The town and island of Lindau, Bavaria are located on the eastern shore of Lake Constance. On the island you can find the town’s landmark, a lion sculpture, and Bavaria’s only lighthouse.

In Lindau you can see all kinds of fountains, as in ancient times they were the town’s water supply. Today they are still very popular with tourists and locals.

Town Hall © Stefan Munder/flickr.com

The most famous probably is the Lindavia Fountain at the Old Town Hall. The base is made of marble with a sculpture of the town’s patron Lindavia holding a lime twig on top. The basin’s sculptures show the former wealth of Lindau based on shipping, fishing, winegrowing and agriculture.

Another beautiful fountain is the Narrenbrunnen (fool’s fountain) with its sculptures.

About every part of the town has its own fountain and at Easter they are beautifully decorated.

But besides the fountains there are also the towers of Lindau. The most famous probably are the lighthouses at the harbour. The Old Lighthouse with a height of 37 metres was built in the 13th century. Its colourful roof dates back to the 19th century. At the entrance of the harbour there are the statue of the lion and the New Lighthouse built in 1856. If you climb up the 139 steps you have a stunning view of Lindau , Lake Constance and the Alps. You can even look as far as Bregenz, Austria.

Very popular at dusk is the promenade at the Pulverturm, the former magazine dating back to 1508. Standing on the western tip of the island, it was integrated into the town wall in the 16th century.
The Malefizturm or Diebesturm (thief‘s tower) was built during the Middle Ages and served as a prison. The coloured roof tiling dates back to the last century.

St Peter’s Church next to it is Lindau’s oldest church and was built around 1000 AD. Having been the town’s parish church until 1180 it has been a war memorial since 1928. Inside the church you can see frescos created by Hans Holbein the Elder at the end oft he 15th century.

There are a few more towers waiting to be discovered as well as the Stadgarten (town gardens).
And there are many more historical buildings to be explored as the historical town centre is well preserved.

The Old Town Hall was built between 1422 and 1436 and is the most impressive building in Maximilianstrasse. In 1496 the German Imperial Diet took place in the town hall which today is the home of 23,000 books of the Free Town Library that dates back several centuries. Besides the town hall there are also many patrician homes in Maximilianstrasse.

Lighthouse © vauvau/flickr.com

The most beautiful houses can be found at the market square. The former house of the Kawatz family with beautiful paintings on the front now is home of the Lindauer Stadtmuseum (town museum). Inside the building you can also see paintings and sculptures from the 15th to 18th century and collections of porcelain, tin and pottery.

And of course you shouldn’t miss out on a boat trip on Lake Constance. An excursion with on the MS Bayern is not only very informative but also a culinary trip. The ship is sailing from April to October and also around Christmas.
Swimming, surfing and sailing are of course only a few of the water related activities you can do at Lake Constance.

In the area you can also go cycling and even cycle around Lake Constance. Bett & Bike will provide you with accommodation and you can of course hire a bike.

Perfect destinations for a great day out with all the family also are Legoland and Connyland.

And Lindau has great shopping facilities to offer. You can buy regional foods on the farmer’s markets and also find old shops that have been there for many generations. Discovering them is like a step back in time.

The Black Forest certainly is one of the most popular travel destinations in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Black Forest/Schwarzwald © flickr/Stephan A.

The area in south-west Germany at the border to France and Switzerland is a wooded mountain range with the Feldberg being the highest peak with an elevation of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft). The region has a length of about 200 kilometres (120 miles) and width of about 60 kilometres (37 miles).

The forest mainly consists of pines and firs which to some extend are commercially used. The Black Forest is famous for its cuckoo clocks, the Black Forest gateau, Black Forest Ham and the Bollenhut hats which are part of the women’s traditional costumes and worn on special occasions only. People in more than 40 countries also know the TV-series “Black Forest Clinic” (Schwarzwaldklinik).

It is said that hiking was invented in the Black Forest, and here you find more hiking possibilities than anywhere else. There is a real network of hiking trails either in the high mountains or in the cosy forests and there are many typical “Vesteperstuben” – snack places – which await the visitors with a rustic snack. Often they are situated at mountain summits from where you have a great view over the region.

Black Forest/Schwarzwald © flickr/Allie_Caulfield

In winter the Black Forest is a real winter wonderland and you can of course go skiing in one of the numerous ski resorts. The Black Forest is also known as the birthplace of skiing in central Europe. Here the first ski club was founded and the first wooden skis were produced.

Visitors who seek relaxation should visit one of the thermal baths in Baden-Baden, Badenweiler or Bad Wildbad with their long tradition. No other German region has that many springs in such close proximity.
And there of course is the mythological side of the Black Forest with werewolves, sorcerers, witches and devils but also helpful dwarves.

Popular tourist destinations in the Black Forest are Freiburg with the famous minster, Titisee and Schluchsee lakes, where you can go diving and sailboarding, the Höllental (Hell Valley) with the statue of a jumping deer and the Triberg Waterfalls. And of course France, Switzerland and Lake Constance are not far.

A recipe from Lake Constance

1.3 lb fillets of different fish, celery, 1/2 leek, 1/2 carrot, 1 small spring onion, 6 fl oz cream, 8 fl oz of dry Riesling wine, salt, olive oil, vermouth, dill, 18 fl oz fish stock

Heat the fish stock, add the wine and let it boil till the amount of liquid is reduced, then add the cream.
Sweat the diced carrots, onions, celery and leek in olive oil and deglaze with fish stock. Puree it with a hand blender, heat it again and season it with vermouth.
Cut the fillets of fish into bite-size pieces and cook it for about 10 minutes in the soup. Decorate with dill when you serve it.
Riesling wine is good with it.

Mainau is an island in Lake Constance not far from the city of Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg. The island belongs to the Lennart Bernadotte Foundation and used to be a park that had run to seed.

Tulpen in Mainau©flickr/Allie_Caulfield

The late Lennart, Count Bernadotte af Wisborg, formerly a Prince of Sweden and Duke of Småland transformed it into a park with many flowers and a park landscape with views on Lake Constance. In Mainau you can also find a greenhouse with tropical climate and many butterflies.

Now in spring it is just the right time to spend one or even several days on the island. Besides the flowers on plants in Mainau there always are changing exhibitions, courses and concerts.

• If you want to take part in the course on macrophotography you will have to be fast because it takes part 24-25 May, 2010.
• Until May 2, 2010 there will be an Orchid Exhibition in the Palm Tree House.
• Several times every year you can find a scent and seasoning herbs stand in Mainau.
• In May till October there will be the Show “Sensationelle Gärten” (Sensational Gardens) where you can see futuristic gardens created by university students.
• On May 8, 2010 there will be a concert called “Klingendes Mainau” with school students playing music.
• At the end of August there will be a dahlia show at the south side of Mainau.

Mainau©flickr/DHausBT

The first signs of settlement on the island can be dated back as far as 3000 BC. And even after that Mainau was very popular. For some time the island belonged to the Order of Teutonic Knights and even the Swedes made it till there.
The first exotic plants on the island date back to Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy. After that Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden, built a summer palace there.
Count Lennart Bernadotte owned Mainau from 1932 to 1974 when he transferred the island into a foundation.

Especially for families the island is a great travel destination as there are many things to do for kids. There is the “Kinderland” with lots of attractions for the kids. There are a farm, a model railway, they can go pony riding, and play on the playground.

The island is open from dawn till dusk between March and October. You can either get there by boat or walk over the bridge from the mainland.
On the island you also find a distillery, a vineyard and you can also buy self made honey.

There are some really beautiful ski resorts in Bavaria, Germany. The most famous probably is the ski-region of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The town held the Olympic winter games in 1930 and here the downhill races on the famous Kandahar course take place. Garmisch-Partenkirchen can easily be reached by car or train from Munich.

Also easy to reach from Munich by car or train is the small Bavarian village of Oberammergau. Here you find cross-country ski runs; you can go hiking or visit famous Linderhof Castle.  Oberammergau also is Germany’s Passion play village.

Oberstdorf as well as Garmisch-Partenkirchen is one of the top ski resorts of the German Alps. And as well as Garmisch-Partenkirchen it is also famous for its ski jumping competitions. Oberstdorf is located between Munich and Lake Constance and can also easily be reached from Stuttgart.