not to go inside and just paid for a garden ticket, spending two hours wandering around the grounds. The flower beds in the formal gardens were stunning.

At the other side of the palace there was an area full of fairy tale characters from the Brothers Grimm stories. Also a small train track and a boat flume. Great for children.

The weather was glorious once again so we just enjoyed exploring. In one area with old fashioned fairground rides and a cafe overlooking a lake, we took a picture of the fountain and a plastic heron… well we thought it was plastic until it flew off!

As well as various types of garden, such as roses and herbs, there was an aviary with a variety of birds including storks, flamingoes, parrots and pheasants.

When we’d seen everything, we walked back through the park to Bertie. The wheel was turning, which reminded me, John said we could go on it! How could we miss the opportunity to go on the largest mobile ferris wheel in the world?!

Although I found the swinging of the bubble a bit scary at first, it was lovely seeing the city from so high. The palace looked tiny, as did Bertie, far below us.

Our next stopover is in Tubingen. We’re staying on a campsite and, as the weather is so good, we decided to have a lazy afternoon, doing the washing and a few other chores, and relaxing, making plans by the river. It’s been lovely to be able to cook and eat outside. Tomorrow we’re going to explore the town.