Alpine beauty near Berchtesgarden/Obersalzburg and other Germany Off The Beaten Path Tips

Pencil in a little extra time for your next car trip between Salzburg, Austria and Munich. Stop in the Berchtesgarden/Obersalzburg area of southern Germany. Park your car and just go walking.

The air is crisp and fresh, the scenery gorgeous, and the relaxation will do you good.

Can't remember the name of the small cafe we found in the area, but they had a wonderful plumcake, which topped off our afternoon walk in style.

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Many of you may remember the 1970s hit song "Funky Nassau". Well, they were of course singing about the Nassau in the Bahamas. "Nassau's gone funky, it's got a whole lot of soul".

Well, there is a Nassau in Germany, too. It's about 100 km beyond Limburg an der Lahn, if you're moving towards the Bitburg area. I don't know if it's got "a whole lot of soul". And it's probably more friendly than funky. But, if you need an overnight on the road, it's a pretty nice little town. There are a few local sites, and several decent little gasthauses for meeting your feeding needs.

But, most of all, I found the residents to be friendly and accomodating.

The best story I have involves an evening meal. My son and I got into town pretty late, at a point that eateries were about to close. We found a place that indicating a 10:00 pm closing time. It was about 9:59, and we walked in. I expected to get a cold stare, if not cold soup. I apologized for being so late and really told them that anything they had would be fine. The waiter looked at me and said "never mind all of that, what would you like?" I said maybe a nice schitzel and some soup or salad. He goes into the back and proceeds to cook it up himself. It was scrumptuous. Any time he felt that we were hurrying through our meal, he'd scold us and say "take your time, enjoy your meal" and then he'd smile. When he brought the check, he also brought my boy a handful of hard candies. When I once again thanked him for being so kind, especially when we came in so late and kept him overhours, he looked at me and smiled, saying, "I CHOSE to be a waiter. I am here to wait on you." My son learned something important that night about doing a good job.

I wish I could remember the name of the place, but we ran into this type of attitude all over Nassau.

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The northeastern town of Bitburg contains several military cemetaries, containing the worldly remains of combatants from both World Wars 1 and 2.

As a point of history, it's an interesting place to visit.

One of the cemetaries (the one I've pictured) is the one that stirred up so much controversy when it was visited by US President Ronald Reagan in the early 1980s. People took issue with the inclusion, among the dead at the cemetary, of members of the Waffen SS.

I believe that a visit is time well spent. Historically speaking, it's another chance to be closer to and understand the immense nature of the 20th century's two huge conflicts in Europe.

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In much of Germany, cities still value their precious greenspaces. From the English Garden in Munich to the numerous small city parks in Frankfurt, many German cities have peaceful and green places for an afternoon walk, or to quietly read a book.

In the case of the English Garden, clothing is optional in some places. : )

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When visiting Palmengarten in Frankfurt, we came upon a small lake where, for a small fee, one could rent a rowboat. It's been years since I'd rowed pretty ladies in a boat, so I took the opportunity to take my wife and daughter for a "cruise". It was a relaxing and sometimes humorous little journey, as I remembered how poor of a row-master I really was.

In the accompanying photo, I am letting my daughter help row the boat. From an efficiency standpoint, it was a bad idea. But from a father-daughter bonding plan, it "rode high in the water". : )

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Wiesbaden is about a thirty minute train ride from the Hauptbahnhof in Frankfurt. It's not that far, there are just multiple stops.

If you ride out to Wiesbaden, you'll find a city of parks and historic spas. epending on your attitude towards public bathing, it could be a relaxing, low-impact way to spend an afternoon. ; )

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At the edge of the legendary Schwartzenwald (the Black Forest) lies the town of Titisee-Neustadt. This friendly town offers the usual amenities of a German city..... nice cafes, interesting places to shop, and some nice city parks and walkways. When I am in Germany (actually, when I'm anywhere....) I do enjoy a nice walk.

We went for a nice walk in Titisee-Neustadt back in 1994. Unfortunately, I parked somewhere that was restricted (I didn't see the prohibition sign) and received a parking ticket. It was Sunday and I couldn't find the place to pay the 20 Mark fine. As we were staying in Switzerland, I had to leave Germany with the issue unresolved.

When I returned to America, I put a 20 Mark note in an envelope and sent a letter to the city of Titisee-Neustadt. A few weeks later, I received the most friendly and helpful return message. They almost apologized for having given me a ticket, and praised me graciously for taking the time to write and settle the debt. They specifically asked that I come to city hall on my next visit, saying that it would be their pleasure to show me around town.

What a friendly place, and just another example of the beauty of travel. A parking ticket leads to another worldwide friendship and happy experience.

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