Tivoli Villa d’Este and Villa Gregoriana

Tivoli Villa d'Este

Tivoli with its Villa d’Este and Villa Gregoriana is the best option for a day trips from Rome. And even for two trips, since there is still Villa Adriana. You will be able to see three different beautiful parks with fontains, waterfall or ancient buildings and get away from the sun and crowds of Rome.

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Bad Teinach Zavelstein castle and crocus fields

Zavelstein Krokusblüte / Zavelstein crocus fields

Once the inhabitants of the small town Zavelstein thought about the fact that the use of the land kills wild crocuses, and decided to fix it. First, they fenced off a piece of the fiel. Then they achieved that almost the entire field near their village fell under protection. They did not give it away for the construction of houses, did not build a nursing home, did not plow it up for rapeseed. But simply guarded so that once a year you could look at purple fields.

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Schwetzingen. Cherry blossom garden

Schwetzingen

Not far from Speyer or Mannheim, on the way to Heidelberg, is the city of Schwetzingen.

There is a summer residence built for the electors of the Palatinate in the 18th century. The palace with the rococo-style theater has been partially preserved, but the main attraction, which claimed to be included in the UNESCO list, is the palace park, modeled after Versailles. In my opinion, UNESCO is maybe a little too much for them, but the park is really picturesque.

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Dennenlohe. Rhododendron Garden

Dennenlohe

Germany has magnificent botanical gardens. And many of the front gardens delight the eye with their continuous flowering. But the garden as an art is a rare phenomenon here. Garden exhibitions (BuGa), which are supposed to show garden art, demonstrate much more gardening here. And there are certainly few large picturesque gardens.

One such phenomenon is the garden of Dennenlohe Palace.

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Bayreuth. Sanspareil Rock garden

Bayreuth Sanspareil rock garden Wonsees / Bayreuth Felsengarten Sanspareil

We continue the story about the creations of the Wilhemina of Prussia. This time about the Sanspareil rock garden in Wonsees.

The area around the castle Zwernitz served as hunting grounds for the margraves. The name Sanspareil comes from the words of one of the court ladies about the new rock park (Felsengarten) – “This is something incomparable!” The lady spoke in French, and these French words Wilhemina used to rename the place.

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Lake Constance. Mainau Island of flowers

Lake Constance Mainau Island / Insel Mainau Bodensee

Mainau Island of flowers is a must see from late April to May and a good park for the rest of the time.

Photos of the three visits: the beginning of the tulip bloom, towards the end of the tulip bloom and in August.

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Bayreuth Eremitage

Bayreuth Eremitage

The summer residence Eremitage Wilhemina was presented by her husband. There was already a palace and a park in a style reminiscent of the English landscape garden. Wilhemina expanded the palace, added more buildings and turned the park into a mixture of English and Baroque styles.

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Luneburg Heath. Schneverdingen

Lüneburger Heide / Luneburg Heath

Before, I did not understand why tourists visit the Luneburg Heath in such an amazing amount. But now I know and I will always be glad to come back again.

Heath is something amazing. It would seem that it should be just depressing: swampy landscape, clusters of trees here and there. But instead, you have a sense of freedom. The smell of pines and heather, the buzzing of bees – you can walk endlessly.

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