Gss

"A bit cold" at first...



with a lovely climb to St. Anna's Chapel and onward along the vineyard trail...

then pure sunshine in the vineyards near Rhodt unter Rietburg.



A frosty winter hike, the sunny Palatinate region in white for a change...



❄️❄️🥾👍😊😍

We want to start the new year with a positive outlook and full of optimism, so let's get outside... and at least take a short walk for some (fairly) fresh air, evergreen pines, and a view of the beloved Palatinate Forest... And if there's no snow, then at least we can look forward to spring and the real

Gimmeldingen, home of the Almond Blossom Festival (that's still a ways off...), is just a short walk away, and since we primarily wanted to take the pine-lined, sunny hillside path from the Hermitage for a little (sick) stroll, we ended up stopping in Gimmeldingen for a coffee.



And to make the most of

On the third day of Christmas—our first "celebration" day, so to speak—we hiked through the beloved evergreen pine forest of Lambrecht, up to the forest hut at Lambertskreuz, in perfect winter weather—sunny and cold. It's always amazing how busy the hut is, while we (apart from the immediate vicinity

Merry Christmas!



For us, December 24th was a cozy, peaceful evening at our "favorite castle," Brubach (the historical name of Marksburg), near Braubach.



All the best and wishing you harmonious, stress-free holidays.



💕😊😍

A "cold nose" hike in familiar territory...



Unfortunately, the sun didn't live up to the weather forecast.



Wolfsburg and Weinbiet, and especially the pine forest paths and trails, are always worth a hike... (even without a warming stop today).



👍🥾😊😍🌲🌲

On a whim, we took the train from Neustadt an der Weinstraße to Heidelberg...



and unexpectedly emerged from thick fog into glorious sunshine.



A handful of small Christmas markets are scattered along the main tourist area, with the illuminated castle being the undisputed highlight.



👍😊😍

A truly misty but interesting little tour to Madenburg Castle; these ancient walls in the thick gray are a fantastic, almost mythical experience...



And for a warm (and delicious) contrast, a stop at the castle tavern.



Only the Komoot recording was a complete disaster...



Partially not recorded, and in this

Not for the first time, and certainly not the last, we took our personal "classic" tour through the vineyards near Klingenmünster, stopping for a visit and some mulled wine at the tavern in Landeck Castle.



😍😊👍

The "Great Lord" of Wintrich, first and foremost a vineyard, takes its name from a small, historic chapel on the "Vulture's Head" (Geierkopf), which no longer exists.



Well, and now it's also a viewpoint, perched on a rocky outcrop of the Vulture's Head, crowned since 1968 by a truly magnificent statue