Having wanted to ride in Germany for quite some time I was asked by my company to travel to Frankfurt. Destined for Germany on a business trip I decided I would take a few days ahead of my busy work schedule to enjoy the German 
countryside. There are several motorcycle rental companies in Frankfurt and after much research Allround Motorsports, conveniently located in North Frankfurt, was selected. Having never ridden in Germany before I was excited to start the adventure after a long flight. The rental process at Allround went very smoothly and they had me on my way quickly.
countryside. There are several motorcycle rental companies in Frankfurt and after much research Allround Motorsports, conveniently located in North Frankfurt, was selected. Having never ridden in Germany before I was excited to start the adventure after a long flight. The rental process at Allround went very smoothly and they had me on my way quickly.October is wine making and wild game (I.e. hunting) season in Germany with the Rhine river valley being the heart of the German wine region. At the heart of the heart is Bacharach, an old and sleepy town directly on the Rhine river. Bacharach had its first documentary mentioning in 923 with the center being the main castle, Castle Stahleck, and grand church. The castle is high on a hill 
and overlooks the town that sits in the valley itself.
and overlooks the town that sits in the valley itself. Highways are the best way to get to the region and the trip started with riding to Bingen and then a nice secondary road along the river up to Bacharach. Driving North towards Bacharach the smell of fermenting grapes got stronger as I approached. Pulling up to the hotel, along the cobblestone street, the odor of fermenting grapes from the basement was almost overwhelming. The Rhine valley is a great place to ride with tight and twisty roads joining sleepy villages, and there were many motorcycles out and about. Bacharach is an extremely quaint and interesting town teeming with restaurants and wine bars and it was easy to find a restaurant that had great local food. Bacharacher Hof had a Venison stew with Spaetzle on the menu as well as Wild boar sausage made with thick brown gravy. On the short reconnaissance ride before dinner I passed a hunter leaving the woods with several deer headed for town and I was sure the meat was fresh. The dinner was fantastic and it paired wonderfully with a red wine from a local vineyard, Toni Jost. Everyone in the area is very friendly and diners at the neighboring table directed me to visit a specific wine bar to sample local wine. Riesling is the local variety of grape in the area and it did not disappoint. After sampling wines from several small area vineyards it was easy to strike up a conversation with the locals in the wine bar who could speak a modicum of English.
Waking the next morning to the smell of eggs and coffee mixed with fermenting grapes was a wonderful good morning call. After breakfast, packing the motorcycle and checking out, the adventure continued throughout Rhineland and the Rhine river valley. Immediately getting lost on the small country roads was a very happy and welcome mistake. The countless small towns and the twisty roads joining them are fabulous small paved roads. At times the paving gets questionable and combined with the elevation changes throughout the day it makes for great entertainment. There are also “goat trails” that join these towns that are typically unpaved and from time to time I found myself on them as well. After riding through a large forest with semi-paved roads, another small restaurant was found and another tremendous Venison meal was consumed. After eating far too much it was not easy getting back on the little GS, but after a quick final tour of Rhineland was complete the next Hotel was calling. My plans were to go to Bavaria the following day and splitting the difference in mileage made the most sense. A hotel outside of Frankfurt was selected for that evening.
In the morning, breakfast was skipped with the belief that another great restaurant would be found in Bavaria. The little GS was pointed right for the Autobahn. It was Sunday morning and there was no speed limit on the Autobahn at that time. I went as fast as the little GS could go but was being lapped like I was standing still. Even with the speed differential, German drivers follow rules, use signals and generally drive in a safe manner. Staying in the right two lanes I was more than happy following others going my speed.
Upon entering Bavaria the highway was immediately abandoned in lieu of back roads and I promptly got lost. It was at that point that the GPS was happily turned off. Not because it did not work, simply because it is more interesting letting the roads tell you where to go. Driving through a large forest with extremely twisty roads was interesting given that it was quite dark and caution was needed on the corners because most of them were wet even though it was a gorgeous day. On top of 
the mountain was a restaurant/hotel and morning coffee was happily consumed. After eating many twisty kilometers in the forest my stomach was calling for food and a restaurant appeared out of no-where. As I passed a glimpse of deer antlers on the front of the building could be seen – it was destiny. A semi-safe location to turn around could only be found 3 miles down the road and after negotiating a white-knuckle u-turn I arrived at the restaurant. English was not spoken there and there were no English menus. Knowing, by now, that the root for Venison in German is “Reh” I noticed that 75% of the menu was Venison! Googling the various choices helped finalize the selection and when 
the waitress came over (who was dressed in proper German attire) I pointed to the one I wanted. She immediately looked nervous at an American wanting wild game and did her best to tell me it was Venison by pointing out the window sheepishly. By this time the whole restaurant was staring, and not having anything else to do I shook my head “yes” and put my hands up to my head to make the antler sign to let her know I understood. The whole restaurant broke out in laughter, she smiled and happily walked away. After that I had many new German friends who wanted to say “Guten Tag”, but that was about the extent of the dialog.
the mountain was a restaurant/hotel and morning coffee was happily consumed. After eating many twisty kilometers in the forest my stomach was calling for food and a restaurant appeared out of no-where. As I passed a glimpse of deer antlers on the front of the building could be seen – it was destiny. A semi-safe location to turn around could only be found 3 miles down the road and after negotiating a white-knuckle u-turn I arrived at the restaurant. English was not spoken there and there were no English menus. Knowing, by now, that the root for Venison in German is “Reh” I noticed that 75% of the menu was Venison! Googling the various choices helped finalize the selection and when the waitress came over (who was dressed in proper German attire) I pointed to the one I wanted. She immediately looked nervous at an American wanting wild game and did her best to tell me it was Venison by pointing out the window sheepishly. By this time the whole restaurant was staring, and not having anything else to do I shook my head “yes” and put my hands up to my head to make the antler sign to let her know I understood. The whole restaurant broke out in laughter, she smiled and happily walked away. After that I had many new German friends who wanted to say “Guten Tag”, but that was about the extent of the dialog.
There were many motorcycles on the road that day and upon finishing lunch and exiting the restaurant I found 4 other motorcycles that had parked around me. The riders were standing and looking at the little GS and smiling. They spoke English and we struck up a conversation. They pointed out some of the best roads in the area using my iPhone and explained where to go. With their guidance, the afternoon in Bavaria will be remembered as some of the best roads I have had the pleasure of riding; smooth, twisty and with very little traffic. All this fun was great, but it was time to get to work!
On the morning of returning the GS there was some time before my work schedule started and I took a small tour through a few towns West of Frankfurt. It was not a dull day but not as interesting as the previous ones. Reluctantly the little GS was returned back to its owners with a sad Auf Wiedersehen.
The sites, sounds, smells and sheer beauty of the German countryside are something to behold.
Thanks for the fun Germany, I will be back!!!
Riding note: Before I went to Germany I spoke to George, who just got back from his trip, and he explained that the drivers in Germany are very good and riding there is great. It is now confirmed that the drivers are far better than what we are accustomed to, they actually follow the rules! Drivers are better trained and they pay attention to the road and not their phones. Drivers actually look for motorcyclists and a level of shared respect is maintained as long as the rules are followed. A taxi driver explained; “all is fine as long as the rules are followed, once they are broken everyone is upset.” Words to live by!