Germany’s Napa – Strolling Wine Country
On a gorgeous, bright, Saturday a few weeks ago Dan and I set out for to the little town of Landau, in heart of Pfalz, one of Germany’s premier wine growing regions. Landau is a stop on Germany’s Weinstrasse (“Wine Street”) which runs nearly 80km through the Pfalz. Tourists come from all over the world to drive the Weinstrasse, stopping at the vineyards and charming villages along the way. Apart from the glory of having wine by the barrel full, there are zillions of festivals and events in the region. In late August, the Weinstrasse is shut down to cars allowing wobbly walkers and bikers to take over, slurping down wine at each town they pass. This year the event is August 31, I’m already excited (Bike Day 2014).
Germany’s Wine Growing Regions (see how Heidelberg is right in the thick of it?) via
My interest in visiting Landua stemmed from learning of an Almond Festival taking place nearby. Almond trees, much like Cherry Blossoms, bloom in early spring and are equally as lovely. Coming from DC and our infamous Cherry Blossom Festival (well, infamous in my opinion) I was pretty thrilled to see what this Almond tree business is all about. Arriving in Landua around 10AM, we set off at a brisk 50 degrees as we watched the sun lazily throw patches of light on the hillsides nearby. There are TONS of farm roads that are open to visitors, great for anything from a stroll to a trek. Dan (the App Trail lover) set out a route for us to loop our way through the vineyards, passing through 5 villages for a total of 6 miles. The weather warmed up and Spring herself gave us a big welcoming hug.
Well HEY gorgeous! Arriving in our first sleepy village we found our first almond tree – showing off her pink bounty like the pirate she is. (feeling especially expressive right now)
Winding our way back to Landau now, the path turned us on to a Almond Tree-lined Weinstrasse. In the distance we could see numerous idyllic villages, all presumably prepping for the laborious growing season ahead… or just drinking wine without a care in the world.
The mountains in the Pfalz remind me a lot of the Blue Ridge – gorgeous.
Before moving on to the festival in the town nearby we sought out sustenance at a wine bar in town. Liquid sustenance, of course. Initially we were a bit reluctant that the prices listed were ranged from 7-12E but upon checkout we realized that the prices marked were for an entire bottle. A nice crisp glass of white was only 2E. 
Afterwards, we headed over to Gimmeldingen to check out their annual Almond Blossom Festival. The town itself was packed with visitors cramming in to eat sausages and drink Schorle (sounds like “shore-la”, a mixture of wine and sparkling water). My favorite part though main roadway leading to the town, lined with the most beautiful almond trees yet. It was like a little trip to DC’s Tidal Basin.
I’ve seen lots of blogger buddies posting pictures featuring blossoms lately, I’m glad to have been able to take part in the Springtime fun. How much do you guys LOVE that warm weather is finally here?!