I’ve been lucky enough to be able to travel to Europe many times in my life. The cities I’ve visited like London, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Salzburg and Venice. The beauty and culture are indescribable, and I have great memories from all of these wonderful places. While I’ve been to some of the great big cities in Europe, I’ve also had the opportunity to visit many small towns and villages along the way. There is one village in particular I have been to many times and I have truly fallen in love with it over the years. This village has become a second home to me, and I will always look forward to my next visit.
The name of the village is Mittelstreu; it is a small village located right in the middle of Germany in Bavaria. Only a couple hundred people live in this village and many other villages of the same or of slightly bigger size surround it. Mittelstreu consists mainly of houses with very few businesses along the small streets. There is a small guesthouse and a church in the middle of the town where the residents commonly congregate. Large hills and small streams surround Mittelstreu and the other villages nearby. The village isn’t just beautiful; it is different and unique from my surroundings in the US, which is always very refreshing.
The reason I have come to know this village so well over the years is because my grandparents have a house there that they live in about four months out of the year. About every three years I go to Germany and stay there with them. There are many pictures and videos of me in Mittelstreu over the years. The village is a very simple place as phone reception can be spotty and WIFI isn’t always the easiest to come by. While this may sound unpleasant, it is actually very nice to get away from the craziness of social media and the 24-hour news cycle.
Whether it’s the bike rides, the hikes, or the amazing beauty that surrounds the region, Mittelstreu is truly a hidden gem (not to mention the food is fantastic). I have fallen in love with it over the years for the simplicity and beauty that I have come to find. It’s very easy to get your mind off of the every day stress and workload in your life.
Mittelstreu has become a second home to me since the day I first visited in 2001. It is a place I hope to visit many times in the future, as I truly feel happy and free whenever I am in Mittelstreu and its beautiful countryside.