When I first moved to the Nahe wine region a year ago, I was blown away by the natural beauty, the excellent wines and the historical monuments to be found here. The Nahe, a wine region surrounding the Nahe River in southwestern Germany, is not one of the most internationally well-known wine regions in Germany but the beauty, accessibility and wide variety of wines makes this a place to watch. Due to its relative anonymity, the Nahe offers a great opportunity to experience local culture off the beaten path.
The Nahe is the second oldest wine region in Germany after the Mosel and includes the spa towns Bad Kreuznach, Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg and Bad Sobernheim as well as a number of smaller picturesque wine villages. The Nahe Wine Route, established just 30 years ago, winds through these towns and villages for 110 km.
There are excellent wineries to be found here at prices below the more well known regions such as the Mosel and Rheingau. Some of my favorite wineries include Genheimer Kiltz in Gutenberg and Johann Tulius in Bad Sobernheim. Try the Pinot Noir from Genheimer Kiltz. The 2007 vintage recently won the prestigious Gold Medal of the Mondial du Pinot Noir, an award that helps dispell the myth that Germany only produces world class white wines.
Besides wine, of course, there are lots of activities to do such as biking, hiking, spas, castles and ruins. Below are a couple of highlights:
Spend a half day biking around the beautiful Nahe River region. You will see vineyards, stunning cliffs, forests, romantic towns and historical ruins. This 30km tour will take you past “Rotenfels”, the largest cliffs between Scandinavia and the Alps. Stop at Niederthaelerhof (between Schlossböckelheim and Oberhausen) for some food and some excellent wine from local vineyards. In Bad Münster am Stein, enjoy the medieval old town, the ruins of Rheingrafenstein, the Nahe River and spas. At a leisurely pace, expect to spend 5 hours for the tour. The tour is not difficult but there are two decent climbs.
Rotenfels, by Bad Münster am Stein and the Nahe River, is the highest cliff between Scandinavia and the Alps. It offers some spectacular views of the region, including some castles, the Nahe River, Bad Münster am Stein, and the surrounding vineyards. You can drive to the top and take a leisurely walk around the top of the cliffs.
Tour the ruins of Rheingrafenstein
Across the Nahe River facing Rotenfels lies Rheingrafenstein, castle ruins built on the face of the cliffs of a small mountain. Rheingrafenstein is reached by taking a ferry (actually, a small wooden raft) and then hiking up a forested trail for 20 minutes. The view is spectacular and the ruins themselves are a lot of fun to walk around in.
Relax in the spas of Bad Kreuznach
The spa town of Bad Kreuznach offers a variety of options to relax and unwind. The BÄDERHAUS has numerous saunas, steam baths, pools and relaxation areas along with a restaurant and rooftop terrace. Spend an hour in the nearby salt grotto, made with several tons of salt imported from the Dead Sea. The air you breath during just one hour in the salt grotto is the equivalent of spending 3 days oceanside. Finally, just sit on a bench next to one of the many saltworks in the Salinen Valley along the Nahe River, which help fight against sickness and afflictions such as rheumatism.
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The beauty about travelling is the way it holds you in the moment. Almost as if you are in a deep state of meditation, your mind is present and your body is aware of its surroundings. When immersed in a captivating travel experience, your mind does not wander – it is still. You do not think about your grocery list, or the birthday present you need to buy. Your day job is completely forgotten.
As often is the case, the first dinner in a new country is especially good. Is the food really that much better than at subsequent dinners? Probably not, but the novelty of the environment makes it easy to live in the moment and forget your worries. Looking back at our first dinner in San Gimignano, a beautiful medieval town in the heart of Tuscany, I can still taste the wine and the excellent parmesan cheese, ruccola and Prosciutto appetizer. At this dinner, I was totally present and the memories are therefore especially vivid.
Often, a heightened awareness is achieved when your senses become reacquainted with long forgotten sensations. After a long winter that did not want to end, the sun and warmth of Mallorca created a greater sense of awareness in the body and mind. I remember feeling the rays of the sun shining on my face, the sound of the waves gently hitting the coast and the olive groves swaying peacefully in the Mediterranean breeze. On a late summer’s day, this might not have been so memorable. But taken in this context – after a long winter bereft of sun and warmth, the sense of awareness was extraordinary.
Hiking is a great way to experience life in the moment. The weight of your pack on your shoulders is hard to fathom, your legs burn from climbing steep precipices, and you long for small comforts like a piece of chocolate. This pain, however, forces you to stay in the moment. There is no where else to go. After a hard day of hiking up the mountain in Lech, Austria, the soup we ordered in the lodge exploded with taste. The soup, which probably came from a can, tasted so good because it felt so rewarding after the strenuous climb.
Writing a travel review is a powerful way to transfer your travel experiences into memorable words and images. When done right, your travel writing can make your travels come alive for your readers and let them experience, through your insights, memories, emotions and stories, your unique perspective from your travels. 
When I travel, I tend to only book the first night’s accommodation and book the remaining nights on the fly. I like this because it lets me stay flexible and update my travel plans based on tips from locals and other travelers I meet. Normally, this results in a pleasantly serendipitous experience. On a trip to India several years ago, this strategy worked out a lot differently than I had hoped.
