Ah...lessons learned

[xxl_hanger]

Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen. There people like to trink Apfelwein (apple wine) especially "Rauscher" fresh on tap.

Düsseldorf Altstadt has similarities but is different. There people trink Altbier most of time. One of the best is the one from the old Füchsen Brewery.

I'm born in Bavaria. I like Bavarian Bier more. One of the best is imo the one you can get fresh on tap in the Tegernseeer Bräustüberl, Tegernsee or the one from Kloster Andechs, both not far away from Munich. You cannot buy this quality in a bottle. It tastes different than that.

There are a lot of very nice places in Germany where you can trink very good high quality wine fresh on tap. I like to trink Frankenwein. You cannot buy this quality in a bottle. Again, it tastes much different. You have to visit Germany to get the original taste (or buy a whole barrel and cool it properly). For example from here.

It is my plan to make a longer bike tour with my new hammock this year and visit some very nice old places in Bavaria again, up to the place where my ancestors were born 300 years ago. Some emigrate to Rib Lake, Taylor County, Wisconsin, USA and rebuild St. Ann's there, almost in the same way than the chapel in their home village near the Bohemian-Austrian/Bavarian border (today Czech Republic - the land of my ancestors were stolen by the Czechs after 2nd World war. It was more than 1000 years in possession of German people - most likely already during the Roman Empire) . Some other emigrate to Milwaukee (I have lost their spoors but have still old letters and pictures). On my way back to Düsseldorf I will follow Hadrian and explore the old Limes Germanicus wall. I think I will make a lot of nice pictures then from good old Germany. Here you can get a first impression.

[brianb]

Nice videos, thanks. I wasn't aware of the Limes. That sounds like a great trip. I'm very familiar with the quality of the wine and beer in Germany. My wife and kids have dual citizenship, and she speaks German to them at home. I only make it back over every other year, and spend my time visiting with friends. They're great trips, but I would also love to take some backpacking trips again. Not likely to happen.
Luckily, where we live in the U.S. has great backpacking. I'll be going out next weekend for a solo trip in Linville Gorge, and hammocks are a great choice. I'll also be fishing for trout (forelle) which are in season. I remember the Black Forest being good for trout fishing. Your English is great, I only wrote the translation for trout because I remember fish species being something I never learned the German/English translations. There's still many words where I only know the German word, but not the English equivalent.
I hope you get to take your bike trip.
Brian

[xxl_hanger]

Although we have nothing similar than the Appalachian trail in Germany we have a lot of possibilities. Black Forest is only one example. Hunsrueck, Harz, Westerwald, Rothaar Mountains, Eifel, Taunus, Spessart, Rhoen, Upper Palatine Forest, Bayarian Forest, Alps, Allgäu, Thuringian Forest, Erzgebirge, Forest of Odes, Palatinate Forest are some other examples. (Some places in German woods are very historical with old castles and castle ruins, or where the Romans have been beaten by barbaric Germanic tribes, or where the first bones of the Neanderthal man have been found - about 6 miles away from Düsseldorf. Some other nice places are still almost untouched backwoods - partly nature protection areas). If I go a bit abroad I have almost unlimited possibilities. -> Belgium (Ardennes) -> Austria -> Northern Italy (South Tirol) -> Slowenia -> Switzerland -> France (Maritime Alps, Pyrenees) -> Czech Republic (Giant Mountains), Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, Romania (Carpathians)-> Sweden -> Finland -> Norway.

I will try to learn fishing too.

It could be that I like stealth hammocking very much. Nobody will expect me and if I'm noticed I'm most likely already gone.

[brianb]

Apologies to the OP, I feel like we're hijacking this thread.

Agreed, Germany has some beautiful places. My wife and I have backpacked a few of them, but mostly spent time in the Black Forest and the Pfalz. We were avid rock climbers, and loved the sandstone cliffs in the Pfalz and would end the trip at a spa for a day or two in Baden Baden. And you're right, Germany is so well placed that getting to other countries is easy. We were mostly headed to climbing destinations, but would always end the trip at a nice hotel in a city.

Some of our favorites were: Montserrat, NW of Barcelona; Torla National Park in Spain; Verdon Gorge, France; Fontainebleau, France (where we got engaged) and others.

We've been lucky enough to travel a bit. America is a place, but there are beautiful places all around the world. We just try to remember to get out and enjoy wherever we are.

[xxl_hanger]

The subject of this thread is imo exhausted. The other interesting things imo not.

I was often in Fontainebleau (nice place) and Paris about 30 years ago. As you mention Spain. There is another plan I have already in my drawer. The way of St. James (Camino de santiago trail). Losing and finding myself on the way to the end of the old western world. This trail (starting from Düsseldorf) is about 919 miles (1480 km) long (linear distance), about the half lenght of the total Appalachian trail. I will still plan my way with Google earth in order to find always trees where I can hang my hammock.

I think with my bike I will need about 30 days, perhaps even more (there and back).