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| | Rhineland | |||
| Central: Hunsruck | |||
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Hunsrück Forests – The Saar-Hunsrück Nature Park is a huge area that stretches from Germany to Luxembourg to France. There are over 500 miles of trails, many of them marked for hikes or bikes. | ||
 Explore
the Hunsrück Slate, a famous fossil deposit. Preserved in pyrite,
fossils are both soft-tissue and hard: the best find ever of the Devorian
seas period. |
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| Ride
in a covered wagon along the same paths once trod by the infamous
local highwayman, Schinderhannes, whose Robin Hood-like legend was made
famous in a play by Carl Zuckmayer. Schinderhannes, was hanged in Mainz,
where apparently they took a less romantic view of his actions. |
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Erbeskopf – Nearby the region's highest peak, you'll find the Idarkopf winter sports center, with its great cross-country ski run system for those who don't want to swoosh down hill but would rather enjoy the beauty of the woods on a self-paced trek – or join in on a guided cross-country skiing trip. | ||
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Idar-Oberstein – The town of Idar-Oberstein is a German mecca for rock-hounds: | ||
| Tour
a gemstone mine – You can actually see where some
of the precious stones came from by touring the gemstone mines. The
Municipal Tourism Office in town is the best place to get information on
tours of mines in Steinkaulenberg and the old cutting mill at Weiherschleife. |
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| Visit
the Felsenkirche, a chapel built into the side of the mountain – it seems unreal, with only the facade visible from the outside. |
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| Under
the Felsenkirche you'll find the Idar-Oberstein Museum with
its collection of precious stones and minerals from around the world, as
well as art made with gems: jewelry, engraved gems, and even sculptures.
There's a little bit of local history and information about geology as well. |
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| Had
enough of gems? Go horseback riding at one of the family run stables
in the area. |
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Thalfang – Thalfang, a state run resort, has marked hiking trails – or rent bikes and do some German mountain bike exploring. You can also swim in the indoor pool, rent horses (or ponies for little ones). In the winter, there is skiing and bobsledding as well. | ||
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Hermeskeil – If your family loves big machines, stop in Hermeskeil where they seem to be completely nutsy over transportation: five museums devoted to collections. The two best are: | ||
| Hermeskeil
airplane museum with about 100 planes you can walk around and through,
from a Starfighter, Constellation, de Havilland Comet, Vickers Viscount,
BAC VC.10, Noratlas, Lightning, F-100to a Concorde. |
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| Hermeskeil
Steam Engine Museum with about 100 different kinds of steam engines,
pretty amazing for a private collection. |
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Tip: Thinking of renting an RV for part of your trip? This is one of the best places in Germany to do it. Take advantage of camp grounds, out-of-the-way villages and sites without thinking about your next night's hotel. |
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Fun food – |
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Idar-Oberstein is famous for its Spiessbraten, which has its own curious history. In the 19th century, local gemstone prospectors went in search of fortune in Argentina – and got a taste for the traditional "parillada" (BBQ) of the Argentine "gauchos" (cowboys). When they returned to Idar-Oberstein, they created their own version and the town is now famous in Germany for these onion-marinated and flame-grilled steaks. |
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Shopping – |
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If you love gemstones, then this is the place to shop. You can buy everything from inexpensive polished stones to incredibly elegant jewelry. This might be the place to find something in a child's birthstone...or a gift for someone very special back home. |
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