Swabian Tuscany, this region was nicknamed for tourist purposes because of the warmer climate (here comes the air from the Rhine) and vineyards. Wine, perhaps, is not so good as along the Rhine, but in the end of October this section of the Castle Road becomes an independent destination.
In a not too rainy and cold autumn, all vineyards become bright, but not all are truly picturesque. For this you need a suitable relief – the most rugged hills possible.
Gmunden is located on the edge of the Salzkammergut. A little further – and already the mountains come to an end, industrial zones begin, highways intersect around Wels. But in Gmunden you still enjoy the mountain scenery.
Gmunden is suitable as a base for exploring the region around Traunsee, Bad Ischl. It’s not near to Hallstatt for day trip, although it is still possible. But for a real exploration of the mountainous part of the Salzkammergut, it is better to find an accomodation closer.
Looking at the photos in the first part, you may ask – where are these lakes, there is only a meadow and wooded mountains. Nevertheless, three decent-sized lakes are hidden in the forests, and in the neighboring valley towards Reutte there are two more large lakes, on which there are even pleasure boats. And there are many small mountain lakes and reservoirs, some of which are used to provide snow for trails, and in the summer they are very beautiful landscapes.
Mountain lakes were hidden under clouds, but in the forest ones we even managed to swim.
In this part there are Upper Normandy tourist attractions – everything interesting east and north from Rouen region to Dieppe and Treport.
If we speak about the castles on the Middle Rhine (Mittelrhein), we mean the section from Rüdesheim (slightly downstream from Mainz) to Bonn. From Rüdesheim to Koblenz, the banks converge, forming the Rhine Gorge. This section is also called the “Loreley Valley” (Tal der Loreley). There are many castles of varying degrees of destruction / restoration. We will go through all the castles, briefly tell what happened to them and whether there is something interesting inside.
What to see in Alsace? Half-timbered towns, cultural attractions, wine routes, castles. Nature is represented by the Rhine and the Vosges. But for hiking the Black Forest mountains seem to me more beautiful than the Vosges. It is worth hiking through the local hills in autumn, when the vineyards become colorful.
In this part we explore Northern Alsace from Germany to Selestat.
In this post about Germany by car: main signs on the highways, ecological zones and the prohibition of diesel, parking signs.
Rouen old town is full of half-timbered houses and in general a nice, green city. I cannot remember cities of this size with so many unkilled half-timbered houses. It is all the more surprising that the city had a rather turbulent life (they could have burned or destroyed everything) and a good income (they could have rebuilt everything in stone).
In comparison with the German coast, where everything is subordinated to tourism, the Swiss side of Lake Constance seems to know nothing about tourists and does not want to know. Therefore, you need to prepare especially carefully for a vacation there.
Does it make sense to go there at all? Consider the pros and cons below.
Lake Constance (Bodensee) is one of the most favorite places of vacation. And this is its main drawback for everyone who wants to relax. For those who are not disturbed by the crowds of walking, skating, swimming and eating, there are a lot of advantages: clean water, equipped beaches and warm pools, water sports and entertainment, numerous asphalt roads for pedestrians and cyclists along the shore and between vineyards, delicious food, fresh trout from the lake, finally enough attractions if everything else gets bored.
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