Last year I was on a mission to photograph flowers after lockdown and I was itching to travel out of state. Spring was when all of that would happen. (By the way, I spent my time in state, Rhineland-Pfalz, keeping busy. See the video I created for the USO & blog post with 30+ places to visit in Rhineland-Pfalz).

Tulpenhof Francken
Did you know there is a tulip farm here in Germany? It's located in Grevenbroich. I paired the farm with my trip to view the Cherry Blossoms in Bonn. It was a long day, but completely worth it. This is a fun field trip for photographers. Additionally you could make a weekend of it & spend some time in Bonn.

This year the fields will not be open to visit but keep it on your list for next spring! You can keep up with them on their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/tulpenhoffrancken/ They are selling their tulips if you are in the area.

Gimmeldingen Almond Festival
Gimmeldingen is a town in Rhineland-Pfalz on the wine route. Unfortunately, the Almond Blossom festival has been cancelled for 2022 but this year you can visit the town and enjoy the blossoms. There is signage with info about each of the species of blooms. Official Facebook page for the Almond Festival.

Make sure you visit the official town website with links to restaurants, wineries, tours & places of interest. In addition, I've used the Komoot app to research hikes in and around the flowers. 

Cherry Blossoms in Bonn
Would you believe last year I just put cherry blossom Bonn into google maps & a pin came up? (Those of you that know me are not surprised.) I decided to go on a whim on Sunday afternoon. I arrived around 1600 & managed to find a place to park on the street. It was a bit of a walk, but it was a very last minute trip. I went the following weekend on a Saturday. I left the Ramstein area before 0530, arrived around 0800 & found parking right on the main street. 

It will be crowded especially on the weekends. The cherry blossoms are on busy roads with car traffic and there is a fair amount of cyclists.
What I loved about photographing the blossoms in Bonn is the stunning architecture that accompanies the blooms. I have quite a few favorites.

Continue to check with local government/tourism offices for the most up to date information. As of this writing the city of Bonn's website lists no restrictions. City of Bonn's website: https://www.bonn.de/bonn-erleben/besichtigen-entdecken/kirschbluete.php

This local photography store runs a photo contest every year & updates the status of the blooms. Last year I visited during peak blooms. I was there on Sunday 18 April & Saturday 23 April.
Website: https://www.kirschbluete-bonn.de/blog-3/
IG: kirschbluetebonn https://www.instagram.com/kirschbluetebonn/

On 7 April this is the latest post from the Kirschbluetebonn IG account:

Die Kirschblüte 2022 ist da🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Bei diesem Foto kann ich schon mal sagen #nofilterneeded
Das Wetter spielt total verrückt Sturm, Regen und Sonnenschein wechseln sich heute ab und ja, es fliegen schon die ersten Blütenblätter. Vielleicht wird es eine kurze Saison. Wir werden sehen. Es bleibt weiterhin spannend.
Kommt vorbei und geniesst diese wunderschöne Altstadt. Diese Eindrücke hier, die Zartheit und Farben der Blüten sind Nahrung für die Seele 🥰💓

The cherry blossom 2022 is here 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸 With this photo I can already say #nofilterneeded The weather is going totally crazy Storm, rain and sunshine alternate today and yes, the first petals are already flying. It might be a short season. We will see. It remains exciting. Come and enjoy this beautiful old town. These impressions here, the tenderness and colors of the flowers are food for the soul 💓 

On My To Do List This Spring

It’s always a good time to visit Bamberg, but last time I was there the Rose Garden was not ready for us. I am ready to go back. I loved the small business shopping, the Bamberg smokey beer, and the Altes Rathaus. Bamberg is a bit of a drive from Ramstein for a day trip so when I visited I stayed for the weekend. If you’re a beer fan, don’t miss Beer Day - this year it’s 23 April.

Marburg is another town I visited earlier this year & want to come back for Spring. This year Marburg is celebrating 800 years! Their tourism website lists hikes, favorite photo spots and events to celebrate their 800 year birthday. There are tours of the town available in English.

Do you have any favorite spring locations to visit? Comment below & share!