Edenkoben, a delightful little town in the heart of the Suedliche Weinstrasse wine district, is situated in a real garden of Eden in many respects. One of its original conventual foundations, Cloister Heilsbruck, did quite well from this bounteous land, and had a reputation even back then, for its vines. One of the warmer, sunnier spots in all of Germany, Edenkoben’s vineyards spread up to and around the town. It also has flowering fruit trees, to include beautiful almond trees with dreamy, cloud-like blossoms in the spring, and flowers abounding in fields, small gardens, and in the window boxes which adorn almost every house here.

That is why the Fassbodentour 5  bike trail was such a delight. A relatively short circuit trail, it provided ample opportunity to see all the above, and traverse charming little wine villages surrounding Edenkoben, on a trail that was mostly on dedicated bike path, and with only a few inclines along the way.

 

While the official start point is at the train station in Edenkoben, I began from a parking area just below the eye-catching Villa Ludwigshoehe, an Italianate villa built for the Wittelsbach Kings of Bavaria. Shortly thereafter, I cycled along Rhodt unter Riet’s famous Theresienstrasse on a quiet summer morning. Tree-lined, cobblestoned, and mostly traffic-free,  this street is a brilliant set piece of old homes, (some of them wineries!), floral fireworks, with a grand allee-type of atmosphere. Rhodt unter Riet is one of my favorite villages. It always seems to have, or about to have, a wine festival. (On previous visits here, I have seen this street transformed into one giant block party.)

 

The nearby village of Hainfeld, next along the route, followed by Burrweiler and Gleisweiller, also have their own well-known wine festivals, albeit fewer of them, and all are equally photogenic. Visiting the upper village of Gleisweiler is especially worth a detour from the trail, as the upper village has streets lined with venerable old trees, and a variety of architectural styles to contemplate. Trees, vines, and flowers fill the spaces in between with color, and below spread the garden lands of the southern Pfalz.

 

Edesheim is home to the Ordensgut vineyard. It is also home to the Edesheim Palace, once a castle, with a history dating back to the Frankish era, the palace now serves as an elegant hotel. A well-known restaurant is on site, and it offers a nice choice of food-wine pairing selections on its menus. I mentally added its name to the list of many fine restaurants in this corner of the Pfalz that I must get to one of these days.

 

Biking through the village of Grossfischlingen, the trail passes along the Modenbach. Downstream, the nuns of Cloister Heilsbruck had their original convent, before moving to Edenkoben. Turning west shortly after crossing the little Waldgraben brook, the mountains behind Edenkoben appear ahead. After an easy, peaceful stretch through fields and vineyards, the trail leads back to Edenkoben, and past the old cloister – nowadays a winery, and a great place to end this circuit in a wine paradise.