Tauberbischofsheim has produced more Olympic fencers than most countries. The town in the Tauber valley is Germany's fencing capital, with a club and training centre that has trained generations of champions, among them Thomas Bach, who won gold in the team foil at the 1976 Olympics and later became president of the International Olympic Committee. In a quiet place, the occasional clink of blades from a training hall is a surprise.
The Tauber is a small river that winds through a green valley of orchards, vineyards and meadows, and the whole valley is a rider's delight. The Romantic Road, the Romantische Straße, follows its course for some distance, linking the old towns of Franconia, Tauberbischofsheim, Bad Mergentheim, Weikersheim and the walled city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, with castles, church towers and half-timbered houses. The roads along the valley are smooth and winding, with gentle bends and a feeling of being in a model landscape.
The town itself has about thirteen thousand people, with fuel, supermarkets, cafes and restaurants, and a small old centre dominated by the castle of the electors of Mainz, with a tall tower and a moat. The wines of the Tauber valley, light and fruity, are well worth trying, and the local inns serve them with roast pork, sausage and dumplings. The Tauber is a pleasant place for a walk, with a promenade along the water.
Spring is lovely, with blossom in the orchards, and autumn brings the wine harvest and the colours of the vines. Summer weekends are busy with cyclists on the Tauber cycle path, so ride with care. The valley can be misty in the early morning, and the afternoon light on the old walls is warm. A relaxed evening here, with a glass of local wine, is a good way to end a day on the road.