Our Castle Untour in Bavaria is a unique program, where guests stay in comfortably furnished apartments in a medieval castle. They are hosted by the baron and his wife, and generally treated regally. Manfred and Lilo reported missing their guests when travel was shut down. (They are photographed below.)
So they were delighted to host guests in late August and early September. Here’s what our first German Untourists of 2021 had to say.
Lulu Lehman joined us in late August and early September on a Castle-Rhine sampler, enjoying both of our Germany UnTours. She enjoyed all the little touches of hospitality at the castle.
“My host was eager to fix me a delicious apple strudel on arrival,” she says. “I enjoyed Manfred and Lilo’s hospitality and historical knowledge very much…I also enjoyed seeing them out and about as they worked around the castle.”
She was very comfortable in the Giselle apartment. “I loved looking out of the window at the flowers, wildlife and even the rain.”
“The baron is great with maps and showed me the nearby places for groceries and ATMs…He mapped out his suggestions of cities to visit near the castle and educated me on the history and highlights of each destination.”
Her list of day trips included Dinkelsbuhl, Gunzenhausen, Ansbach, and Nuremberg, so Lulu was able to cover lots of territory. Of course she did adapt her travel around health concerns.
“I avoided restaurants due to COVID,” She says. “I loved fixing soup in the little bitty kitchen.” She enjoyed local liverwurst, yogurt, and other goodies from a nature food shop in Dinkelsbuhl. “There was also a very nice shop with fresh and finished meats, a baker, and a place to have coffee and treat right in front of the store. I had the classic plum cake. It was just what I needed. Easy to get to and of course plenty of parking.”
The VanBuhlers joined us in Bavaria for the second half of August, a two week Untour that they extended with time on their own in Berlin.
“Bavaria is a delightful part of Germany and we easily navigated the roads to visit many villages and cities,” reported Diane.
“The two weeks we stayed at Schloss Sommersdorf with our hosts Manfred and Lilo von Crailsheim were so very enjoyable. Bavaria is a delightful part of Germany and we easily navigated the roads to visit many villages and cities.”
“Our overall experience was FANTASTIC,” Larry reported. “The apartment at the Castle was great and the hosts were the best. They made us feel very comfortable, very welcome, and were more than helpful when a need surfaced.”
Travel to Europe is not without its challenges these days, with testing requirements and changing policies. “I will say traveling during COVID is very troubling and time consuming. Everything from flights to COVID testing to mask wearing made it not quite as pleasant as it could have been,” he said.
“I will say travel is a challenge during COVID. With that being said, our Untour was great. The folks in Germany are very friendly, helpful, and just perfect hosts. We felt very comfortable visiting Bavaria, Munich, and Berlin. UnTours is still the best”
The VanBuhlers also had to spend some of their time in Berlin, in the days after their Untour, looking for a scheduling the mandatory COVID test required of all US travelers who are returning from abroad. UnTours’ European staff has information on local testing sites for guests who are returning home from an Untour destination; they can help them arrange local tests in the city or region of their Untour.
“Germany is very clean and friendly – a big plus,” says Diane. They enjoyed “the wonderful variety of small, friendly villages and the ease of driving to larger cities to enjoy the history, food, and numerous museums.”
So despite the added complications of COVID-era travel, they were glad they traveled to Germany, and especially on an Untour. “Traveling with UnTours is our very favorite way to see, taste and enjoy a foreign country. We are always assured that a helpful person is close at hand.”
We hope to see you in Germany soon. We are taking bookings for the Castle Untour for 2022. Start planning now!