RS filming in Germany

Before this E-Coli "event" I would have said Lubeck and Travemunde.
Roger

Hamburg, definately. Also up north, Lubeck in Schleswig-Holstein. I think he needs to re-asses Heidelberg, Mainz and Weisbaden. I'm considerably biased, because I live in the area, but I love the Odenwald, the towns along the Bergstraße, the Deutsche Weinstraße and the Taunus mountains. Dump Reutte, and expand into GaP, Neselwang and Oberstdorf. Lindau on the Bodensee. Mention the Neckar valley as an untouristed alternative to the Mosel (it's no Rhine, though). At least mention that Germany is dotted with worthwhile spa towns besides Baden-Baden. Expand into Rothenburg-like towns, such as Eisenacht, Seliginstadt, Michelstadt, Heppenheim, Weinheim, Erbach, etc. Finally... he should let Jo show him around Frankfurt and the surrounding area. But that's just my humble opinion.

Well, of course I would like it if he came to Frankfurt, so I could show him around to the sites and places that he has missed here. After that, I would take him to Buedingen, Mainz, Wiesbaden, Bad Homburg, Kronberg, Seligenstadt, Idstein and Eppstein. I would hope that he would also go research Hamburg, Quedlinburg, and Luebeck and finally get northern Germany into the books. Here is hoping that Tom would show him around Heidelberg! I think some more attention should be paid to Stuttgart too.

PS... and for one of the great landscape views in all of Germany, I would recommend he eat at the restaurant at Burg Frankenstein, just to the south of Darmstadt. On a clear day, one can see Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Darmstadt, the Taunus mountains, the Rhine, the southern edge of the Rhine gorge, northwest Bavaria, the Pfalzerwald, Worms, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, the Odenwald, the northern tip of the Schwartzwald, and several castles along the Bergstraße. His cameraman would have a field day here! And I forgot to mention earlier, Burg Hohenzollern.

I'm a bit more cynical. Don't expect any new places. He's already identified everything important (to him) in Germany. Expect instead a refilming of Köln, (the Rhein, possibly), Baden-Baden and the Black Forest, mainly to edit out Jackie. I wish he would stop promoting Reutte and the Romantic Road, but he probably won't. He could spend some time on the castles in Würzburg and Nürnberg, or in Bamberg, or at Berchtesgaden. A really great addition would be the Harz, Wernigerode and Quedlinburg. (Yah).

I would love for more info on the Fairy tale route. A friend and I will be traveling it this summer and he has no mention of any of the towns in his Germany guide book. Very disappointing! Tom and Jo do you have any insights? Anything I shouldn't miss?

Wow! So far, it sounds like lots of places for me to consider next year! Lee, I agree with you that RS will probably not expand too far outside of where he's already picked for his guides. One can hope though! I also wish he would do more in Denmark too. Oh well, we'll have to wait and see!

Gretchen, I suspect he will only included locations that are featured in his Guidebooks, so not likely any expansion into new areas. Hopefully you'll get a chance to take the G/A/S tour next summer, as everyone I've spoken with has really enjoyed it. I ran into one of the groups in Baden-Baden last year, and they were all having a great time. @ Lee, "mainly to edit out Jackie." Are you referring to Anne??? Cheers!

Yeah, Anne. Jackie's his daughter. Come to think of it, he might edit her out to, since she was so young then. It's kind of hard to explain only doing one venue a day when you're not traveling as a family.

There are multiple "Routes" going through Germany and the Fairy Tale route is one of them that is quite popular with Germans, as is the Fachwerk Route, the Castle Route, the Wine Route, the Apple Route, etc. Why not look at these routes, check out the cities that are on them, look at the individual city websites, and then come back and ask questions about those towns? I have to say that I have only been to Hanau, but not as a tourist. Marburg is on my short list of towns to explore this year as it is supposed to be really beautiful. Kassel too, as I want to see the water park / fountains which are really unique. I believe Steinau is on the route too and I have friends who really liked their visit there. http://deutsche-maerchenstrasse.com/en/

I'm aware of the fairy tale road, although I've only visited Hanua and driven by Kassel. The Insight Guide for Germany has an entire chapter devoted to the road. If you're interested in a complete listing of the all Fierenstraßen in Germany, the only webpage I've found is on the German version of Wikipedia: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferienstra%C3%9Fe

I'm one who's hoping that he doesn't include some of the place y'all listed. It's nice that they're not overrun by other tourists carrying blue books. I kinda like that aspect. Makes me think I'm in on some really cool secret.

Thanks Jo and Tom! I have looked at both of those websites. I was just wondering if you had any experience with it Did you both grow up in Germany? I am interested in how fairy tales were part of your life? I am a teacher traveling on a grant this summer to study the fairy tale route and the Brothers Grimm. Message me if you have any insights. Thanks so much!

I love the Odenwald region, Michelstadt, and all the little towns nestled into the hills and forests of that region. For a larger town with a GREAT castle and beautiful views, Aschaffenburg is a hidden gem -and it's on the way to Wurzburg, another town that's more interesting than it's given credit for. Upper Bavaria/Franconia is an area that's often overlooked - but the Spessart Mountains are lovely and filled with beautiful, quaint sites like Mespelbrunn. Definitely off the beaten path - and I like it that way. Come to think of it, maybe Rick shouldn't cover that region after all...