We woke up to more clouds and fog on Sunday morning. I was kind of sad to see the fog, but was nevertheless ready to go home. I missed Noyzi and Charlie, even though we were only gone for a short time. And while Bill and I found Bad Wörishofen to be a pleasant enough town, I think the atmosphere was a little too geriatric for our tastes, at least at this point in our lives.

Our breakfast on Sunday was much the same as it was on Saturday morning. We skipped the egg dishes and fresh juices and just grazed from the buffet. Then, we collected our bags and carried them down the stairs, because the housekeepers seemed to be occupying the elevator.

The cheerful manager, who seemed to be trying so hard to make sure our stay at Hotel Fontenay was a good one, was waiting at the desk to settle the bill. Three nights, dinner on the first night, and fresh orange juice came to about 1300 euros or so. We also had a bottle of sparkling water from the minibar, which bill ended up paying euro coins for to another employee as the manager went to fetch our car.

As we loaded up our bags, he said in German that he had a small gift for us, which turned out to be a little bottle of Sekt and a couple of bottles of sparkling water. He shook Bill’s hand and kissed mine as we got into the Volvo and waved goodbye.

We decided to take a slightly altered route home. Instead of driving north up the A7, which is a straight shot to Würzburg, a city not too far from Wiesbaden, Bill and I chose to drive through the town of Nördlingen. If you’ve ever seen the 1971 movie, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, and watched until the end, you might have caught a glimpse of Nördlingen. It’s a well-preserved, walled medieval town in Bavaria that looks really cool from overhead.

I didn’t actually see Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory until a few years ago. I know, that makes me weird, especially since I grew up in the 70s and 80s and it was always on HBO. But I do remember when I watched it a few years ago, thinking that the town of Nördlingen looked really interesting. Since the detour didn’t add much time to our drive back to Wiesbaden, we decided to go that way. I’m glad we did. Nördlingen is, indeed, a really cute town. I wouldn’t mind visiting there at some point… if the fates allow.

Below are some photos from our drive home. We did get some sunshine as we left Bavaria, and by the time we got home, the weather was positively gorgeous. We wound up on the Romantic Road, as as we approached Nördlingen, we got a nice view of the Harburg Castle.

I wish we’d had time to walk around Nördlingen. It really is a charming town, from what we saw as we passed through it. Maybe our next Bavarian trip will be there. I also wish it had been closer to lunchtime when we passed through, as our next stop was at a McDonald’s. It’s been a long time since I last went to McDonald’s, and I can’t say the experience was particularly appetizing. It was very crowded and our food was almost cold. I also can’t get used to the automated experience of eating at McDonald’s. But at least the rest of the drive was pretty.

After we unpacked everything, Bill went to get the dogs. I stayed home and did laundry and worked on this travel series. As I write this post today, it looks like Trump is going to be heading back to the White House. The thought of that makes me despair. I truly hoped my countrymen were better than this…

But anyway… at least we got to see Bad Wörishofen. It was a very nice looking town that offered us a change of scenery during this crazy election year for us Americans. Next week, we will be going to Belgium and The Netherlands. Hopefully, that will make me feel more hopeful about the future.

Stay tuned for my usual ten things I learned post.