Germany and France's Wine Regions & the Black Forest
Germany is a country we had not been to together and the last one on our bucket list for Western Europe. When I dream of Germany, I think half-timbered houses, beer, and the Black Forest, so that's where we headed. And as we would be right across the Rhine from the Alsace wine-making region of France, we couldn't resist a few days there as well. For our first taste of Germany, these were wonderful areas to explore. I'm sure we'll be back someday to do the bigger cities but that wasn't our focus this time.
Having known very little about German history before the 1940's, it was interesting to learn about it. The regions we were in were passed back and forth between the German and French forebears for hundreds of years. As a result, the two sides of the rivers feel very much alike with the main differences being in Gastronomy and Wine. And apologies to Germany but we appreciated these aspects much more in France! On either side, the food was a big adjustment after Greece. Fried meats and boiled or fried potatoes were the norm. Salads were available in most places and there was fresh fruit in the markets but neither feature as a primary addition to a meal as far as we could tell. Even the in-season white asparagus was boiled to within an inch of its life and covered in sauce.
We've really been spoiled in Thessaloniki!
We feel so fortunate to be in a position to pursue this wanderlust in our own style and at our own pace. Driving in Germany is a pleasure. German drivers are so orderly. There's no one weaving in and out of traffic or trying to get one car ahead. Slow cars stay in the slow lane, the left lane is only used for passing, drivers are patient if the left lane gets a bit backed up, no one speeds through the many construction areas, and trucks are only allowed to go 80 kph and not allowed on the highways on Sundays. Most highways are only two lanes but it really works. Even though you may be going 80-90 mph in some areas, it is not nerve-wracking like in the US. So glad we rented a car as we were able to see so much more.
TRIER, GERMANY
Our first stop was Trier for three nights. As the oldest city in Germany, dating to the Romans and before, it has a very long and complicated history. There are only a few remaining Roman buildings; two of the most impressive are the Porta Nigra, once a grand entrance to the city walls, and the Aula Palatina also known as the Basilica of Constantine.
The Basilica was just enormous and it's incredible to think that it was built by the Roman Emperor in 300 AD. It burned in WWII but remains largely as it was in Roman times.
Trier's central square is lovely, even if our weather wasn't, and we enjoyed our first views of the half-timbered buildings we would see throughout our trip.
Much of Trier was hit hard in WWII and many of the houses on the main square were rebuilt after the war but you'd be hard-pressed to know it.
Being in the Moselle region, Trier had the most established wine culture we found in Germany with quite a few wine bars and wineries, Weinstubs in German. We took a break most days at this one, Weinstub Kesselstatt, which we really enjoyed.
In most of Germany, the menu has four or five wines by the glass. There is no information about where or by whom it was made only what type of grape and whether it is dry, semi-sweet, or sweet: Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner, and their sparking wine, Sekt. Apparently in Germany, most wine is made by collectives rather than individual producers so all the restaurants in an area have the same wines from that region's collective. Together we enjoyed the Silvaner and the Sekt and in some cases the Rieslings. Most of the others were just too sweet for me, although Scott likes that type of wine more than I do.
There was a fairly good selection of restaurants here and I had one of my favorite meals. A local specialty, Teerdisch is a mix of creamy mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, and ham or bacon. Served alongside their delicious sausage, it was my dream dish. Scott is a huge fan of Schnitzel and sampled it throughout the trip. He definitely favored the version covered in mushroom gravy.
The central church of Trier, Trier Dom, is an impressive sight.
But we much preferred the smaller church attached to it, Church of Our Lady, that had a much more magnificent interior with some of the best stained glass we've seen anywhere.
One day we did a boat trip on the Moselle River and really enjoyed seeing the landscape from the water. We didn't get rain, thankfully, but it wasn't very pleasant up top so we scooted up to take pictures and then enjoyed the comforts inside.
All in all, we liked Trier but probably could have done it in one less day and saved that day for our next stop!
GERMANY IS GREEN!
A small digression here to talk about how amazingly green Germany is, and not just in color. One thing you notice immediately, Germany is extremely clean. We all know the stereotypes of their order and efficiency but I think this needs to be added to the list. It was amazing throughout the entire region we saw. In addition, they are big on recycling and they have a huge gardening culture with community gardens playing a big role in social life. Most houses use any available space for a beautiful garden and we were lucky to be there in June when the roses were blooming. 
They also have bike paths and walking paths everywhere and they are not manicured with mown lawns along them but left wild with wildflowers and tall grasses growing. It makes the landscape feel so natural even in the cities. In Trier, they go so far as to create wood piles specifically for beetles and leave dead trees in place for birds. We were really inspired by it. 
ROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER AND DINKELSBÜHL, GERMANY
From Trier we headed East into Bavaria to see two medieval villages, staying one night in Rothenburg. I've had these towns on my list for a long time. I'm a sucker for medieval architecture and they did not disappoint. Scott is kind enough to indulge me in pursuing these areas. We rented a car so he enjoyed driving on the autobahns and we both enjoyed seeing the green countryside. The areas of Germany we were in are largely agricultural and to see field after field of the bluish-tinged Rye, the golden Wheat (I think it was wheat?), and the green corn made for one of the most unique and beautiful landscapes we've seen in Europe. 
Both Rothenburg and Dinkelsbühl largely retain their circular shape and are two of only four towns in Germany that retain their surrounding defensive walls. Uniquely in Rothenburg, you can walk around the town on top of the walls. It gives a great perspective of the town.
There's a street that runs uphill through the town past all of the quaint shops and homes to the main square where there are a few restaurants and cafes.
Dinkelsbühl is smaller with a lot fewer tourists and a lot more towers. We enjoyed stopping to walk for a few hours. It is almost completely intact with no rebuilding after WWII. You really feel as if you've stepped back in time and it was nice to see actual locals living in the town and not just catering to the tourist hordes.
It also has a beautiful park just outside the city walls. 
PORSCHE MUSEUM
We realized that just off our route to Baden-Württemberg and the Black Forest we would pass by the Porsche Museum and couldn't pass by without stopping in to see it. While not as impressive as the Ferrari Museum, it was a fun diversion.
NEUENWEG & FREIBURG im BREISGAU, GERMANY
If we thought we had seen beautiful scenery up to this point, we were in for a surprise. The drive to our Landgasthaus, country guest house, through the rolling hills and gorges of the Black Forest were otherworldly! Green fields dotted with cows and sheep, huge country houses, and hills topped with the spruce and fir forests that give it its name, all combine to make for endless and amazing views. 
It feels like a timeless place. The couple that ran our guest house told us it had been in the family for over 500 years! These houses were originally built as all inclusive - barn, house, and storage all under one enormous roof. Through the cold winters, man and beast shared it and enough forage was stored to feed the animals so no one had to step outside. Multiple generations lived together and if they outgrew it they just built an adjacent house. As a result, small compounds formed, often with their own chapel.
Ours was called Landgasthaus Grüner Baum and we would highly recommend it. The restaurant is very good including the delicious breakfast, the rooms are comfortable, and the hosts are warm and welcoming. They even have a garden area to eat outdoors. Our three days there were a highlight of the trip and we spent a lot of time just relaxing and drinking their wine. They have a very extensive wine cellar!
We were even "treated" to a brass band outside our room on Sunday morning. Apparently, like gardening, bands are a big social thing and for the Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam) holiday the bands do a Morgenwecken, morning wakening, at key points throughout a village. It was a unique experience and reminded us of the band processions through the streets of Nicaragua for Palm Sunday.
While there, we explored Freiburg and took a day driving that included the small villages of Sankt Peter and Sankt Märgen and the waterfalls in Triberg. Freiburg is a larger town with a large cathedral, a lively market (it was strawberry season as well as asparagus), and an area called Little Venice with a few canals. Throughout the town are about 10 miles of these little streams in the gutters called Bächle. Once used for water and drainage, today they're used to cool off your feet!
The waterfalls at Triberg are worth a detour. There is a walking path up the side of them with easier and harder elevation gains and the falls and surrounding forest are really beautiful.
It's also famous for the cuckoo clocks and Black Forest cake, although the latter is really only for tourists.
There's so much to see in this area we could easily see coming back someday.
EGUISHEIM & THE WINE VILLAGES, FRANCE
But it was time to cross the Rhine and explore Alsace so off we went for the short drive to France. This area of France is dotted with small medieval villages that all run together in our minds. We explored Eguisheim the most, as that's where we stayed for our three nights, but we also made it to Kaysersburg and Riquewihr. Eguisheim is the most remarkable as it's still surrounded by its city walls and has retained its circular shape.
Walking the rampart streets that follow the interior of the walls is a highlight.
As is the central square where the church and main fountain are, as well as our hotel.
Unique in our experience, the wineries all have tasting rooms in the towns rather than in the vineyards. Makes do a tasting tour much easier!
Eguisheim has 60 wineries just in the town alone.
Kaysersburg is a small village with many fewer tourists than the other two. It has a small river running through it and still has its castle above.
Riquewihr is organized much like Rothenburg with a main street uphill along which most shops, restaurants, and wineries are located.
We loved the decorative signs hanging in front of the shops.
And, of course, the landscape with vineyards up to the foot of the Vosges Mountains was really lovely.
The wines we tried were mostly excellent. We especially loved the Cremate d'Alsace sparkling wine. Unlike Champagne, it's the same price as all the other wines so it's affordable to just have a glass or a bottle.The food was very like that on the German side of the Rhine but just that much more elevated and the bakeries we excellent.
On a birding note, we did see some new birds on this trip and the song birds were extremely active given how green everything was but by far our favorite were the resident white storks. They even build special supports for them on the tops of buildings to support their humongous nests.
COLMAR, FRANCE
Colmar was much the same as the previous towns we'd seen, just bigger. If we wanted to spend an extended period in this region in the future, this is the town we'd pick. It has all the charm of the smaller cities with the ease of what a bigger city provides - including some wonderful restaurants. Of course, there are a lot of tourists, too. The highlight is really an area that is crossed by canals of the river Lauch (which formerly served as the butcher's, tanner's and fishmonger's quarter) and is now called "little Venice".
We took a ride on the canals in a small flat-bottomed wooden boat that gave us a great perspective on the area.
This area also has the covered market, which was worth a visit. They have shops with beautiful produce as well as food and a small bar.
HEIDELBURG, GERMANY
Our last stop was back in Germany. We stayed in a proper hotel outside of the city center and were very glad we did. Besides giving us the chance to visit a great sushi restaurant with a view, it allowed us to escape the crush of tourists in the center. 
The old center is essentially one main street that heads up to the old castle. As a result, it gets VERY crowded. There are tons of restaurants and tourist shops but honestly it was a let down after what we'd seen. 
Luckily I had two excursions planned! The first was a cruise on the Neckar River, which runs through town, and we traveled up past ruined castles, two locks, and beautiful landscapes. It was a great cruise and the weather was much better than what we had in Trier.
The other day trip was to Schwetzingen Palace, just 20 minutes outside Heidelberg. 
Originally just a hunting lodge, under Charles IV Theodore (1742-1799), Schwetzingen was a summer palace: the court shifted from Mannheim Palace to Schwetzingen during the warmer months. We did tour the palace but as it was a summer palace it was not highly decorated. We'd probably suggest skipping it. However, the gardens are extensive and very beautiful and well worth a visit and a stroll. There is a formal center that leads down to a lake...
...the biggest folly I have ever seen in the form of an Ottoman Mosque...
...a small but highly ornate bathhouse...
...a Temple of Apollo complete with underground grottos...
...and an enormous orangery with a beautiful park.
We didn't even get to the English gardens!
But we did get to a great place for lunch in the main square outside the palace. There was the funniest statue I think I've ever seen there. It's of Prince Elector Carl Theodor and a scantily clad rococo lady, presumed to be his long-time courtesan.
We treated this trip like a vacation and ate and drank our way through the two weeks. It was such a lovely area; we can definitely see ourselves returning. It really lived up to my expectations and we're so thankful we got to see it before we left Europe this time.
Next we're off to Bulgaria and Romania for six weeks so stay tuned and subscribe if you want to be notified when a new blog is posted.
This featured blog entry was written by mrb430 from the blog Arrr Adventures.
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