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When you visit a place like Haßloch the first thing you have to do is to unwind. Get rid of you big-city tempo and enjoy the pace of the village.

The untranslatable German word gemütlich seems to have been coined to describe a place like this. Gemütlich means cozy, friendly and relaxed at the same time. So stay comfy and take a leisurely stroll through the town center with its old timber-framed houses, and visit the museum to learn about the way the villagers used to live and work.

The museum is housed in the oldest house of Haßloch. This grand half-timbered house was built in 1599 and it is worth to visit it just to see the house. It has an interesting collection of agricultural- and craft tools, as well as household utensils.

A little bit outside the center is a small bird sanctuary that is open for visitors. The bird sanctuary staff takes care of indigenous and exotic birds alike and they also keep some small animals like goats and rabbits. This little petting farm is a great place to bring your smallest children.

But Haßloch is not only gemütlich; it can also be very thrilling and exhilarating!

If after some time you feel that you need somewhat more excitement the Holiday Park is the place to go. The Holiday Park is one of the biggest amusement parks in Germany. It started as a fairytale theme park but now the main attraction is the roller coaster Expedition GeForce. This roller coaster was twice voted the best roller coaster of the world.

Other attractions are the Lighthouse Tower — Germany’s highest merry-go-round — and the frightening Free Fall; in which you will literally make a free fall of more than 70 meters. Each year more than 1 million people visit the park.

Haßloch has established itself as a test market. Many new products are being pre-launched in this town before they are being launched nationwide or worldwide. They’ve even got separate TV commercials and magazine ads running particularly for and in this town!

Haßloch is close to the Palatinate Forest. There are many walking and bicycle tracks that will give you the opportunity to discover the beauty of this area of the Palatinate.

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Windeck is a great location to get away from it all. Imagine walking through a beautiful forest, with no background noise except for those made by small animals and maybe a distant waterfall. Hold that picture in your mind while you read the rest — that is Windeck. :-)

Named after a ruined castle of the same name, Windeck is a municipality in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Windecker Ländchen forest is the main attraction of the area, with walking, hiking and cycling the advised methods for you to get about, and yes, the waterfall really does exist.

The castle was built in 1130 by the monastery of Lorsch, but was destroyed by French soldiers in 1860. You should make an effort to visit the Burgruine Windeck castle if you get chance, as the ruins make for an excellent photographic opportunity. Wander round the ruins for at least an hour or two although it’s best not to go when it’s near to dark as the grounds start to get a little spooky at dusk. ;-)

There are other (still standing) castles worth visiting in Windeck, including Burg Mauel — a small, two-storey Water Castle which is one of the area’s top tourist attractions.

Whilst out and about also consider a visit to the localities of Dattenfeld and Herchen-Bahnhof, all of which offer a true taste of rural Germany and a unique insight into German history.

The center of Windeck has basic amenities, but it is not a big city, and does not have an abundance of bars, nightclubs and restaurants. But if that is what you came for, you’re in the wrong place. Windeck is all about relaxing, recharging your batteries and returning home energized and raring to do. :-)

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Visitors to Germersheim may be surprised (and possibly delighted) to find that it has an unusual star attraction — Germany’s only museum dedicated to the road. Since 1989 the 5,000 square meter building that houses the Deutsches Straßenmuseum has been displaying road-related exhibits, ranging from the early days of road construction through to the modern day.

There are also some other exhibits worthy of your attention in the museum, including a large model railway and pieces of equipment used to create the surfaces that we travel on, such as a Horse-pulled road roller that dates back to around 1800.

Believe me, once you leave the museum you will know more about the surfaces and materials used on our roads than you ever believed possible.

The combination of sights may not be entirely to everyone’s taste, but if you do decide to visit you can be sure to go away having learned something special.

Germershiem is also a town of culture, with a number of parks that give the area an extremely green appearance. Try a relaxing stroll in the Fronte Lamotte Fortress Park or the Seysselkaserne park in the west of the city, which is home to a number of attractive sculptures.

Another landmark you may wish to visit during your stroll is the Weißenburg Gate, which is known as the city’s unofficial key landmark, and is within a short stroll of the main town center.

One of the oldest buildings in the town is the City Hall, which was built in 1740 as a replacement to the previous building which was destroyed in 1674. This area of town makes for an interesting walk, with some high-quality architecture to be enjoyed.

Perhaps the oldest building of all is the Church of St. Jacob, which itself was nearly destroyed in 1674, but salvaged and rebuilt.