The first Best of Europe Tour in 2015 just came to a close. 7 dry riding days (hello to the snow riders in Utah!!!), countless curves, lots of castles, it was just amazing.  Here are some impressions of our last riding day. Enjoy. And keep the rubber side down!

This happy group of 13+3 says goodbye from the Heart of Europe. See you out on the road somewhere, someday!

Spectacular view of King Ludwig's fairy tale castle

King Ludwig's hunting lodge. The horizontal guy is Olli, not Ludwig...

Lisa, Dave, Dee, Craig, Chris and Olli in the gardens of Linderhof Castle

Inside the 5-minute-thunderstorm on the Säntis

Day 5 of the Edelweiss Best of Europe Tour saw the group head back to the German side of the Rhine, back to the Black Forest. The curves of the Alsace couldn't wear them out, they were yearning for more. And the Black Forest delivered!

Tour Guides Tom & Tom delivered too: another picnic, this time on the shore of beautiful Lake Schluch. Check out these pics:

The Blue Brothers did their best to get the band together: they prepared a picnic...

At the Hexenlochmühle you can watch coockoo clocks being made...

... and you can watch them being sold

The famous Rhine falls at Schaffhausen

Nice selfie, guys! Tom, Dee and Chris

Day 6 and the sun is still shining. Through picture-perfect Swiss countryside we ride east, stop at a picturesque little town, at a Victory and Indian dealership, at a restaurant with a panoramic view, and then.... at the peak of Mt. Säntis, towering at least a mile over the Rhine valley. Literally the highlight of the day!

Lynda. Paul, Kent, Karen, Dave and Peter in Stein am Rhein. The mural on the building in the background was painted in 1520...

From the terrace of our lunch restaurant we could enjoy this amazing view. Mt. Säntis is already visible in the distance

Then we took the gondola up to the top. Tickets are expensive, but worth every penny. Dee is afraid of hights, but she kept herself under control...

breathtaking view of the Swiss Alps

It was hazy, a sign that the weather is about to change

Panoramic view from the top

The group was able to witness a 5-minute-thunderstorm, complete with thunder, lightning, wind and hail. Then it cleared up again.

The mountain pass known as Hochtannbergpass, already close to our hotel in Warth. A fantastic ride!

One last Kodak moment...

As promised, here are some more pictures of our Best of Europe trip, in random order. By now we have reached France, or the Alsace region to be exact. The weather is still gorgeous, and the roads just couldn't be more fun.

A sweet tooth's dream come true... Note the original Black Forest Cake in the upper right corner. Yummy!

"Paul, can you eat all of that? " "Yeah, piece of cake!"

Everybody's enjoying their pre-dinner drinks outside the Hotel de la Tour in Ribeauvillé

Chris from Canada, having a good time at the picnic

A Kodak moment: the bikes with Hirschhorn Castle as a backdrop

view of the Neckar valley from the castle terrace

Walk through this gate to reach the amazing old town of Heidelberg

Heidelberg castle

Panoramic view of the Black Forest

Karen and Lisa

Lunchstop at the Schliffkopfhütte. Not so much a "cottage" but an upscale restaurant. Chris, Thomas, Kent and Kathy

Would you have the Wienerschnitzel...

... or the vegetarian pasta? They were both excellent!

Dave and Thomas, seeking local advice from Paul. Click here to learn more about Paul. http://www.worldtourer.com/?p=28115

View of the Rhine river valley from Mont St. Odile

Day 2 of our tour through the heart of Europe had numerous highlights waiting for us. An imposing castle (Langenburg), a beautiful monastery (Schöntal) with a lovely little café, gorgeous rides along the Jagst and Neckar rivers, another imposing castle (Hirschhorn) with amazing views (and, again, a café) and of course the spectacular old town of Heidelberg with its mile-long pedestrian zone. A highlight all in itself was Olli's picnic! There will be more pictures, stay tuned!

Chef Olli has the picnic ready to go!

Craig and Dee are digging in

Katherine, Lynda, Paul, Brad and Dee at Hirschhorn castle, overlooking the Neckar river valley.

... girls just wanna have fu-hunn!!!

The Best of Europe is a classic among the Edelweiss tours. It usually attracts mostly people from North America, or from overseas anyways, but this time we have a real exotic in the group: Peter from Switzerland. The tour started this morning in Erding, a town not far from Munich, and led through beautiful Bavarian and Frankonian countryside to Rothenburg, the too-cute-to-be-true medieval town on the Romantic Road. Here are some impressions:

The town of Vohburg, situated right on the Danube River, has a beautiful market square, copmlete with May pole and church. Perfect for our first coffee stop!

Peter and Kent in Dinkelsbühl. The tower in the background was built in 1499 and was the last addition to the old town, which has remained unchanged since then. What a place!

Our home for the night: Hotel Reichsküchenmeister in Rothenburg.

Rothenburg is famous for being one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe. Everything inside the city walls (which are completely preserved, by the way) is at least 500 years old. Incredible.

Panoramic view of the market square

Upon arrival in Rothenburg Kent had his first big, dark beer. It was not his last...

Chris from Canada would love to take a bath in a giant glass of dark beer....

An old city like Rothenburg (founded 970) is full of stories. One of them tells the tale of General Tilly from Bavaria, who, along with 60,000 troops, laid siege to the city in 1631. Just for the fun of it he promised to spare the city if a volunteer would drink a gallon of wine in one sip.

Mayor Toppler managed to drink it, so Tilly applauded and the city was safe. The rest is history...

And then it was time for the Nightwatchman again. His guided tour of the city is legendary.

The group, waiting for the night tour to begin

Dramatic view of Rothenburg

"A Bug's (lost) Life"