Ferienbauernhof Horn - Mossautal (Odenwald)

(Recommended by Larry - PStuyvsant)

Ferienbauernhof Horn
Günther Horn
Güttersbacherstraße 56
64756 Mossautal/Hüttenthal
Tel - 6062/4834 ~ Fax - 6062/266697
Email - Farmhorn@aol.com
Three Doublerooms w/shower/toilet - Satellite TV - Balcony
Playground - Table tennis - Grilling area

(Comments from trip report) ...Within minutes of arrival I am loaded up and headed toward the A5, and points south. My destination is a new farm in the Odenwald, in the little community of Hüttenthal, not far from Michelstadt. But first I have to make a coffee stop at Grafenhausen, a favorite haunt of many years, about 20 minutes from the airport. It is always nice to take a half hour to unwind over a cup of eye opening German coffee while watching the speed demons tearing down the Autobahn nearby.

By 10:00 we are tooling down the highway enjoying the nice sunny day and the cool temps. Exiting at the B471 near Darmstadt it is an easy drive about 30 km over the backroads to our destination. Within the hour I am pulling into the Bauernhof "Horn", which I had located on the web. This is to be homebase for the next three days and it looks like a good choice.

The first thing I notice as I arrive is that great, unmistakable, aromatic smell of “eau d’ manure”. No doubt about it. This is a working dairy farm, and the cows are doing their part by grazing the nearby pastures so they can fuel themselves up for the daily milking which took place while I was there.

The weather is perfect. Bright sun and clear skies, with temps in the mid-50’s. Almost a forty degree difference from back home, and I’ll take it.

As I pull up to the house I am greeted by a young lady sitting in the shade by the barn smoking a cigarette. Apparently she has the upper hand and knows who I am, because she greets me with a “we’ve been expecting you”. Naturally, I assume her to be the daughter and proceed to greet her accordingly. Ooops… my mistake. Turns out she is the girlfriend of the son, who is out with the dad tending the cows. But her English is perfect and she introduces me to Frau Horn, who speaks no English.

They both accompany me upstairs to my room which will be home for the next three days.

The thing I like about farm accommodations is that you never know what you will end up with. Even small rooms can sometimes be huge in comparison to your expectations. Also, the difference between farms in areas such as the Odenwald, Bavaria, or the Black Forest can be quite drastic. Personally, I will take the steep pitched, thatched roof architecture of the Black Forest anytime. Even so, this place is still a winner.

I luck out and draw a nice double with du/wc in the room. As an added attraction I also have a huge balcony which overlooks the Frau’s garden, where she seemed to spend most of her day,

as well as of the cows grazing in the nearby meadows.

The price with breakfast, only E22 per day. Not a bad way to start.

Fortunately, I had the forethought to stop at a local Spar Markt on the way in and pick up some “supplies” for the next couple of days. Some wurst, cheese, and rolls along with some dosen Bier for when the urge strikes. Which happens to be about now.

After unpacking I settle down on the balcony to enjoy the nice cool weather, and a couple of Lowenbrau’s. It’s great to be back in Germany and I am looking forward to new adventures over the next three weeks, and the third reunion of the Stammtisch on the Mosel three days hence.

Suddenly, from a large penned in area just beyond the garden, comes a mixture of grunts, squeals, and bleating. Hmmmmm….it seems I have company. Sure enough, out from a wooden shed under a nearby apple tree come three goats, followed closely by a huge P.I.G. hog.

What a sight. Wherever the goats go the hog follows. Little did I know this would prove to be a source of good entertainment during my stay.

After a few hours of relaxation, and avoiding the temptation to just “rest my eyes” to get over the jet lag, I feel hardy enough to head out and enjoy the rest of the day. The location is perfect, and centrally located to be within minutes of driving to Beerfelden, Michelstadt, or any of the surrounding villages in the Mossau valley.

I opt for my personal favorite, Michelstadt. Upon arrival I pull into the large parkplatz near the main entrance to the town. Since it is late on Saturday, parking is free. Nearby is what appears to be a local outdoor market displaying various arts and crafts. Games for the Kinder, etc.

I stroll into town, and am pleased to find almost no crowds. The main square by the Rathaus is sprinkled with a few patrons enjoying the sunshine at some of the outdoor tables scattered about.

I take the opportunity for some photos and stroll the main drag for a few hundred meters. Most of the shops are already closed, which is probably why the crowds are gone. Suits me just fine.

By now the Lowenbrau’s have worn off, and I take notice of the growling from my stomach. Needless to say the meals on the plane were not anything to write home about, so I decide to fix that by stopping off at one of our favorite haunts… the “Schwarzer Adler”.

Inside is nice and cozy, and as an added plus I get my pick of where to sit as I am the only patron, except for some locals sitting at the ever present Stammtisch table.

No question about what to order. I have been dying for a yummy Jägerschnitzel with all the trimmings since last year. Pretty soon the grub appears, along with a tasty “Radler” bier vom fass, and I am in heaven. Prepared with perfection, the nice moist breaded crust of the meat, the crispy pommes frites, all smothered in brown gravy, and a not-too-bad salad. Cholesterol be damned!

After cleaning the plates, and downing another Radler, I am pleased to see that the tab for all the goodies is only E12.60. Who said there are no bargains in Germany.

Pleasingly stuffed, I decide to finish up the day by strolling some of the backstreets.

Towns of this size are just perfect for me to wander around in. The sun is just going down and there is a crisp breeze whipping up. With luck this could signal we are in for a cold night.

Heading out of town, I take my time cruising the backroads which meander through farms and fields as I make my way back to Hüttenthal. By 7:00 the sun has disappeared and the temps are dropping sharply. Looks like those duvets will come in handy this night.

After returning to the farm, I am just about done in. It has been a long thirty something hours since this journey began. Fortunately, there is a hot shower, some Rotwein, and a Stephen King novel all waiting to help me unwind.

Later, while taking a smoke break out on the balcony, in what is now a downright cold night air, I am greeted by a beautiful orange full moon rising over the nearby hills. Not to mention some grunts, squeals, and bleats. More on that later.

Sep 18 - Sunday - Day 2

It got really cold last night, much to my liking. I had even cracked the window before turning in, and when I hit the floor in the morning it felt like I was in an ice rink. But hey…. it’s still in the 90’s at home and I’m not complaining.

Fortunately, most of the jet lag has disappeared and it looks like I can officially start the trip in proper fashion. The great meal from last night, along with some of the Rotwein, has also worn off so I am looking forward to my first german breakfast of this trip.

The Frühstück room is downstairs, and so at 8:00 sharp I wander down to find the table all set.

Just as I start to dig in, some other guests also show up. We strike up a conversation, and it turns out they are a german family from Ludwigshafen taking a few days to enjoy the local flora and fauna. Seems they have enrolled in horticulture classes (to each their own) at some nearby institution and are here to practice their classroom activities with Mother Nature. Oh well……

It looks like another great day for playing tourist. Crisp clear skies, and no mention of anything other for the next several days. After breakfast I have to crank up the car to get the heater going, as I have managed to accumulate a nice layer of frost on all the windows during the night.

By 9:00 I am off and running over to Beerfelden, where I pick up the road to Eberbach. The plan for today is to tour the Neckar in the direction of Bad Wimpfen. Since Ben and I stopped off there last year, I plan to just bypass and take the short route over to Sinsheim, for a follow on visit to the huge Aircraft and Technik museum.

If you are into this kind of guy stuff then this place is definitely worth a half day visit. There are all kinds of neat things on display. Inside are the old cars, some early model airplanes hanging from the ceiling, as well as all kinds of hands-on type gadgets. Sort of like a mini-Deutsch museum. But the big stuff is outside. All kinds of aircraft mounted on huge pedestals ranging from military transports, passenger, a Concorde, and a Russian SST. For E15 you can wander all over the place both inside the main building, and all the aircraft displays. There is also a display of old German tanks, artillery, and other odds and ends from WWII.

Since this is my second visit here I only need a couple of hours to get my fix. On the way out I stop off at the nearby café for a tasty brew, but make the mistake of picking out an alcoholfrei Bier from the wide selection :O(

It is now around noonish so I am off for the next leg of today’s touring, cruising the backroads toward Heidelberg. The B45 is a direct shot cross country, and being Sunday the traffic is almost nil. I have even managed to pick up a great local radio station serving the Baden-Wurttemberg area with U.S. oldies. Now that’s what I call service.

Knowing full well that Heidelberg will probably be bursting at the seams with tourists, I still decide to put in an appearance to see what’s cooking. Sure enough, about halfway between Neckargemünd and the outskirts of town I start to hit the traffic.

No big deal as I am saving tomorrow for the official visit. Today is just a recon to see what, if any, detours, construction, etc I might need to avoid later. As I enter town it doesn’t appear to be too bad. One noticeable change however, is that they have blocked off the Altebrücke from car traffic. Pedestrians only now.

The original plan had been for fellow Stammtisch member Bob and I to meet up today for dinner. But as he had informed me a few weeks earlier of his sudden trip home for surgery - so much for that one. Instead I tread my way carefully through the throngs of tourists along the main drag hoping I don’t inadvertently clip one crossing the street.

The banks along both sides of the river are filled with folks relaxing on blankets. There are all types of small boats paddling around on the river amidst the barge traffic, and occasional sightseeing boats.

This is enough for me, so I cross the river near the Bahnhof and head back the way I came. I love tooling along the Neckar on a nice day like today, and in short order I arrive in Hirschhorn. High up on the hill overlooking the valley is Hirschhorn castle - a well known hotel and restaurant. A little steep for my taste, but always worth a photo stop and a Bier. The outdoor tables are completely full and I have to wait a few minutes for a spot to open up. The waiters are obviously in high gear as they bring out round after round of large trays of food to dispense among the crowd. As for me, just a Bier please.

After a relaxing hour or so, and some great photos, I am soon winding my way along the backroads through Langenthal, where Ben and group stayed in ’93 at the Zur Linde, and back in the general direction of my next stop.

For dinner I decided to make a repeat visit to the Brewery/Gasthaus “Schmucker”, located in nearby Unter Mossau. We first found this place in ’03, just down the road from the farm where we were staying. It is a popular place with the locals. As luck would have it there are no crowds today. There is a nice tree shaded patio out back which is strung up with lights, sort of like Xmas, for a nice effect. The brewery itself is right next door.
It has been a good day of playing tourist and this seems like a fitting end.

I order up a Schmucker, along with Goulaschsuppe and a Schweinschnitzel. The tab, only E11.

I have completed my checklist for the day so it is off to the farm to relax and get ready for another go tomorrow.

Back on the balcony I am relaxing with some dessert of rolls and wurst, and a huge 2 ltr bottle of Rotwein which I picked up for E2.

Life is looking good as I mellow out. When all of a sudden I hear this “WHAM!!!”. It sounds like somebody hitting two baseball bats together, accompanied by some loud grunts and squeals. What the……

To my surprise, my friends the goats, with the hog nearby, have gotten into some kind of a scuffle. Two of the goats are going at it big time by head butting. The hog is squealing at the top of his voice as if to say “can’t we just be friends”.

The third goat has retreated to the safety of the nearby shed.

I almost choke on the wine as I move to grab the camera. The goats are dancing all over the place as they continue their antics, with the hog grunting and squealing close behind. It’s pretty clear that something has messed up their day, and I’m glad I’m not the one to go out there and break it up.

Whew….what a way to end the day. But it’s better than CNN. :o)

Sep 19 - Monday - Day 3

After another chilly night (love it), it is time to begin our last day in the Odenwald. I’m feeling pretty much back to normal after a restful couple of days. Besides, today’s schedule is a light one and shouldn’t create any undue stress. Long gone are those days of running around with a checklist of “must see and must do”, which is every tourist’s nightmare.

Right on time at 8:00, Frau Horn has breakfast all laid out. But today it is just me. The guests from the previous day have left and I am the only one. I ask for the Gästebuch, as I always get a kick out of seeing who all has come through an area, even if I don’t understand what I’m reading. As it turns out, according to the Frau, I am the first American to pass through. There are some entries from places like the U.K. and Canada, but I am the first to represent the Red, White and Blue. Cool.

The plan for today is to hit Heidelberg for two main reasons - find a bank and a computer. Ben has been over here for about a week and I need to let him know I made it, and will be at our meeting place on the Mosel on Tuesday as planned.

Morning traffic is light as I enter town and make my way towards the P13 underground lot near the main square.

Right on the corner is a bank, and I am the first in line to change some $ to Euro. Today’s rate is E1.25 to the dollar. This is slightly better than last year, so I’m happy. I ask the lady if she knew where I might find an internet café but all she could offer was to try the Fußgänger zone. Swell……

The crowds aren’t too bad as I head past the church looking for some indication of an internet café. I stop at a couple of shops to ask, but no one seems to have a clue. There’s no way I am walking the length of this sucker, so I do the next best thing and stop off at the Hard Rock Café for a Bier at their outdoor tables.

Great spot for people watching.

Enough of Heidelberg, so after some obligatory pics we are off to salvage the rest of the day by spending it in the quiet countryside. All along the Neckar I spot fishermen scattered along the banks, out catching dinner. I pull into a rest stop and spend some quality time knocking back a brew and watching the lucky ones pull in some nice looking Trout.

There are some farm areas that I want to scout out for possible future trips, so I spend the next couple of hours getting acquainted with off the beaten track spots that look pretty promising.

By late afternoon I am done with touring. Back at the farm I finish packing for an early start tomorrow. The evening sun is going down as I relax for the last time on the balcony with my bag of goodies. The three billy goats gruff, and Porky the Pig, must have been exhausted from yesterday’s show of strength as they are lying quietly nearby, so I assume they are still friends.

As for me, I’m looking forward to another night under those duvets.