The Climbing through German Windows Road Trip V2 April 2022

Back in 2020 I took myself off to Berlin where I based myself for 10 days, I enjoyed my time and climbed through many windows, I met many interesting people, ate some crap food, and some good burgers. I uploaded my posts to the Hive.

I vowed to return as there is so much still to see and share.

This time I am travelling the former GDR, not just Berlin. I have 52 assorted pinned locations to visit over 19 days, hopefully as I am close to the Czech border there maybe some remote farms to drop in on. I shall no doubt do some touristic stuff as well

I am now also putting my knew toy to the test.

Mr. G. has gone mirrorless

Having used Nikon for several years I have sold my D6500 with a wonderful 18-300 lens and I have gone out and invested in this little baby

The Nikon Z6 2 mirrorless. I love it.

It has already been with me on some of my adventures and it is a wonderful camera, quite light, and I love the illuminated monitor and viewfinder. Perfect for the gloomy places I visit!

It is also sealed to prevent dust and water ingress.

The functions of the dials, buttons and switches are all familiar, just in different places, loving the illuminated control panel on the top too.

I shall be putting it to the test, watch this space!!!

My panic was not needed.

So it was only by chance that I read on the interweb that to drive in most German cities you need to have an Umweltplakette stuck on your windscreen. These cities include several where I am basing myself

I didn't realise this requirement, as last time I was here I hired a car at the airport and who pays attention to stuff like that with a hire car, it is far more important to check for bumps and scrapes that you may later be blamed for.

So a quick search and I found a company that could provide me one through the snail mail within 10 days: I was departing in 12 days, it was going to be tight.

Waiting each day for the Post lady to deliver my mail I watched forlornly as she would walk past my house; on a couple of occasions, yes visiting me, only to push junk mail into the letterbox.

Come Friday nothing! and as I was away for the weekend, up a mountain on the coast all I could do was prey to the Goddess Lakshmi, that all would be good on my return

So off I went without any further thought.

On the side of a hill overlooking the estuary at Aberdovey

Monday afternoon, home, sift through the junk mail, and there it is, now stuck to the windscreen, now "legal".

Oil in the sump, air in the tyres, petrol in the tank. a 01:00 start Wednesday for the ferry from Dover to Dunkerque, 5 hour drive then, for overnight at Overath.

Woo Hoo, see you soon people, the Lord Ganesha willing.