Back Roads Germany (Dk Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

164

Above left Ruins of Kloster Limburg, Bad

Dürkheim Above right Vineyards around

Nierstein Below left Village center, Nackenheim

Below right Wine cellar in Bockenheim

Saumagen

Saumagen – stuffed pig’s stomach

is the Pfalz’s great regional speciality.

Like the Scottish dish haggis, it

delights some and intimidates

others; as with haggis, the stuffing

is consumed, not the stomach itself.

In the case of Saumagen, the filling

is prepared with a mixture of pota-

toes, carrots, and pork, flavored with

marjoram, and often served sliced,

and seared.

BACK ROADS GERMANY

Where to Stay: inexpensive, under €70; moderate, €70–€150; expensive, over €150

t Bad Dürkheim

Rhineland-Palatinate; 67098

The pleasant spa town of Bad

Dürkheim has a neat, traffic-free

core fringing the Kurpark, a grassy

park where the 108-ft (33-m) long

Gradierwerk – a giant outdoor

saline air purifier – is one of the

largest of its kind in Germany. Dating

from 1847, it is the sole survivor of

five similar structures in the town.

To the west of the town center, on

Luitpoldweg, are the ruins of the

Romanesque Benedictine abbey

of Kloster Limburg (open daily).

ª Leave Bad Dürkheim along the

B271 to Ungstein, then take the side

road marked for Freinsheim.

y Freinsheim

Rhineland-Palatinate; 67251

Snug behind its surviving medieval

walls, Freinsheim is a historic gem

with a perfectly preserved old

town focused on the diminutive

yet digni fied 18th-century Rathaus.

Visitors can take a walk around the

inner circuit of the town’s walls and

dis cover houses built into them in

u Bockenheim

Rhineland-Palatinate; 67278

Situated beside a lake, the village

of Bockenheim is supposedly

built in the style of a Roman fort.

The Deutsche Weinstrasse ends

at Bockenheim, where the Haus

der Deutschen Weinstrasse, or

House of the German Wine Route,

acts as the northern counterpart

WHERE TO STAY

BAD DÜRKHEIM

Hotel Annaberg moderate

Surrounded by vineyards, this

four-star hotel enjoys an idyllic location

and has a delightful restaurant.

Annabergstrasse 1, 67098; 06322

940 00; http://www.hotel-annaberg.com

FREINSHEIM

Freinsheimer Hof moderate

A beautifully restored winery in the

old town, this hotel has just four pretty

rooms off an open verandah over-

looking the lovely central courtyard.

Breite Strasse 7, 67251; 06353 50 804 10;

http://www.restaurant-freinsheimer-hof.de

Luther moderate

Rooms at this celebrated hotel range

in style from contem porary to rustic.

All are en suite and are equipped with

LCD televisions and wireless Internet.

Hauptstrasse 29, 67251; 06353 934 80;

http://www.luther-freinsheim.de; closed Jan

NACKENHEIM

St. Gereon moderate

Situated in the center of Nackenheim,

this lovely hotel and restaurant is

housed in a half-timbered house. The

hotel offers ten en suite double rooms,

three suites and one single, decorated

in simple, country style.

Carl-Zuckmayer-Platz 3, 55299; 06135

70 45 90; http://www.landhotel-st-gereon.com

AROUND NIERSTEIN

Jordan’s Untermühle moderate

The rooms are simple but attractive

at this rustic half-tim be red hotel on

the edge of Köngernheim, between

Westhofen and Mainz. It has an

outstanding restaurant.

Ausserhalb 1, 55278 Köngernheim

(west of Nierstein); 06737 710 00;

http://www.jordans-untermuehle.de

a picturesque fashion. A gastronomic

hotspot, Freinsheim also boasts a

number of interesting restaurants.

ª Return to Ungstein, then turn

right along the B271 to Bockenheim.