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As we had to travel back from Romania to catch the ferry back to England from Ijmudien near Amsterdam we decided to go back via Poland, (to see Auschwitz), and Germany to stop over at Colditz and see the famous Schloss Colditz of WW2 prisoner of war fame, plus I had never been to what used to be East Germany. The difference between the old East Germany and West Germany was more noticeable than I thought it would be. Although you can travel by motor way right across Poland and continue right through Germany and into Holland we came off the motor way once passed Dresden and hit the country roads. What is most noticeable is how narrow the roads are, which in most cases were really well surfaced but were definitely a legacy from the old days when  there was not so much traffic. Also the area had a much more rural feel to it than Western Germany. Colditz is located in Saxony and we had been told by a German couple we had met in Poland that it was a really beautiful area and they were right. The narrow roads just added to the charm and the lack of traffic even more so. We stopped a few days, as although it was late September, we were blessed with some good weather so as well as visiting Colditz Castle we took to just jumping on the bikes and going to no particular place and in no firm direction simply meandered around and thouroughly enjoyed it. When the time came to head back to the campsite simply turned on the Sat Nav and followed it back. Really must spend more time doing this as it was an excellent way of just chilling out. One thing to note though, we found on a Sunday that there was virtually nothing open apart from a few petrol stations which was lucky for us as we had to buy food to tide us over until the shops were open the following day. I had never noticed this in Germany before but I think that in the old Eastern Germany they observe Sunday as a day of rest much more so than in the West. Travelling around there seemed to be a Schloss or Castle around every corner and some of the villages where very beautiful with cobbled streets and some magnificent churches and old buildings. We stayed on a really nice campsite just outside of Colditz where we rented a chalet, (see above link), for just 30 Euros a night, (for up to 5 persons), as although the weather was good it was by now very cold of a night. After three very pleasant days in Saxony it was back on the road again, unfortunately in the pouring rain. Had to cross the Hartz Mountains and the weather was really bad the whole way. We had intended to spend a couple of days in Holland on the way back but the weather was so bad we stopped in a Formule 1 Hotel in Kassel and decided to ring DFDS Ferries to see if we could change our booking to a ferry a couple of days earlier. This they did with no hassle but did want a £21 administration fee. Would very definitely go back to Saxony again, especially as the Sachsenring Circuit is not far away.
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