The nicest aspect of a 20-day trip around Germany’s countryside is that it gives us the flexibility - which is nonetheless super fun - of having your own car and taking a break where you please, most of the time to enjoy something you saw and or caught your attention. Or to take a detour. If I were not driving with my husband on this trip around Germany, I would never have met Eltville am Rhein. We stopped in this small town of less than 20,000 inhabitants on the banks of the Rhine just for a few hours for lunch, as it was on the way from Rüdesheim am Rhein to Rothenburg op der Tauber. It was a pleasant surprise. It is a hilly town known for the large German vineyards surrounding it, such as Steinberg and Rauenthaler Baiken.

There are also those who remember Eltville as the city of roses, for the variety of roses it became known for in the early 20th century. Its important monastery (Kloster Eberbach) was the setting for the famous movie "The Name of the Rose", 1986. I never visited this abbey, but I have read about its beautiful Roman-Gothic architecture. As we spent only a few hours in Eltville, we had just time to have lunch at Osteria Piccolo Mondo, which offers delicious pasta preparations as they do in Italy, take a quick stroll on the banks of the Rhine and quickly buy sweets and wine at the must-see bar/deli/restaurant Kostbar. Tip: Be sure to buy chocolate and wine that the store offers, but the local brands of gin and liqueurs will surprise and not disappoint you.