Postcards from Germany

I have to admit that I'm not enjoying the Romantic Road as much as I hoped I would.

As with the Camino de Santiago and the LEJOG virtual challenges, I was looking forward to exploring the countryside as my exercise took me forward along the trail from Würzburg to Neuschwanstein Castle, in Germany's Bavarian region.

Shortly after setting out from the Würzburg Residence, where I had a 360-degree view within the palace, I discovered that my first few stops offered no Google Maps street views, and so I would see where I was on the standard map but would only have satellite views of the towns and villages.

The Romantic Road did not offer me a virtual glimpse of my surroundings. At the end of a day, when my activity was logged on to The Conqueror Virtual Challenges app, I couldn't 'wander' the streets to find local pubs or possible places to virtually lodge for the night.

In some places, there are points on the map that indicate someone has taken a 360-degree snapshot of a single point, and I can see what a town or village looks like from that one point, but it's not the same as being able to move around. I'm not so much virtually travelling the Romantic Road as I am simply moving a pin with my face on it around a map.

The only way I learn anything about where I am is when I pass a particular milestone and earn a virtual postcard, which tells me a bit about that area. I've shared some of these postcards from the other treks, but they're also not the same as exploring the landscape by moving along the street in Google Maps.

Here are the postcards I've received so far (they're made to look as though I've actually sent them out, but I wouldn't write as cheesy as the creators of the app do).

I'm actually thinking that I might increase my speed through this virtual trek to be done with it as quickly as possible, and to find another journey that allows me to move as the previous two journeys did.

And anyway, I'll be heading to Germany in 2022 and I'll be able to really see the countryside.

Looking at the next virtual challenge, I've signed up for Iceland's 1,332-km Ring Road challenge. I've always wanted to see Iceland, and this route promises street views.

Stay tuned.