Drove out to the western province of Rheinland-Pflaz (Rhénanie-Palatinat) for another 45km tour. Didn't plan a route, just went where the roads and occasional bike route took me.
It's weird. I'm warming more to the Rheinland over Bavaria. Less attitude, and there's so much more beauty when you're rolling around on a bicycle @30km/h versus in a car or motorbike @90km/h. I'm familiar with the beautiful wine région but this was my first time exploring it on bike, and I loved the lack of traffic, rural nature, and of course, vineyards (don't care much for the wine if I'm honest).
I'm curious as to what you mean here.
Will try to keep the thread on topic, but it has a lot to do with history and regional pride.
Bavaria is like the Texas of Germany. It's the wealthiest part of the country, conservative, and proud of its traditions- and its political party is threatening to dismantle the government right now. Literally. The folks believe they're always right and any other way is wrong. Even if they can't speak proper German
Rheinland-Pfalz is just an agglomeration of communities cobbled together after the World War, mostly rural. It doesn't have a particularly strong cultural emphasis aside from winemaking. Actually it doesn't have a lot of people, period. I like the simplicity of things there (my friend lives there) and the wide-open spaces and hills. Rode all afternoon and rarely had any cars drive by me, stopped at one of many Italian restaurants in a smaller town and had a meal and wine for cheap.
Think of it as the difference between say, the GTA and the Maritimes.
