The Black Forest Proper

Yesterday’s last minute, late hotel change after such a long day of driving couldn't have turned out better.  We ended up staying in a Rick Steves recommended sleepy, but quaint village in the heart of the Black Forest. The “gasthaus” (guest house) was in a small canyon surrounded by stunning scenery. In addition, it even turned out to be close to everything we wanted to do! 

This morning we left our hotel and parked in the center of town. It was market day so we looked around and bought some cheese and bread. We then went to the bakery and shared a quiche and cherry pastry, and had coffee. 

We headed over to the next town where the outdoor Black Forest history museum is located. It was a great stop. This large, park-like setting was set up like a little old village. Several of the buildings were moved in from other parts of the Black Forest. A few had neat displays set up inside about the area’s history and culture. 

As we pulled out of town Kristi happened to spot a model railroad club … they were open and they had an amazing display. We couldn’t pass it up. 

We then headed to Triberg, the cuckoo clock mecca of the Black Forest. We took a stroll towards a very popular waterfall in the area, but forgot it cost €8 per person … and we were out of cash. So we changed direction to take a walk through town and shop instead.  We had planned on buying a cuckoo clock and had done some research prior to the trip. Rather than buying a more mass-produced clock from one of the main shops, we learned about one of the local families that have a shop and do all their own carving and assembly of their clocks. It was obvious as soon as we found their shop that their clocks were different than the rest. The owner/clock maker, Oli himself, helped us understand everything about their clocks. After deciding what we wanted, he explained that they will now put ours together and ship it to us. We did bring home the weights — about ten pounds — to save on shipping costs. 

We then headed off to the upper end of the forest. We decided to stay in Baden Baden, another one of Rick Steves’ suggestions. We were able to book a night at one of his recommended hotels, just five minutes from the town square. We took a walk and then settled down for our last German dinner … and we made the most of it. 

We’ll be making our way to Amsterdam tomorrow to spend the night before our flight home. Not sure exactly what is in store for the drive. We have several options …