(Recommended by Nate - NBarnes503 & Beverly - CKronenbur)

Rhönhäuschen
Am Rhönhaus 1
97653 Bischofsheim a. d. Rhön
Tel - 09772/322 ~ Fax - 09772/912033
18 rooms - bath/shower/toilet, phone
Email - info@rhoenhaeuschen.de

(NBarnes503) ...From here we drive down the other side of the mountain through Bischofsheim and up B-278 to the Rhönhäuschen. This is a wonderful lodge in the middle of the Rhön. B-278 is a narrow yet very scenic drive and after maybe 6 miles you come to this lodge all alone. They produce their own electricity because of their location and they always seem to have snow during the winter. After checking in we drive north to a village I loved to visit while stationed in Wildflecken called Tann. Entering Tann you drive under a one lane gate with domed pillars. Once inside you see the towering church and the half timbered buildings.

We have an excellent lunch here at the Gasthof Zur Krone of Geschnetzeltes "schweinefleisch" and head for the highest point in the Rhon, the Wasserkuppe. Again the drive is great however it is getting dark. Once there we quickly get the kids in their snow gear and let them play for ½ hour before the wind picked up and made it just to darn cold to play anymore. From here you have great views of the surrounding hills and in the summer it is filled with people hang gliding or learning to hang glide. From here we head back to the Rhonhauschen via Gersfeld.

Back to the Rhönhäuschen for a 7pm dinner in their ornate dining room.

We start by ordering a bottle of 1999 Würzburger stein Silvaner Kabinett Trucken, one of the best wines I have tasted. The dinner starts with a plate of toast, goose liver patte and port wine jello. It was at this point that I informed my wife that no matter how much money I make there are certain foods I will never eat and this dish contains two of those foods. My wife however loved it. Then came salads with a wonderfully sweet dressing. After the salad comes the trout, cooked whole and intact. This greatly amused our 2 children, especially when we pulled the skeleton out. My 3 yr old daughter still talks about the fish and how mommy pulled all his bones out. The meal was excellent and the service great.

After a breakfast of yogurt, cereal, hard boiled eggs, meats and cheeses along with jam we leave for Fulda.

(CKronenbur) ...As we travel toward our final stay while in Germany the sun is playing hide and seek with the clouds and occasionally it showers but not enough to dampen our spirits. We reached Bischofsheim in the Rhön mountains without any problems, but we got a little lost finding the lodge. This happened frequently while on our 3 week journey but we always found something good about it. There were not many people out side to stop and ask directions and when we did find someone they did not speak English. Our last stop was with a young man playing ball with his son. He did not speak English but was delighted to help us. Most of the people we ask directions from while on our travels went out of their way to give directions even if they had to draw pictures for us. His directions seemed far fetched but we followed them. They took us through the woods and up several meters to a very nice lodge called the Rhönhäuschen. Being so far up in altitude and in the middle of the forest we had to pull out our warm coats. Free parking was across the street from the lodge. Because our room was on the 3rd floor we elected to take only the necessary things up to our room which turned out to be very interesting when we made our final pack up. In order to get everything in the bags that we had brought we took everything out in the car and repacked it. This was good for a few moans and groans.

The lodge was very clean and nice and furnished with several conversation pieces. Our room was very comfortable with a nice balcony. We could open the windows and feel and smell the fresh air and listen to the birds singing. There was a little yellow-breasted bird that came to our window and played. The restaurant in the lodge was tops. People came from several miles to eat there. I had fresh trout that was to die for. We had an average German breakfast and took off to explore some of the small villages with their interesting half-timbered houses. It was cold up in the mountains. There were no special plans this day except to have a good time. As we traveled we would look for the sign Altstadt and follow it to the heart of the old town.

Our first stop was Alsfield which was a delightful old town with many half-timbered houses with beautiful ornate carvings. We walked the streets looking in the windows of many interesting shops. Too bad it was a holiday and the shops were closed. Chuck did not share the same sentiments. No more suitcase room. We stopped at a great bakery along the street and had some of the best bread pudding with vanilla sauce. I strongly suggest a visit to this town and if you have time take one of the drives that take you to several towns with half-timbered houses. It was getting late and we had to get back before dark. We had driven for miles through the hillside with cows, sheep, horses roaming the green meadows with wildflowers and red roofed villages giving added color. Back to the lodge for dinner. We had spaghetti with pork medallions that was very good. Our last day in Germany. Chuck had been worrying for 2 days about getting back to Frankfurt airport on time. He has always been one for leaving 1 hour early for a 10 minute drive just in case. We told the owner of the lodge not to plan breakfast for us because we would be leaving around 5AM. Can you believe her mother got out of her bed at 5AM and served us hot tea and coffee. She even called our room to make sure we were ready. She did not speak English but her warm smile was enough for us. As we left she gave us gifts and bid us farewell. I will never forget this lodge and the warm hospitality.