GER – Rastatt to Wadern

26.05.24 – Day 3 solo trip to Tallinn on a BMW R1150 RT

The weather looked promising good this morning so after a good breakfast in the so so
B & B hotel in Rastatt, I started at 9 am towards my first stop over this day.

Not far from the German / French border in a small city called Lembach is a part of the formally Maginot Line to visit.
The Maginot Line, named after the French Minister ofWwar André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion by Nazi Germany and force them to move around the fortifications. It was impervious to most forms of attack; consequently, the Germans invaded through the Low Countries in 1940, passing it to the north. The line, which was supposed to be fully extended further towards the west to avoid such an occurrence, was finally scaled back in response to demands from Belgium. Indeed, Belgium feared it would be sacrificed in the event of another German invasion. The line has since become a metaphor for expensive efforts that offer a false sense of security.
The Maginot Line was invulnerable to aerial bombings and tank fire; it featured underground railways as a backup. It also had state-of-the-art living conditions for garrisoned troops, supplying air conditioning and eating areas for their comfort. French and British officers had anticipated the geographical limits of the Maginot Line; when Germany invaded the Netherlands and Belgium, they carried out plans to form an aggressive front that cut across Belgium and connected to the Maginot Line.

Crossing borders is easy in Europe due to the Schengen contract. Right after crossing the Rhine river I arrived in France.

The 60 km ride to the museum was great. Warm weather, good and empty roads (it was a Sunday).
When you arrive at the museum, a M 41 Patton tank says hello.

Visitors are not allowed to enter the museum individually, you need to book a tour which is about 1,5 hrs for 9 EUR. Believe me, it’s worth it if you are interested in WW 2 history.
As you are under ground, it is cold and wet, so bring a jacket if needed.

I took some fotos inside the Maginot Line and will share them with you:

In total I spend there almost 3 hours so I was a bit in a hurry.

Riding through the Palatinate Forest direction North West was the plan and arrive somewhere in the Saarland.

Wadern is a small town and is the place I wanted to go.
Interesting that I not found a place to stay close to the city, but lucky me I found the “Restaurant zum Schlossberg” outside the city.

Great value for the money, great food, friendly owner and parking for the motorbike in a private garage. WOW!!!

The riding distance was not really far today, just 216 km but it was nevertheless a great day and I learned a lot new things.

Find the details of the trip here in this Kurviger link.

Stay tuned guy’s and enjoy yourself!!!

#dustysocks