We interrupt our normal weekly publishing schedule to bring you a special update about our home town.
“What’s going on in Ruthweiler?” you ask, leaning forward into your computer screen. “Is it big?”
Oh yes. Yes, indeed. You see, the fields suddenly became yellow and green, like pathchwork! All thanks to that little rapeseed flower, which will one day become humble canola oil. It’s definitely my favorite time of the year.
Okay, so maybe we don’t get a lot of action here in our little hamlet of Ruthweiler, Germany, population 508. But if there’s one thing this town does really, really well, it’s spring.
Un-enhanced image of a Ruthweiler spring
When I began searching for the best places to live in the Kaiserslautern / Kusel / Baumholder area of Rheinland-Pfalz, Ruthweiler didn’t even appear as a blip. But I happen to think it’s the ideal place to live. Sure, it’s a little removed, but take a walk with me on a spring day and you’ll see why I love it.
Farmers’ roads make hill-climbing easy
These new houses provide modern technological marvels like high-speed internet. We prefer the quainter homes across the valley, where we run on 3G cell service.
From the top of the hill there’s a great view of Burg Lichtenberg, our local castle. “Our local castle” – love saying that!
This is the main street of Ruthweiler. We have our very own bakery, and even a restaurant/bar opened this year, taking us to the big time.
Crossing the road to our house is a public recreational trail, repurposed from a train line, which extends to France (or so rumor has it – I haven’t quite gotten that far).
Our neighbors keep the street landscaped beautifully.
We think our view of Burg Lichtenberg is the best on the block! Oops – wrong season.
That’s better. Here’s Burg Lichtenberg in spring. It’s just a short hike from the house, and there’s a nice restaurant, youth hostel, and biergarten inside.
And the best part about Ruthweiler? Every day at 3 p.m., a gelato truck rolls by. That’s right: gelato, not ice cream! Welcome to Europe….
Relaxing after a walk, on our back porch
LOL, love the final pic of the gelato! Did you ever think you’d find so much to write about in a little town? Your descriptions, photos, and captions are priceless. Ruthweiler is a special place indeed and I know you’ll always have fond memories. I really enjoyed reading this.
I’m so glad. It’s one of the prettiest corners of the planet … and the gelato definitely doesn’t hurt.
Just found your site. Thank for you this trip down memory lane! I lived in Ruthweiler when I was a little girl (my dad was stationed at Ramstein AFB.) We left when I was seven and 30 years later, I’m still homesick. Our landlord and landlady (Herr and Frau Haag) became surrogate grandparents. Very happy memories of a beautiful town! Someday I hope to see it again.
Hi Kim, glad you found us! I don’t know the Haags, but do know how you could still be homesick. I’ve met others who left and feel the same. Such a peaceful little place, and I bet it hasn’t changed hardly at all since you were here