Nordhausen, bus to Bad Lagensalza, then on foot to Gotha – Days 18, 19, and 20 of the way.

During the night there was quite a busy light and sound show.  I didn’t get up to see if it was raining, though the next morning it was clear that it had been as, for the first time really, I had sticky mud to negotiate.  At one point I grew quite a lot taller with very heavy boots!  The rain in the night had increased the humidity with any potential views seen through a haze, and as a result I took very few photos, there being no point.

 No view in the haze

 And negotiating the mud after the rain.

Had to look very carefully here  - this is he path!  It's quite easy to see isn't it?!

The walk into Nordhausen was far less stressful than the previous day, though as has become usual, I lost the path and entered the city on a different route.  I was quite pleased really, as I passed a really nice looking restaurant and stopped and had a leisurely lunch.  The chef had a nephew in Australia, working as a cook too, but all I could establish was that he wasn’t in Sydney! 

 Looking back at Nuestadt in the humid haze

 The church at Nordhausen...

......and the old Rathaus

Walking into Nordhausen I decided that I would have to catch a train or bus at some point, and as I was in need of a rest day I decided that I would catch the train to Bad Lagensalza, stay the night, and then continue on to Gotha the next day and have a rest day, which is what I have done.  Though short days are restful, as I have become more senior in years, I find that a rest day should be just that – a rest. 

I made my way to the tourist office in Nordhausen to see if my plan was possible.  It was, but I had to change trains, a stressful thought for me.  The lass in the office was amazingly helpful, writing down which platform I was to board the train, where it would stop, and at what time, and then what platform I had to switch to.  She wasn’t to know what a nervous traveller (not walker) I am and all the information she gave me made it so easy. 

Arriving at Bad Lagensalza the tourist office arranged for me to stay in private accommodation.  As soon as I had left my bag I went out to explore the town.  My first stop was the Japanese Garden.  I made some comment to the girl in the tourist office that Adelaide has one too.  Well, I should have kept my mouth shut – ours pales into insignificance compared to this one.  It is very large, complete with an indoor garden, which unfortunately wasn’t open, but I peaked through the windows.  A very peaceful and serene place, though this wasn’t the only garden in town, there also being a magnolia garden, and arboretum, and botanical garden and a few others.  Very impressive indeed.  The blossoms have suddenly started flowering, some of the magnolias were out, and the bulbs are opening up too.  The Forsythia is well and truly in bloom, and many of the trees are just starting to come into leaf.  When I was walking down through Belgium in 2015 a man said to me that it was good walking in winter (or in this case - early spring).  His reasoning was that it was possible to see a lot more.  I agreed with him, and am thinking that I won’t see as much soon as the leaves open up fully, many things will be hidden from view.  It will be a bonus though in the hotter weather to have shade. 

 These fellows are obviously popular by the look of the bright shiny patches.  Reminded me of the pigs in Rundle Mall in Adelaide.

 The town of Bad Lagensalza has the symbol of three towers.  There is only one place that they can be seen in one view. 

 Bad Lagensalza was once a walled town and much of its wall and towers are still intact.

 The Japanese garden in Bad Lagensalza was really something to see.  A perfect place to sit and relax.

Walking into Gotha the next day was, for me, a long hard slog.  I was tired, and though the walking was interesting and no too difficult I found it a lot harder than the 2 days earlier when I had had a few hills to go up and down.  I started the day with my rain pants on because the forecast was for intermittent rain and a thunderstorm later in the day.  Mid afternoon I watched the storm approaching and it became a race between it and me.  I decided that I needed to get to shelter as I could see sheets of rain falling in the distance, and then when I heard the thunder I really put the pace on.  I made it to the bus shelter in Westhausen just as the first drops started to fall.  Minutes later it fell in torrents and the thunder was just above me.  I waited till the thunder had moved on and then set off again, sometimes in the rain. 

The track headed towards the busy road (but turned off before reaching it), straight through the farmers paddock!

 The storm I was racing.....

and after the storm, heading to Warza.

I was very glad to arrive at the tourist office before it closed.  The lass who served me did not hear, or understand, when I said that I needed something nearby (which means, to me, no more than 10 - 15 mins walk away).  She was delighted to get me a room for two nights at a spot she marked on the map, but not the name and the exact address.  30 minutes later I still hadn’t found the place, and did something I have never done before – I turned around and caught the bus back into town.  My next problem was to find somewhere to stay, as the tourist office had long since shut.  I bowled up to some ladies standing at a shop counter, and asked for some directions to a hotel – ANY hotel.  After much discussion – all in German it was decided that the younger woman in the group would escort me to a hotel.  Interestingly Emrys and I had similar accommodation issues when we arrived in Gotha (which is also on Jakobsweg), but I couldn’t recall the name of it or where it was.  Imagine my surprise when the kind woman led me to the same hotel.

 The Rathaus in Gotha (above and below).

 A street scene in Gotha.....

 ....and the market in action. 

Margarethen Kirche, Gotha

I have practiced what I preach with this rest day, even resorting to going back to the hotel and having a siesta!  I have done some sightseeing, and just sat and rested often.  I took a tour of the Kasematten, the tunnels that were, once upon a time, part of the defence of the Schloss Friedenstein built by Ernst der Fromme.  He used what amounted to forced, or slave, labour requiring everyone in the region to “donate” one day per week to work on the castle.  Apparently it required between 2 – 3,000 people per day to build this massive building and the Kasematten was needed to defend the castle  particularly during the 30 year war.  I was lucky with my tour – it was meant to be in German, but because I was the only one, I got a personalised tour in English, my guide being the tourist office lass who sent me on a wild goose chase looking for my room!

 Schloss Freidenstein

 Part of the Kasematten

The baroque orangerie, once part of the gardens of the Schloss Freidenstein