Photos

You are looking at the ruins of Ybourg castle, in the southern German town of Stetten. It is a wonderful, short climb to the castle on the top of the hill. The view from there is breathtaking!

Stetten is a beautiful, authentic slice of Germany, located about 20 minutes from what I consider the geographical center of Europe - the vibrant city of Stuttgart. It is a small town, with an agreeable mix of medieval, baroque and modern structures, surrounded by hills that are covered with vineyards. For a small town, it contains quite a few wineries. (I suggest the wines of Mr. Hans Bader -- www.weingut-bader.de -- whose family has been at it for quite a while. The wines are friendly and refreshing. His white wine is particularly treasured in the region! The website gives you directions to Stetten, and Mr. Bader will gladly give you a tour of his charming winery.)

There's a tiny historic center, with a lovely old church, town hall, etc. You won't find Stetten on the tourist maps - which is probably a good thing, because it remains a piece of real life. If you're ever in Stuttgart, I suggest you spend a few hours in Stetten. Pfeffer, a really old restaurant there, serves the best tomato soup I've ever had, as well as delicious Swabish food.

SORRY for all the noise in the photograph - a drawback of my previous, early-model, low-res digital point-and-shoot.