Finding a supermarket was our first priority this morning. Because we arrived in Nordhausen so late yesterday we weren't able to get any supplies last night so we needed food for breakfast plus enough for today and tomorrow as there's no supplies or services where we are tonight.
We set off very early this morning looking forward to the cafe section of the supermarket where we planned to have hot chocolates and whatever freshly baked delight took our fancy. Imagine our disappointment when there was no separate cafe section, no chance of sitting down with a hot chocolate, and what baking there was, was very minimal. In fact the whole supermarket was minimal - not only the groceries but the shelving and presentation as well. We bought what we could and set off on our way.
The walk out of Nordhausen wasn't very pleasant either - heavy traffic, poor road surfaces and a long slog through an industrial area. Once out in the open though we were walking through vast areas of cropping again.
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| View from our room this morning. |
Not far from where we stayed was the Dom zum Heiligen Kreuz, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. We weren't able to visit it though as, being so early, it was locked.
Wolkramshausen was the only village on today's walk. It was a very dilapidated, sad looking village. Most of the houses were in disrepair and their gardens and lawns were unkept. We found the village supermarket and called in to see if we could get some fresh things for lunch but it was much the same as the Nordhausen supermarket we went to, only much smaller. It was extremely basic.
We had lunch in the village playground as it was the only place with seats but it was also quite grim - with cigarette butts and bottle tops all over and very poor play equipment. It all rather sad.
We've certainly noticed a difference between the old West and East Germany, especially in the small places. We had been warned that it wasn't so prosperous, and we were also warned that the people weren't open to visitors but we've found them to be very friendly.
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| In Wolkramshausen. |
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| Wolkramshausen. |
Then we continued in to Münchenlohra, where we're staying tonight. This part of the walk was on farm tracks. There is a Kloster in Münchenlohra we could see the spires from quite a distance.
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| The Münchenlohra Kloster. |
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| The Münchenlohra Kloster. |
The Kloster - Basilika St Gangolf - dates back to 1170, was a Benedictine Convent until 1546 when many of the buildings fell into disrepair. Renovation work was carried out in the late 19th century. Today it is used for concerts and social events as well as church services.
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| The front of the Kloster, including the altar, date from 1170. |
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| The red cross, the Cross of Light, is a recent art piece. |
Tonight our pilgrim accommodation is across the road from the Kloster. It used to be the estate bailiff's house amd dates back to the 1700s. It is being renovated and is a work in progress.
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| Our accommodation in the old bailiff's house. |
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| Norbert Patzelt, who manages the pilgrim accommodation, with Jeff. |
We sat outside for our picnic dinner and enjoyed the sun.
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| Our picnic spot. |
Münchenlohra is a district of Großlohra in the district of Nordhausen in Thuringia. Münchenlohra is located on the northern slope of the western Hainleite, just south of the Wipperniederung in a rural setting. The main source of the Nohraer Mühlgraben rises to the north of the village. The federal motorway 38 and the road from Nordhausen to Kassel, formerly the B80, pass through the Wipper valley.
