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Oh, The Places You'll Find - Ochsenfurt, just off the Autobahn in Germany

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Sometimes the places we find along the way are the places we most remember. The unintended stops and happy accidents often lead us to a spot we might otherwise never have glimpsed. It's the random bookstore, a coffee shop, a town square or boulevard where you pass an hour or two before resuming your journey that lingers after the fact. I found it recently in Ireland in County Kerry. The desperate desire to stretch our legs and regret over too much morning coffee prompted us to stop in Killgorin. As we wandered about just to get the blood moving, we happened upon Broadbery's Irish Food Hall, a delightful gourmet delicatessen and coffee shop. Though none of us were hungry, the aroma of fresh rosemary bread won over our already full stomachs. Two hours later, after great conversation and lunch, we continued our drive around the Ring of Kerry. This unintended stop proved to be a memorable highlight of the weeklong vacation, and should I find myself again in County Kerry, I will certainly make an effort to return to Killgorin.

Beginning this month, I plan to periodically spotlight the places I have found along the way in my travels. I hope you will be patient with me, as I intend to write about these spots as I find them. I confess, however, that most of my detours derive in search of an answer to two questions: 1. Where am I? and, 2. Could I use your restroom? Not terribly thrilling advice, but it is amazing what places you can find.

Mostly, these stops come from the desire to get off the autobahn for a little while, and take a look around at the smaller places we pass. Driving the autobahn is one of the great perks of driving a car in Germany. Speaking as one of many who have been ticketed for speeding on I-95, not worrying about the speedometer is incredibly liberating. Yet, as convenient and quick as the autobahn may be, it contains several drawbacks. Summer travelers well know the agony of a two hour stau (a long, long, long traffic jam). The curious wanderers may find the autobahn deprives them of the opportunity to see the smaller towns and villages that exist only as names on an exit sign, if that. You would never see Iphofen, gaze puzzlingly at the leaning tower of Kitzingen, or wander through the Altstadt (old town) of Ochsenfurt. The latter experience I owe to the misfortune, or rather good fortune, of taking a wrong turn.

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