Lodged around the modern day creations of health food stores, massage therapists, and the country of Austria is a town that’s more than 7,000 years old. It’s easy to imagine yourself sitting in a beer garden in Garching an der Alz discussing what life must have been like through all those millennia.

Actually, you might want to wait until after you’ve visited the Prehistoric and Early History Museum since many artifacts in the museum were found right here in this part of Upper Bavaria. You just better do it between April and October on the first & third Sunday of the month. (Sorry, I don’t make the admission hours. ;-)

While you’re there ask about the tumuli (prehistoric burial mounds) found in the area, including the one of a king from around 1200-500 B.C.

Twenty-five hundred years later the Schanalinger Kircherl was built — but, sorry to say the stunning building you see today didn’t come along for another 500.

You also got to see the Schlosskirche, or Castle Chapel. Built by Duke Otto VI in 1333 its frescoes are a fantastic example of medieval art; which you’ll also find in Garching’s Gothic Church (built 1484).

There’s no sign of the Middle Ages in the St. Antonius Chapel, that’s purely Baroque, as it wasn’t built until 1729. And the St. Nicholas Church is Neo-Romanesque architecture built in 1870.

St. Nicholas’ is younger than the Mörner Oak, a single Oak tree that was planted in 1825 and now stands six meters tall.

Garching’s Oak isn’t the only draw out into the Upper Bavarian countryside. The outdoor pool is a good idea, as are the guided walks through the “woods” and just about a gazillion other hiking and cycling trails.

I’m thinking maybe there’s a reason there are quite a few massage therapists in town… After attempting all those walking & bike paths, you’re gonna need at least one!

I wonder how prehistoric man went all those years with them?

Hesse is quite the continental federal state of Germany. It has wine, churches, mountains, prehistoric history (that sounds funny, doesn’t it), outdoor recreation, and just about everything else.

Can you think of just a town where you can find all that? I can, it’s the town of Großenlüder.

Found on the eastern slope of the Vogelsberg Mountains and close to the spa town of Bad Salzschlirf, Großenlüder has it all. Much of the countryside is connected by an extensive network of hiking and bicycling trails.

Good thing there are city tour guides that specialize in taking visitors around. You’ll even find a few guides that can take you bird watching or even on a covered wagon ride.

Guided tours will also take you around to the religious side of Großenlüder. It might be a good idea when visiting the Parish Church of St. Georg, the second oldest church in the Fulda District. Its history spans back to the early 9th century with Carolingian, Gothic, and Baroque architecture.

There’s also a Nativity Exhibition in town. And the Sanctuary Kleinheiligkreuz is a real lovely place for quiet reflection (and history).

Großenlüder’s Local History Museum (called a Heimatmuseum) is an excellent place to learn more if you haven’t splurged a few extra Euro for a guide. It’s located within a former courthouse with exhibits on culture and much more — like the ancient tumuli (prehistoric grave sites).

To go back to the nature side of Großenlüder, hiking and cycling aren’t all that can be done. If you’re a fan of mountainbiking there are more than 50km of trails. Miniature golf? Yeah, Großenlüder’s got it. Like swimming? There are indoor & outdoor pools; and you can even swim in what everyone calls Kratersee (Crater Lake).

OK, so swimming outside might not be an option during the winter; but, that’s all right. You got skiing nearby or give tobogganing a chance.

After a full day of whatever kind of sightseeing you choose, wouldn’t it be nice to sit back & relax with a fine Hessian wine? Yeah, I think so — and I don’t think I need a guide for that. ;-)

In the town of Gomaringen in the center of Baden-Württemberg, life centers around the castle.

No, I don’t mean in the old Feudal system sense of it. Peasants toiling in the fields all under the watchful eyes of the Knights, sworn to protect their Baron, Duke or whatever title someone was lucky enough to have been born with.

No, life around the Gomaringen Castle is a cultural event, a date night with your spouse, or a place to go when you want to learn something.

Let me explain. Castle Gomaringen houses the Gustav-Schwab Museum, a literature museum. Herr Schwab was a pastor in Gomaringen in the mid-19th century and went on to write a biography of German Poet Friedrich Schiller, also meeting Johann Goethe on his travels. The castle is also an adult education center, a testament to a man who loved books and knowledge.

Castle Gomaringen also acts as the town’s community center, concert hall for the symphony, an outdoor cinema, and wedding venue. Not too shabby for a 700 year old century castle, wouldn’t you say?

As much as I love our German castles, I don’t want to be caught up in one all day (oh, even worse, stuck in the dungeon ha-ha). Good thing I can get out to play a game of tennis, take some bratwurst & beer to the BBQ grill huts, or hear kiddies running around at the playground.

Now, that’s my idea of a good time.

Some people (women?) think a day of shopping is a good time. Well, Gomaringen can help you do that. The Weekly Market is held Fridays starting at 7:30am, closing by 1pm. Winter’s not too off from there when the market starts at 8am sharp!

What? Don’t you know us Germans by now; we’re prompt if nothing else. ;-)

Oh, back to the markets. They’ve got an Easter Market (held about 3 weeks before the holiday) and the obligatory Christmas Market is always on the 1st weekend of Advent.

More shopping is available at Gomaringen’s Krämersmarkt, held “only” three times a year; once on the last Thursday of March, third Thursday in July, and October 9th (unless it’s a Sunday, then the market is held the next day).

Oh, maybe life in Gomaringen doesn’t just center around the castle; sounds like there’s a whole lot going on the markets, too!

I don’t think it’s fair that outdoorsy lovin’ folk are often called “tree huggers.” It has such a negative ring to it, don’t you agree? I mean, for real, if it wasn’t for the tree huggers places like the Teutoburg Forest / Eggegebirge Nature Park wouldn’t exist.

What’s this got to do with the Westphalian town of Dörentrup? Everything really, as the town lies in this great region and around nature protected areas.

It doesn’t matter if you hike it or bike it, the Teutoburg Forest and the Eggebirge are some pretty places. I like to pack a picnic and make a day of it. Ohhh, some bratwurst sounds good right about now.

As the least populated town in the Lippe District, you’ll have lots of space to spread out while you’re sightseeing. One of the most popular sites is the Water Castle Schloss Wendlinghausen. It’s a fine example of Weser Renaissance architecture and the setting for musical concerts, hence it’s granted a stop on the scenic Weser Renaissance Route.

But the Wendlinghausen Castle isn’t Dörentrup’s only Burg or Schloss. There are the ruins of Burg Alt-Sternberg (built 9th/11th century) whose walls and mounds are all that’s left, while New Sternberg didn’t come along until the 13th century.

These are just mere blips in time in Dörentrup’s history. At Amelungsburg some 300 pieces were found in an archaeological dig dating to around 250 B.C.

The good thing about Dörentrup’s castles they’re also where the town holds its Castle Festivals, including on the third Sunday of Advent. Sorry, I can’t tell you the exact date since it falls according to the Christian calendar.

I can give you a date for the Christmas Fair, that’s the last weekend of November.

When you’ve had enough of castles and festivals, a visit to the Railway Museum is a brilliant idea.

Or, take a swim around the pool (with both a diving board and waterslide) and walking around the Sculpture Park.

I’m a proud tree hugger (and hungry), so I’m off to the Teutoburg Forest / Eggegebirge Nature Park with my fellows — bratwurst included. ;-)

When traveling through Germany or Lower Saxony for that matter, and the town of Delligsen is on your itinerary you could either take out your trusty laptop or smartphone, go to MyGermanCity.com and pull up this Web page, or visit the town’s Tourist Office (located at Am Park 2).

But, I’m pretty sure this website is a better choice — since we’re accessible anytime, while the office is only open on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:30am-noon. Woo-hoo for modern technology! ;-)

I know what they’ll tell you — so it doesn’t matter if they’re not open. The folks at the tourist office will suggest visiting the Glass Museum (March to October on Sundays from 2pm-5pm) filled with all sorts of exquisite hand blown glass and crystal.

You’ll find a Clock Museum (the art of making clocks is an old tradition here in Germany) — maybe this is why we’re famous for being on time. :-)

Then there’s the Local History Museum, a Heimatmuseum as we Germans call them. The town of Delligsen has been around since at least the Iron Age so there’s a lot to know and display (but, its history isn’t regulated to a museum).

How do I know? Because the Eringa-Burg is (I’m sorry WAS) an Iron Age castle, although only its moat and ramparts are all that exist today.

Delligsen’s churches still stand (there are seven of them), a testament to German engineering and the faithful. I really like the Evangelical St. Georg and the Dorfkirche in Ammensen.

Enough of the inside of places! Lower Saxony is really pretty — so you might want to rent a bicycle and see the nearby Weser Region. Climb the 15m high Wilhelm Raabe Tower for an excellent view.

Hikers won’t feel left out as there are some 40km of hiking trails. Don’t want to get lost? Take a guided hiking tour — always great for learning about all the local plants, trees, and animals. Look out! A tiger! No, I’m just kidding — it’s a lion. ;-)

There are even activities in the forest for the kiddies — like the Waldkinderspielplatz. Let them run off some of that energy, while you’re off relaxing at the spa or playing some tennis or bowling.

Hey you gotta kill some time before the Heimatfest starts, since its held only once every four years. It brings thousands of folks out for a partying good time of music, food, and beer.

I told you looking up Delligsen on this page was a good choice. Just don’t tell the ladies at the tourist office — I might see them at the next festival! ;-)

Along the classy Swabian Alb, just north of Ulm, is Dornstadt.

Life is quiet here in this little town on the Alb (except during the summer festival), but you’ll still have a good time.

A nice start would be a trip to and through the Dornstadt Forest. Within it is the Forest Trail, a half-hour walk with “stations” detailing the bits & pieces of information about the forest. One station tells about a tree’s “rings,” indicating how old a tree is; another is a “phone tree” where you can tap at one end and hear it at the other. Pretty nifty, if I say so myself.

I’d also suggest you do the Pilger & Naturlehrpfad am Jakobsweg. Huh? That would be the Nature Trail at St. James, part of the Franconian & Swabian St. James Way, which pilgrims have traveled for more than a 1000 years to Spain’s Santiago de Compostela.

No one said you have to travel the entire distance. You can just see the 16 “stops” on a guided tour with information on the route itself and the flora & fauna along the way.

The Forest Trail and the St. James Nature Trail aren’t your only chances to see the countryside with plenty of hiking and bicycling trails through Dornstadt and its four villages.

Over at the Kiesental, you’ve got Nordic Walking and more hiking trails. Because this is a nature conservation area, a small donation is asked to help the conservation effort. Please follow the signposted rules to keep the area beautiful for everyone.

To experience the cultural side of Dornstadt, go see St. Lawrence Church with its 14th century frescoes and Baroque paintings. In the village of Tomerdingen is the Church of St. Martin, which has been around since Carolingian times.

Those lucky visitors who are here during the Obstwiesenfestival (a summer music festival) will love all the live bands. The best part? It’s all free!

I guess Dornstadt isn’t all that quiet, after all. ;-)

If you were to stumble upon the Hessian town of Dornburg in 1636 you’d probably be wondering where everyone was. You see, that was the year the dreaded bubonic plague (or Black Death, if you will) wiped out the entire village except one family.

From that surviving family, Dornburg has flourished to more than eight thousand residents living in the shadow of an old Celtic settlement and where the ice doesn’t melt in summer.

Sounds silly, right? Let me explain…

It’s not like its eternal winter here where you’re off skiing or tobogganing in August. Under the basalt mountains, air freezes the water vapor in the air. Then during summer the air reverses, but doesn’t quite unfreeze the ice — so it stays all year long.

All right, I’m not a geologist or scientist so I’m doing the best I can to explain it.

How about this? A nearby brewery back in 1869 started using this “cooling” action 8 meters down to keep beer cold. Leave it to us Germans to take a natural phenomenon and make it all about the beer. ;-)

Right over by what’s called the Ewige Eis or “Eternal Ice” is that old Celtic settlement from around the 6th century B.C. It’s a place of myths & legends (isn’t one always about love? Of course it is — as the locals about Hilda.); and all sorts of archaeological finds were found here.

The foundations of a 13th century chapel were also found — although it wasn’t discovered until sometime in the 1960’s.

Want to learn more of Dornburg’s history? Great, because it has its own Village Museum in Wilsenroth (one of the five villages that make up Dornburg). Here you’re able to see how people used to live in this Westerwald town.

One way to see how peeps used to live is to visit the Blasius Chapel, a place of religious life (dedicated to the Archangel Michael) since the very early 9th century. Too bad you can’t see what it looked like back then since this one didn’t come along until 1746.

Another piece of Dornburg’s history is the Parish Church of St. Margaret built atop the ruins of a 10th century castle tower. And there’s the Church of St. Matthew, that’s not anywhere as old as the 800 year old tree right outside its door.

From the looks of it, I’m sure glad I waited until the 21st century to see Dornburg — certainly much better than had I come in 1636. ;-)

I’d take a good gander to guess that when the 1936 Olympics were held in Berlin, no one would have guessed that some 20 years later the town of Dallgow-Döberitz would only half exist.

Of course I mention this for a reason, don’t I always?

Where to start? I guess at the beginning. But, it’s not as long a history as you might think, yet it sure is an interesting one.

Dallgow-Döberitz is found right on the border with the big city of Berlin in the federal state of Brandenburg. And it seemed like just the right place to put an Olympic Village. What, all those international athletes need someplace to stay, don’t they?

Just so you know, there are guided tours through some of the 140 buildings of the village; which is open from the beginning of April until the end of October.

Sure, that’s kind of interesting. But what if I told you this was the old stomping grounds of World War I flying Ace, the Red Baron Manfred von Richthofen? Would you find it MORE interesting?

I know I would.

The Imperial German Army set up a military camp here back in the 1890’s. Yes, I’m award that this was before the advent of the airplane. But, when aircraft first started to make its appearance the German Reichswehr (the army of the Weimar Republic) built an airfield to train new pilots. That’s how von Richthofen (and those like him) came to these parts to create the German Air Force.

There’s an obelisk at the former military camp dedicated to Kaiser Wilhelm who created it all. It’s now a nature park area with bison, horses, and deer.

I haven’t explained how half the town no longer exists yet, but I’m getting there.

You have to go to the end of World War II for that. The area was under Soviet control; and once a border crossing area between East Germany and West Berlin.

But, in the late 1950’s the Soviets decided to flatten the entire village of Döberitz to make way for agricultural areas. Not much remains of the town — just some old streets and stuff.

Don’t get too excited, there’s no easy way to get to the area so scratch that off your list of sightseeing places. Just don’t go crossing the whole town of Dallgow-Döberitz off of it. ;-)

I’d swear sometimes that Germany makes up different names for the same forest. This time it’s the Lorenzer Reichswald or Lorenz Imperial Forest, where you’ll find Schwarzenbruck and its 10 hamlets.

The forests of Franconia are for more than just looking at some tall trees. With lots of hiking trails and bicycle paths you never know where you might wind up; preferably to a nice quiet restaurant where you can eat some delicious regional cuisine.

I think if you walk long enough you’ll find yourself clear over to neighboring Altdorf bei Nürnberg and/or Wendelstein.

As much as I like hiking the Franconian forests, I like its castles better (less walking). One castle nearby is the Farber-Castell. This isn’t your normal, everyday medieval schloss. No, this Renaissance castle is the home of the Farber-Castell stationary moguls. I guess you can say this is the castle pencils built.

Schwarzenbruck’s other castle is Schloss Petzsch (it used to be known as Castle Schwarzenbruck), built in 1425. It’s not anywhere as opulent as the Farber-Castell. But, let’s not compare… they’re both beautiful.

Sightseeing in Scwarzenbruck ends here. No, sorry, it ends at the Ludwig-Danube-Main Canal, but there are a few festivals and other events that are worth sticking around for.

I’ll say the weekly market is an event, as is Club Night on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month. There’s also bi-monthly Bible Experience (2nd & 4th Thursday of month) at the Evangelical Community Center, church music on Saturdays at the (Catholic) St. Joseph Schwarzenbruck, and amateur artists are welcome at the Schwarze Stuben on the 2nd Monday of the month.

Some events are more extraordinary, like the May Day Festival, special art exhibitions, and the chance to watch a performance of Franconian folk dancers.

You go right on ahead; I’ll be wandering around the forests looking for the perfect beer garden or buying one of those famous Farber-Castell pencils since I’m here and need to keep writing…

It’s difficult not to be a history lover when you’re in a place whose church is older than the town itself. Confusing? I’m talking about the Hessian town of Sulzbach (Taunus); and I’ll do my best to explain.

Salzbach’s Protestant Church oldest section dates to around 1031, a handful of years before Sulzbach was officially a town. Really, the church is older, but the 8th century wooden church is long gone. Its 15th century frescoes are exceptionally striking.

As old and as beautiful as Sulzbach’s church is, it doesn’t hold the distinction of being its landmark. That’s reserved for the “Cheese Lady” or the Käsefraa as it’s called here. It was erected in the 1980’s to commemorate the town’s 950th anniversary and its production of Sulzbach Handkäs cheese in the Middle Ages.

Other sculptures around town are the Christmas Pyramid and the fountain on Am Platz an der Linde. They sure make walking around this charming little town even better.

If you’re a bit hungry after traipsing all over, sit at one of the outside tables at the Main-Taunus-Zentrum, Germany’s first shopping center built or opened in 1964. A nice cup of coffee or a good wine will work wonders for the mind and soul. Don’t ya think?

After feeling a bit refreshed, go see the Arboretum Main-Taunus, a 75-acre park (see why I told you to refresh yourself first) with more than 600 species of trees. It’s quite educational to say the least.

You don’t need to visit an arboretum to see nature at its finest, though. The area around Sulzbach is big on agriculture, growing everything from sugar beets to potatoes (which you’ll see if you find the right hiking trail).

Other walking paths and bicycle trails crisscross through town, with jogging lanes thrown in for good measure (I mean good exercise).

Big deal if it’s confusing to figure out how old Sulzbach (Taunus) really is. You’ll find that won’t even cross your mind, not with all the stuff there is to do.