I'm new here, but thought I'd throw in my $.02 about our favorite place in Germany- The Rhine. We spent a few days in Bacharach, it was the highlight of our entire 8 weeks in Europe...well, one of the highlights! We rented bikes, took them down river on a boat, then road back up to Bacharac, stopping at a couple castles along the way. We also took a day trip up to the Mosel Valley, and saw Burg Eltz, my favorite castle that we saw in Europe.

After the quaint charm of tiny Bacharach, we were disenchanted by touristy Rothenburg (sp?). I was interested to read many of the opinions here for alternative towns. We will hopefully be going

back to Germany this summer and will take all your suggestions into account in our planning.

:) Ellie Davis, CA