A day along the Weinstrasse

Did you ever have one of those perfect days out that made you feel like you were on a mini-vacation? I did, just a couple weekends ago. I now hold yet another recipe for a fun-packed and relatively inexpensive outing, and I'm pleased to share it.

Two friends and I met up at the Kaiserslautern Hauptbahnhof and inquired at the ticket booth as to the cheapest way for three to travel to Deidesheim, just one of the many charming cities along the Weinstrasse. The agent was obviously no stranger to this question, and in a wink she produced a printout of detailed English-language instructions on how to use the automated machine to produce a “Ticket 24 +, allowing for groups of up to five persons to travel within the Rhein-Neckar transportation network for just 19.50 euros.

Not an hour later than when we’d initially met up, and with just one quick change of train in Neustadt, we found ourselves in Deidesheim. A couple hundred meters away from the town’s train station, we spotted the “i” denoting a tourist information point. There, to our delight, we learned there were no less than four festivals within our vicinity, and decided to integrate our day out of hiking with visits to as many of them as we could work into our schedule.

Oohing! and aahing! our way through the charming streets of Deidesheim, we soon reached a large map illustrating the Nordic walking and hiking possibilities of the area. A gentle uphill road led us along the outskirts of the village, through vineyards and up into the hills, where we were spoiled for choice in terms of trails of any length or difficulty. We opted to keep things at a moderate pace, and chose to walk the Wanderweg Deutsche Weinstrasse. The path offered an ideal combination of gentle grades, shade, and sweeping views of the vineyards and what must have been the Bergstrasse shimmering in the hazy distance.

Our first pit stop came at the Pfalzblick restaurant, where we enjoyed wine with very few food miles to its label. There’s something particular about enjoying a glass within the line of vision of the vineyards in which it was produced. Another hour or so of walking, and we descended upon the village of Mußbach, which on that particular day was playing host to a gourmet food festival. A plate full of delicacies that included lamb meatballs, smoked cheese, and smoked salmon, devoured under a noonday sun to the sounds of live jazz, provided fuel to make it to the next stop.

And that next detour was not long in coming. One of the many adorable vineyard taverns along Breitstrasse beckoned us in, so who were we to refuse the opportunity for yet more basking in the sun and local tipple?

To round out our perfect day, we descended upon Neustadt, where a music festival was in full swing. Sun, wine, music, and friends- in our own backyard. Who could ask for anything more?