Live The Journey Day 6

Up early, packed the car, hit the road, and said goodbye to Leipzig.
It felt amazing to have the wheels rolling again – the journey continues south, with the pin now dropped on Venice.

There’s a function on the GPS that lets you avoid highways – and I had it turned on today. Of course, the trip takes a lot longer, but it also pulls you off the beaten path. And that, it really did.
Suddenly, I found myself at nearly 1,000 meters altitude, with snow in the landscape. I thought I’d be driving on German roads until I hit the Alps – but that wasn’t how it turned out.
On this little mountain detour, I crossed into the Czech Republic, and instantly the roads became full of potholes and worn down. I followed the route through a stunningly beautiful stretch of countryside, with small villages – and some of the most rundown and impoverished areas I’ve seen in Europe.
It really opened my eyes to how different life conditions can be – even between EU countries.

A couple of hours later, I was back in Germany, and of course, I hadn’t planned where to sleep. The fuel gauge told me it was time, so I pulled off the main road and into the nearest gas station.
On the way back, I took a wrong turn and ended up in a parking lot, where I decided to stop and think about the sleeping situation.
I looked up and realized it was a camper site – and figured this was just where I needed to spend the night.

It turned out I had ended up in the historic town of Wasserburg, which feels like a living museum. It was still light, so I took a walk around and explored the town – incredibly beautiful, with a wide river and 700-year-old houses.
It feels safe and peaceful here, and I’m now tucked into my sleeping bag in the back of the car.

Tomorrow is the day I cross the Alps.