I believed that Eisenach with the world famous Wartburg is part of this region. No, it is not. Eisenach is an independent city!
When I traveled the first time through this area it was shortly after the wall came down and I did not take suitable pictures. Then I returned during winter and the sky was overcast. This are not good conditions for making attractive photos.
Through Internet I got in contact with Dr. Uwe Herzog. His web sites showed me things which I will visit or do in the future and the images showed Thuringia with sun shine and blue sky.
He gave me the permission to use his images. I was shocked to hear that he passed away shortly after we had e-mail contact.

When you travel, don't get in a rush. Stop in little villages to stretch your legs. Walk for half an hour. Take pictures, go in a "Konditorei" (coffee shop) or a bakery and enjoy some pastry or a fresh roll or pretzel with coffee or tea. Watch the local people. You must not spend lots of money to have a nice break.
Don't get scarred of parking meters. They take money as anywhere in the world. Use the parking disk which should be in your rental car. Watch for the respective signs. If you need help try to ask somebody.

Check for activities, like taking a ride in an antique train. We did this in other countries too and it is always fun.

Certainly, I will include the "Krayenberg" into a future travel plan. I like the look of the restaurant below and certainly the ruins of an old castle with the name of "Krayenburg" will catch my attention.

For our visit of the memorial place "Point Alpha" we had to pass through the Rhön another forested area which Thuringia shares with Bavaria and Hesse. We were so fascinated that we decided to spend more time her when we come back.
Anybody who is interested what happened during the cold war should visit "Point Alpha". Our brief web site is not intended to replace an actual visit to this place close to the border to the state of Hesse.

In May and at the beginning of June you can see numerous fields with bright yellow flowers. These are rape fields. The oil from the plants was always used for cooking. Now also bio diesel is made of it. Diesel cars are very popular in Europe because of lower fuel prices and a lower fuel consumption. The can compete against hybrids for a much better price and you must not replace expensive battery packages. So far no company combined both techniques - not even Toyota who always claimed that nothing is impossible.