Tag Archives: hiking

Germany, Hiking

Manna on the Mannaberg

 

The Kraichgau is a small corner in northern Baden. Quiet villages tuck into the steep folds of hills, following little valleys, generally along small creeks. It is spiritually far removed from the nearby big urban conglomerations, which you can occasionally see from the trail, in the distance. Pockets of vineyards lie among fields, and below tree lines, or on the sheltered sides of rolling ridges. The vineyards here are small, but well-tended. They are truly the agricultural manna of this area of Germany’s Baden wine region.

Distant Cities

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Weinwanderweg Mannaberg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Weinwanderweg Mannaberg

Trail Type: Long distance; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved or hard surface throughout, marking on the trail good in places, and missing altogether in others

Length:

Total – 21 kilometers/ 13 miles

Convenient to: Heidelberg, or Wiesloch, Germany

Marking: Blue grapes in a white circle on an orange background

Sign: Mannaberg

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France, Hiking

A Trail for the Senses

 

Local cuisine develops best from local produce. Local wine best complements local cuisine. In this part of southern France, lying in the leeward side of the Pyrenees Mountains, the warm, sunny and dry climate is such that herbs grow wild, and grapes grow well. Both are flavorful and intense. Taking advantage of the natural conditions, the local tourism office developed a short, educational, circuit trail focusing mostly on the local vegetation, set in patches between the vines, through and around the village of Cucugnan.

Corbieres-Queribus AOC

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France, Hiking, Nutshell

Sentier de la Fontaine: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Sentier de la Fontaine

Trail Type: Short distance circuit; Somewhat roughly maintained; Marking on the trail is limited.

Length: 3.5 kilometers/2 miles

Convenient to:  None, but the closest big city is Perpignan

Marking: Wooden signpost with a pointing finger, with the trail name inscribed, at the beginning and end of the trail, (see the featured photo)  and educational signboards, see below, along the way.

Educational Signboard

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Germany, Hiking

Empires Past and Present

Charlemagne brought wine to Ingelheim, and I followed a trail to Ingelheim, wine, and Charlemagne. Thus, in one fell swoop, I managed to satisfy my wine, hiking, and early medieval history passions in this small town on a partly sunny afternoon.

The Carolingian and earlier Merovingian times in Western Europe have always interested me. So when I heard about the wonderful exposition of the remains of one of Charlemagne’s favorite palaces, I had to visit. In addition to a highly focused and informative museum on the palace, the great signboards at exposed walls throughout the town, and outlines in stone of once-extant huge palace structures, help bring the old palace alive, as it was in Charlemagne’s time.

Ingelheim: Old Palace Ruins

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Hiwweltour Bismarckturm: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Hiwweltour Bismarckturm

Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; trail surface variable – from earthen to paved, includes stairs, well maintained overall; the route itself is fairly well-marked.

Length: 10.3 kilometers/6.4 miles

Convenient to: Mainz, Germany

Marking: A cursive lower-case “h” on a half-blue/half-green rectangular-shaped background

Hiwweltour Signage

 

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Germany, Hiking

Dettelbach’s Vines and Wines

 

The Maindreieck wine region in Franconia is an area of quiet refinement. This region offers lovingly preserved ancient towns untouched by mass tourism, and miles of fruitful vineyards producing some unique wines (and wine bottles), all nestled within the gentle curve of the Main River. Yet the sophistication of Wuerzburg, in terms of food and wine, pervades throughout.

Dettelbach, where this circuit trail begins, is a charming old town along the Main River. Behind its town walls, lies a hidden jewel, filled with carefully maintained half-timbered houses, Renaissance and Baroque era churches and chapels, and old homes with private courtyards, some now offering seating for very good restaurants.  Exploring inside the walls is fun, but making the rounds of the existing wall sections and towers is even more interesting, as the towers’ architecture suggests centuries of upkeep and renovation.

Dettelbach Walls and Towers

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Dettelbach: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Traumrunde Dettelbach

Trail Type: Mid-distance hiking circuit; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved, good marking on the trail.

Length: 10.5 kilometers/ 6.5 miles

Convenient to: Wuerzburg, or Kitzingen, Germany

Marking: Red semi-circle on a white background

TraumRunde Dettelbach Signage

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France, Hiking

From the Moselle to the Mosel

 

The Moselle River is famed for its wines – German wines. But the Moselle actually begins in France, coming out of the Vosges Mountains, rolling along its way through the northeastern corner of France. Where France and Germany and Luxembourg meet, the Mosel begins, where all three countries lay claim to Moselle/Mosel wines of note. But this is not an article about German Mosel wines, nor about Luxembourg’s Moselle wines either, as they have already been done. (See here for Germany, and here for Luxembourg.) Rather, this is about the French Moselle wines and wine country, which is far less known, and quite new as an appellation.

Moselle Leaving France

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