Show Off Your Homeland

[Alex K]

Well, it really depends on what kind of experience you want... The authentic experience, the high-cultural one? Good wine? It's true that the US are hard to beat when it comes to landscapes, scenery and all that, because in the US you have everything under the sun from man high snow to the driest desert.

Ok, if you like wine and hiking, and you want the authentic cultural experience, here's something you should do:

Congratulations, you have signed up for

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this kind of trip:

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Book a flight to Frankfurt near the end of September, get a fast rental car and drive down the A67 and A65, which are partly without speed limit, until you reach my home turf. You then find yourself on the edge of the Rhine valley, surrounded by vineyards and the largest continuous forest in Germany.

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Also, you're there in the middle of harvest season, and you have about a 100 villages (many with historic centres) full of wine makers at your disposal, many of whom have their wineries opened for guests. Such as this one,

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If the weather is nice, rent some bikes and cycle along the valley, stopping for tastings and nice food. Every once in a while, hit the forest in the hills, with lots of ruins of medieval fortresses and a system of cottages operated by locals serving specialties and - you guessed it - wine, all within a day's hiking distance.

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You might just be the first American/Australian/Whatever there in a long time, so if you want the authentic experience as far away from any tourist traps as possible, this is for you. This is where the people living in Heidelberg spend their weekends, that should tell you enough

If you have had enough of that though, a half hour car ride takes you to Heidelberg for a change, a location well-frequented by American tourists. If you want some more history, nearby you find one of the great burial cathedrals of the German Emperors (the old cool ones, not those 19th century types) and some interesting museums concerning the Jewish heritage in the region, such as a historical Mikweh

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Or take the scenic train ride back up the Rhine valley to the more famous Rheinhessen wine region. On the way, you will pass by a multitude of medieval castles atop the cliffs and at the shore.

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There, you can engage in more of the same if you feel like it