It took some planning but we managed to get to the Harz mountains once again.
Part of the problem was that I had to get time off from work and as I had recently
switched employers I did not want to start my first day at work with asking for free time
even though this trip had been long in the planning.

One major hurdle was the fact that our interpretation of off season did not reflect the
reality of life meaning all the hotels near the river where booked.
So we ended up in the town of Braunlage quite a distance from the water meaning every
day a 25 minute commute along a country road winding though little settlements in the
mountains.

My buddy had booked the hotel and soon saw the errors of his ways as it had no opportunity
for our usual drinks after the fishing sessions usually after 21.00 hrs in the evening.
At the first evening we went into town for some beers but at the first pub we were only
able to get one round before they kicked us of the premises because they closed early.
Luckily thanks to the power of Google I had found an Italian restaurant that stayed open
a little later so the second round was still a possibility.
The way back to the hotel was an uphill battle … literally as the road seemed to be build
at an 45 degree angle … we always joked we needed an extra beer just to account for the
sweat lost while climbing the hill.

The fishing … not as good as usual due to the very low water table but we still managed to
catch our fair share of fish and had as usual tons of fun.
Weatherwise the afternoon thunderstorms caused us to make fast tracks a few time as these
storms would appear out of nowhere when they came over the mountain top.
All in all in this trip went pretty smooth and even the hotel where the reviews stated it was left
stuck in time was pretty ok for a few guys going on a fishing trip.
Looking forward for another trip to that region although it will probably not be this year.