There is a very good reason why the "Flower Island of Mainau" ranks so highly on lists of things to see in this area. It is AMAZING! More on that later.
Since they did indeed decide to fly, Air Canada did a fine job of getting me across the Atlantic and into Frankfurt on time. Got a ticket to Vaihingen which involved 2 changes. Unfortunately we were delayed and I missed the last train, but there was another half an hour later, so still got to Franz's house just about 4 pm. (The Germans are quite disgusted with their train as they are not as punctual as the Swiss, but for me, being able to get just about anywhere on a train seems like a great system.) Considering I had managed only 30 min. sleep, I was good for a piece of cake, some planning and then bed at 8.
The Bodensee (Lake Constance) was about a 2.25 hour drive south, some of it through construction but also some of it along stretches which still have unlimited speed limits. I saw us hit 184 km/hr. Franz drives the Mercedes very well. We chose Meersburg as the embarkation point along the lake for our ferry ride to the Minau island. Imagine a garden whose climate is moderated both summer and winter by the water around it, which was planned as a garden for a rich family and which has a clientele who come to see beautiful nature. That is Mainau with themed areas of trees, perennials, shrubs, bulbs and a palm house for the truly tropical plants to live in when the weather gets too cold. I could go on and on, but will let some pictures speak for me.
sounds great
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