Amazing escape on last days of walk

Well, we are now relaxing in our Nordlingen digs preparing for our return trip home. One of us is a little distressed, the other will be happy enough with what we have done for now. And this will be our last blog for the moment.  Maybe a post script if I have the time.

Today we had a lucky escape from serious injury. Apparently a meteorite hit Earth here only 15 million years ago creating quite a huge depression many kilometres wide and up to a kilometre deep (Nordlinger Ries). It goes to show you need to have luck going your way at times if one is to avoid accidents. What it did do is make the last walk day a very flat one indeed. Yvonne was in a mixed mood at times today. No hills brings smiles but then around 3 kms of dead straight and dead flat walking past huge fields of corn seemed to sap her energy in what was quite a warm day.

Also today marks the death throes of one of Randall's pair of walking boots.  They have been going around since our first walk around 2003 and have done a stirling job.  But we all have an expiry date and we will dispose the boots with dignity.  Kaput is the word that comes to mind.

And yesterday after the longest walk day at around 23 kms, we spent our evening in the small hamlet of Raustetten, a place with about a half a dozen homes, a church and two guest houses. It was quite an interesting experience sitting in the beer garden watching local hunters trying to finish off a couple of wild pigs who turned up in the area.  Not really a fair thing in my view with about 10 shooters with dogs and vehicles on the hunt. Apparently one pig was killed and another escaped. The boys gathered in our beer garden after calling it a day to enjoy a few rounds of beer before heading home.

And heading home is happening to us. Bus, trains and planes with only minimal walking expected.

This trip has been quite a long one.  It seems many moons ago since we landed in the damp of England for walking and touring.  Then our time in France was a mixture of very high heat and then damp conditions as we wandered from the Provence area through to Dijon.  Later, we enjoyed learning about rural life on the small Danish islands we visited by bicycle.  Our month in Germany helped us learn quite a bit more about Germany and Germans as well as enjoying interesting and varied experiences

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Finally, I did today suggest to G1 that we could just keep heading south to say, The Alps, Rome and who knows where.  Her answer is unprintable!