Day 15 by the numbers...and finale to the trip

So this is the last day that there's anything to really write about.  We ended up heading back early the next day as Wittenberg was a gigantic disappointment and the weather was generally awful (rainy and cold).  The only things I could think to do were outdoors and as the trip wore on, my level of planning seemed to get worse.  We hit a wall on the last day of indoor activities that didn't involve driving all the way to Berlin.  I would definitely only plan on one night in Wittenberg if I ever do a repeat journey.

Number of....
Cots for sleeping: 1
Cots that were shaped like a V: 1
Hours of sleep:  2 (on floor)
Ice cream scoops:  2
Churches: 1
Martin Luther museums: 1
Times I was thoroughly disgusted by the renovation in Wittenberg:  Infinite
Times I was disgusted with myself for not checking on the schedule of renovation:  Infinite
Doors with nails:  2
Beers:  2
Books:  1

I know the above list appears almost all negative, but let me explain.  Wittenberg for me was going to be the highlight of the trip.  I was so excited to get in my Martin Luther fix that I don't think I slept much the night before.  It wasn't a lot of driving and the weather was great when we arrived, so I thought it would be perfect.  ML even had great parking ready for me and free.

The main church where he nailed the theses to the wall was under construction in preparation for the 500th anniversary of the reformation in 2017.  I understand that it's a huge celebration, but 4 years of construction!  That's almost Hollandish.  I thought German engineering could knock that out much quicker.  Anyways, so we only saw the doors through scaffolding and didn't get to see his grave or any of the inside of the church.  It was crazy to think that after all this time, I will now have to do a repeat to Wittenberg. 

We wandered the city, got food at a beer garden (and a beer) and then did the second church where he was married and preached.  The inside of this one was open, but goodness me, it was mostly under renovation as well.  We missed the baptismal font and all of the great art illustrating the time.  Grrrr.

We skipped the 4:30 sing a long of "A Mighty Fortress is our God" for the Martin Luther museum, which was worth it.  RS gave it three pyramids and I agree.  Wittenberg redeemed itself slightly with its excellent display on the life and times.  We took 3 hours to get through, but could have been there longer.  We followed this up with some ice cream.

After that, it was to the hotel.  The hotel was in a nice quiet area of the old town and appeared promising.  However, instead of a third bed, they put in a cot that when laid on promptly took the shape of a V.  Not fun. 

Things to improve on for next time:  Verify actual bed when staying there.  Verify timing of serious construction. 

 Doors:

 The man:

 Church where he was married:

 Doors, and me smiling through the annoyance:

 Church and castle both closed for renovations:

 Not both mine and not the best we had in Germany:

 Church where he was married:

 

 

ML museum (Luther house):

 Best picture we could get of the doors:

 

After a night with no sleep and waking up to rain and cold, it was time to call it a successful road trip.  We packed up and headed home - 8 hour drive that went surprisingly quick.  I'm always amazed at how quickly the roads change from Germany to Holland.  Autobahn is a thing unheard of here....cameras immediately pop up right at the border to catch all of those crazy drivers.

So far, no tickets or fines from the trip have been received.  I think that's false hope.  Something will come through from the foray into Austrian toll roads without a toll tag.  I rue the day.

Next blog post will be on my trip home to Houston for a wedding next weekend...it'll be a quick one!  I'm on the ground for just about 48 hours before flying back.  Then it's another hockey weekend, followed by Nice and Budapest in fairly quick succession!