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Travel and Adventure

Cycling Bavaria's wine route
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Photography by Louise Christie

Neustadt am der Aisch, Germany:

Gross Gott! Moin Moin! Whether on foot or bike, manners matter when crossing paths in Bavaria. A friendly exchange of salutations is a must. Even small children greet outsiders they pass on the street with an abbreviated "Grossi!" So much for never speaking to strangers.

Such is the welcoming nature of rural life in the Steigerwald Nature Park, a vast 1,280-square-kilometer expanse of mixed forest and farmland that stretches between Bamberg, renown for its dark beers, and the ancient Franconian walled city of Rothenburg. A gently-rolling greenway threads itself through the park, past corn fields and fish ponds as vineyards carpet the rolling hillsides, principally around the crossroads hamlet of Ipshiem. Stop there to pick up local wine bottled in a distinctively-shaped, rounded-and-flattened Bocksbeutel flask. Better yet, come October, try a jug of federweiser, freshly-crushed red wine whose cloudy contents and yeasty nose belie a clear, crisp flavor-the bottled essence of the autumnal mood cloaking the countryside as noticeable for displays of fall colour as eastern North America's woodlands. Just be sure to leave the cap slightly loosened to insure that carbon dioxide given off as part of the on-going fermentation process can escape rather than trigger an unfortunate explosion of frothy contents.

Federweiser, fried carp, roast corn, wild mushrooms, roe buck, fallow deer: how is anyone suppose to complete a cycle tour-let alone a portion-of the Steigerwald's 137-kilometre Aischtalradweg wine route when there are so many reasons to stop at every turn? Better to attempt a select portion rather than bite off more than you can chew-let alone sip-over the course of a ride. For Pique's purposes, the well-marked 60-kilometre stretch between the cities of Neustadt am der Aisch and Rothenburg suited a short hinterland stint wedged between explorations elsewhere in the German countryside.

Care to do a little line dancing to work off the calories? Neustadt am der Aisch may be a long way from Nashville but the locals, steeped in a long tradition of instrument making and dancing, execute a mean shuffle step, as much to keep trim as to socialize. These days, their exercise habit is kept alive with twice-weekly hoedowns at Landgasthof zur Stockacher Muhle owners Thomas and Nadine Kresser's Longhorn Saloon. Talk about a slice of incongruity. For North Americans taking the pulse of 21st-century Europe's engine room, culture shock doesn't register much higher on the surprise meter than this. Not a lederhosen or dirndl in sight, just figure-hugging Levis, pointy-toed Tony Lamas, and pearl-button shirts.  "We started our gasthof in 2005 when we found this property with an old mill and began restorations," the Kressers explained to Pique. "We added rooms for 50 persons. It's become very popular for corporate retreats and with families wanting to get out of the city in summer." Success funds the Kresser's annual visits to the U.S. to catch performances by country stars such as Brad Paisley and learn the latest dance steps at western dude ranches.

What's all this got to do with a wine cycle tour? Simple. Make Landgasthof zur Stockacher Muhle your home base, join a line dance or two, and then head out from there. The Kressers gladly store any excess bagage while you're on the road for the next two-to-three days riding bikes sourced from one of Neustadt's cycle shops. Plan to overnight in Bad Windsheim on the road to Rothenburg, an easy day's ride west through open fields where rich black soil has nurtured crops for centuries. Farmers at the wheels of tractors sport distinctively-shaped felt hats, seemingly drawn from a 16th-century Pieter Bruegel painting. Along the way, expect to thread your across pathways covered with windfall pears, plums, and apples. From not-to-be missed Rothenburg, board a bike-friendly commuter train back to Neustadt.

Reputedly the home of the Rapunzel fairy tale, Bad Windsheim was founded in 741 A.D. Its colourfully-adorned, medieval timber-frame homes display all the hallmarks of a town that has born witness to history at every twist and turn. Unlike much of Catholic Bavaria, this is Lutheran country. The town's main church honours Irish monk St.Kilian who spread the early gospel in these parts. Offering the simplicity of a Quaker meeting house, the brightly-sunlit interior features wooden carvings with sweet-faced angels resplendent, much like the Church of the Holy Cross in Skatin south of Pemberton. A towering likeness of the medieval warrior, Roland, stands guard outside. Nearby, a May pole rises in the centre of Kornmarkt plaza, festooned with emblems of local guilds and football clubs. A fountain topped by a statue depicting a youthful dancing couple gushes merrily. Perhaps Bad Windsheim's most endearing traits, aside from its ultramodern community spa the size of Whistler's Meadow Park Sports Centre, are sculptures displayed around every corner, such as ducklings and farmers, and young boys with ubiquitous carp. Although the small town, with its impressive Franconian Open Air Museum, can't match the walled splendor of Rothenberg, far fewer tourists throng its car-free, cobblestone centre where everyone greets you with a heartfelt Grossi!

Access: Neustadt am der Aisch lies 200 kilometres north of Munich, a two-hour train ride via Nurnberg. For information on the Steigerwald Nature Park and the Aischtalradweg cycle route, visit the German National Tourist Office's website, www.cometogermany.com or www.germany.travel. For bike rentals (riders supply their own helmets) in Neustadt, contact Fahrad Homann Bikestore, www.bike-hofmann.de. For accommodation in Neustadt am der Aisch, visit www.landgasthof-stoeckacher-muehle.de; for Bad Windshiem, visit www.arvena-reichsstadt.de/en.html. Note: Visitors may find that major North American credit cards are not accepted at most establishments, not only along the cycle route but in Bavaria as a whole. Instead, Euros or a European debit card are the preferred method of payment.

Pique contributor Jack Christie is the author of The Whistler Book . For information, visit jackchristie.com.