(Recommended by Ben and Larry)
Erlebnisbauernhof
Familie Härtel
Waldhof 3
97346 Iphofen
Tel - 9326/1731 ~ Fax - 9326/979370
Email - Erlebnisbauernhof-Haertel@t-online.de w
A rural dairy farm surrounded by meadows and woods
Three apartments for 2-4 and 2-6 persons
Large apartment includes two sleeprooms, living room with kitchen, eating area, bath with shower, toilet, TV, balcony
TV lounge with satellite TV also available for guest use
Cows, chickens, ducks, geese, cats, pigs, calves, sheep, goats
Adults and children guests are welcome to feed the animals or even work in the barn and stables
Tractor and pony rides also possible.
Perfect for children - play areas, swings, sand pile, raft, tree house, table tennis and basketball
..Today's destination is a large farm in the very small hamlet of Waldhof - just southeast of Iphofen....
...Spotting a small brown sign on the road indicating we had found Waldhof - we turn down a dirt/gravel road - eventually spotting a Ferienwohnungen sign leading us to the animal kingdom (cows, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, geese, a peacock, dog, lots of cats - perfect for children) of the Erlebnishof....
- - - - 
...We greet and meet the warm and very friendly owners - the Härtel family. These turn out to be some of the nicest country folks we could ever hope to meet. Herr and Frau Härtel speak little English but they always have a smile for us. The oldest daughter Annette speaks excellent English and becomes our go-between anytime we have a question and can't make ourselves understood. She shows us to our large and comfortable apartment - two sleeprooms, kitchen,
- - - - 
living room with TV, large bathroom complete,
and balcony - and we settle in for a very nice two day stay..
...By 1600 we are on our way to Rothenburg o.d.T. for the umpteenth time but it's one of my all time favorite places
so we have to pay at least a short evening visit. It's an effortless drive south on autobahn A7..
...Back on the roads to the farm my navigator
proves once again his map reading skills have been no fluke this year. Bier and rotwein at the apartment with a
dose of Olympics and we are down and out from a long driving day...
Day 11 - Wednesday - Breakfast at 0800 and incredibly enough it is without a doubt the best so far. We have
the Frühstückzimmer all to ourselves and the spread on the table is enough for 4 people. Wurst - cheese
- juice - jellies - huge slab of farm butter - lots of bread and plenty of coffee...
....Just as we are trying to figure out
how we can make a dent in all of this - Annette enters the room with a large platter of scrambled eggs and bacon
that would also have fed 4 persons. This family and farm have already earned my highest rating.....
...Our mission for today includes visits to Bamberg in the morning and ....the beautiful little village of Iphofen....
..Iphofen
turns out to be just as charming as everyone has written - city walls, unique city gates, remnants of a moat, lots
of half timbered buildings and cobblestone streets..
...And a market square that encourages
you to have a seat at one of the sidewalk cafes - which is what we automatically do - at the Café Legère Brasserie..
...Back to the Erlebnishof for a pause for the cause. ...Seldom while on vacation do we have anyone knocking on our
door but this afternoon we are pleasantly surprised by Annette as she arrives with a pot of coffee and some delicious
crumbcake. This place just earned another milkcan in my rating book.
- - - 
...Annette also recommends several eating establishments in Iphofen and later that evening we try the Gasthof Goldene Krone just across from the city hall. While trying to decide whether we dine outside or inside (the air felt like rain was close) - a waitress makes the decision for us and we find a table upstairs....
... It's a nice evening with only a light rain but this little village rolls up it's sidewalks early so we call it a day and cruise back to the animal kingdom in the dark. A good day with more good memories...
Day 12 - Thursday - Another shot of Olympic highlights on CNN and a truly Olympian breakfast gets this travel day off to a great start. I sign off on the farm guestbook, leave lots of Texas oriented gifts (calendar, coffee mug, picture book) for Annette and the Härtel family, and we try to make it out of the farmstead without running over any animals..
