On the outskirts of Isny, a town in south central Germany, we stopped for a closer look at the community gardens known as kleingartnerverein. Wherever we traveled, we saw would-be farmers gardening together in these edge-of-town plots protected by wire fences and locking gates. On this chilly morning, only one old gentleman was at work and he proudly showed us the young lettuce he was nurturing in his tiny hothouse. Besides greenhouses, the gardens usually hold basic sheds, yard art, children's swings and lawn furniture, including the ubiquitous white plastic chairs.

The little town of Meersburg, known as the loveliest on the lake known as Bodensee along the Swiss border, looked like a storybook village. White and lavender lilac trees flourished, and the square's terracotta-colored buildings were heavily draped in purple wisteria. We walked the cobblestone square, along the harbor, and up long, steep stone steps of the old town overlooking the lake and across to Switzerland. At a restaurant on the lake's shore, we ate a dinner of fresh fish and watched the sun go down. Roadside markets along the lake featured Bodensee apples, crisp young lettuce and fresh white asparagus.

Driving the countryside on our final afternoon before reaching Cologne, we picked a town from our map called Buhl, a place name that reminded us of Idaho. We registered at an inn on the town's tidy main street and, as always, went exploring before dinner. The local 10-man fire brigade decked out in neon green pants, coats and hats was experimenting with its shiny modern fire engine. To test a new extension ladder, the firemen had chosen the town's tallest building — the church. The exercise brought cheers from families eating ice cream cones on benches below.

Seeing the Cologne Dom, one of the world's largest Gothic cathedrals, highlighted our last day in Germany. The structure is imposing, overwhelming, almost unbelievable, and one needs several hours to observe and absorb both inside and out. Visitors are allowed to wander about with free brochures in many languages viewing numerous ancient artifacts and religious relics, for which the cathedral was constructed between 1248 and 1880. When finally finished, the two western towers — at 515 feet — were the tallest structures in the world. Amazingly, when bombing destroyed 90 percent of the city in World War II, the cathedral remained unscathed.

The huge open square, where crowds were dwarfed by the massive, dark cathedral, is a wonderful gathering place to eat, shop for souvenirs, enjoy entertainment and watch people. Some shops reeked with the scent of Eau de Cologne, the pungent toilet water that has been produced here since 1705 and can be purchased in bottles of all sizes to take home as the consummate gift from the cathedral city.

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E-mail: dnahobson@msn.com

Ann Taylor Hobson resides in Salt Lake City.