In The Spotlight:

Southwestern France

Pays Basque

Nouvelle Aquitaine is located in the far southwest of France and is the country's largest administrative region. The capital is Bordeaux and the region consists of 12 departments: Charente (16), Charente-Maritime (17), Corrèze (19), Creuse (23), Dordogne (24), Gironde (33), Landes (40), Lot-et-Garonne (47), Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64), Deux-Sèvres (79), Vienne (86) and Haute-Vienne (87).

Due to its size alone, Nouvelle Aquitaine is incredibly diverse. The northwest, with the departments of Dordogne and Lot et Garonne, consists of rolling hills, large vineyards in the lower-lying areas, as well as forests and agriculture in the more hilly northeast.

The Basque Country is a region in northern Spain and southwestern France, known for its green landscapes, rugged coastline and rich culture. We travel to the Basque Country to discover people, nature, art, history and, of course, the gastronomy of this area.

One particularly memorable experience is the Béarn, region, which borders the Basque Country to the east and has retained its authentic character. In Salies-de-Béarn, the charming “town of salt,” picturesque alleys wind along the Saleys River, telling the story of centuries of history centered on “white gold” and the thermal spas.

Just a stone's throw away, the medieval town of Sauveterre-de-Béarn towers majestically over the emerald-green Gave d'Oloron. The unobstructed view from here of the Pyrenees mountain range and the historic architecture offer exactly the kind of authentic experience we seek—right here on the spot and pleasantly off the beaten path.

Southern Germany

The Spessart

The Spessart is a low mountain range located between the Vogelsberg, Rhön, and Odenwald in Bavaria and Hesse. It contains the largest contiguous area of mixed deciduous forests in Germany and lies north of the Main River, which forms the border to the Odenwald.

The Spessart is dotted with charming villages, medieval castles, and historic sites, such as Burg Brandenstein, still used as a residence today, or Mespelbrunn Castle, a very well-preserved moated castle.

The region has a rich folk tradition, often associated with stories of the "Spessart Bandits," romanticized in German literature and film. In the Spessart, besides the forest, you will find many small villages where you'd think the fox and hare say "goodnight" to each other.

Yet, in earlier times, the Spessart was an industrial hotspot, where craft workshops—such as smithies—evolved into the first mechanized production facilities, drawing the necessary energy from water power. Today, there are still impressive examples of this, such as the hammer smithy in Hasloch.