Nate's Trip Report - 2000

More Black Forest

After another scenic but chilly walk down to the bakery we decide to try and find snow and take the kids sledding. We look at a map and see there is a mountain area called Kandel just East of Freiburg. So we head south on 294 and then head East up the mountain at Waldkirch. At 1242 meters this seems to be one of the highest points in the area. From here the road is a curvy one and as we climb we don't see any snow. Finally after a few miles we see a little but our hopes for sledding at the top are dim. Just as we reach the summit however the amount increases to around 12-18 inches of somewhat wet snow. Before we left for Germany we packed a huge duffel bag with nothing but snow boots, gloves, hats and snow suits. So we were well prepared.

The top had a small tourist shop and restaurant but both were closed. We took the kids hiking to the top of the hill and let them sled for an hour.

Tom and I hiked to the top and found a large viewing stand and man could you see forever. After changing everyone back into dry clothes we head back down via St. Peter and Glottertal. This part of the drive was very scenic and the weather was warm. At one point that day it reached 16 degrees C. After a hard morning of sledding we were all hungry and needed a place to eat. I was determined to break our string of bad luck and food. Just into Ober-Glottertal we saw a nice place off on the right side that had a full parking lot and looked good. We decided to eat here and really had one of the best meals we have ever had. I had lamb and my wife had boar. Each meal came with spätzle, vegetables and potatoes covered in cheese. The servings were huge and they kept much of your food warm on a fire heated stand next to your table. As your food got low they served you more. We all ordered large drinks and with each one they either brought a huge glass or in the kids case left the bottle. After this we decided to have some Eis (ice cream) to cap a wonderful meal. The building was so pretty inside, having the low ceiling with the wooden beams and the service was spectacular. This was a Tuesday around 1pm and they asked if we had reservations, thats how busy they are. The name of the place is "Wirtshaus Zur Sonne" - phone number is 01149-7684-242. It is fantastic and they had a nice playground out back for the kids. Also the price was great, for the 4 of us the bill came to just over DM82.00. For a huge meal, drinks and dessert at a top notch restaurant I thought this very reasonable.

From here it was just a short drive into Freiburg. It was so warm I had my window down as we drove through town. We parked under the Karstadt department store which was very close to the large cathedral and old town. We walked towards the cathedral figuring this would be where they hold the Christmas market. Once we got there they had some wonderful buildings and a small fruits and vegatable market, but no Christmas market. We thought maybe they only have theirs on the weekend like a lot of the small towns and proceed to tour the cathedral. The outside was amazing but the inside was just fantastic with all the sculptures and paintings and gold. Even my 3 yr old daughter loved it. I sat with her on a pew and as I got up to leave she said she wanted to stay longer. I encourage this because the running joke in my family is the only reason I really to to Germany is to scout out a convent for my daughter when she turns 15 or when boys start to call. I need to find one that is in a scenic village and makes great beer or wine. (kidding). Disappointed they didn't have a Christmas market we start to head back towards Karstadt, but just then I see through one of the archways leading into another part of the old town a few Christmas stands.

Once through the arch we find a large Christmas market with rides for the kids and gluhwein for me.

We spent about an hour at the market before heading out of town.

Just before the autobahn my wife spots a Wal-Mart. She wanted to see it and our German friends have never been in one so we go. I hate going into American type stores and never eat at a Mcdonalds or Burger King while in Europe but since everyone wanted to go I got out voted. One thing I love and hate about shopping in Germany is their carts. I like the fact that they make you pay 1DM to get your cart and when you return the cart to the cartstand you get your 1DM back. This keeps the parking lot clear and promises you will always get a cart. What I don't like is the wheels. How the heck do you push these things???? Every time I go around a corner I end up hitting someone or something. Anyway, once inside the store reminded me of a combination of a Costco and Wal-Mart. The prices were good but the quality low. We purchased a few Gummi's, Kinder chocolate and Duplo chocolate bars and a German type Hot Wheels car for my son. From here we head to Haslach again via 294.

After dinner my son and I drove downtown Haslach and walked for an hour or so. It was dark and most of the stores were closed but that was OK. There is nothing like walking among all the old buildings on the cobblestone streets, hearing the church bells ring and seeing everyone window shopping arm in arm. Our home is actually located just across the hwy in Haslach-Bollenbach which is maybe 1-2 miles from downtown Haslach. Since we are leaving in the morning I make to note to spend more time downtown Haslach on our next visit.

That evening we spent some time with the Schmid family in their farm home and they told my wife I was the first American to stay there. They had a few couples from England but never anyone from America. I had my wife tell them about the AOL travel reports and about Ben's website and they seemed to enjoy the fact that more Americans might be coming.

This is the 3rd farm home I have stayed in during the past 2 yrs and this was by far the largest and nicest for the money. Usually you get a small room with a bathroom and balcony. Here you really get a large apartment for the same price. Haslach is also very central to everything. Freiburg was less than an hour, Gutach, Schiltach and Wolfach are all 10-15 minutes away and Haslach itself is very nice. The one place I did not get to see was the town of Offenburg which has a great old town but also has the world's largest advent calender. Each day is actually a window on a large building and they open one window each night around 5pm to great fanfare. Sounds like the kids would have enjoyed it but we just ran out of time. Oh well, always leave something for you next trip huh?

Here is the website again. http://www.vorderhof.de/ If you put your mouse arrow on the picture for each room it will show you the other side of the room without you even having to click your mouse. If you click on the blue underlined word "Ferienwohnung" fur 2-5 persons then you will get a sketch of the whole place. Again it is quite a bit larger than the pictures make it look. This was my first time in the Black Forest other than a quick 2 day trip back in 89 when I was still in the Army. I found it very relaxing and enjoyable. Bavaria is great but almost too touristy and overwhelming where the Black Forest is welcoming and warm. The rolling meadows and forests were comforting and the villages were quaint and not overrun with tourists. One more thing, the middle part of the Black Forest prides itself on being child or family friendly. I found this to be true and not just a slogan. Everywhere we went they had special toys or special chairs or meals or whatever you needed for the kids. No question we will all be back, probably during the summer or fall so we can enjoy all the area has to offer.

In part four I will talk a little about Tuttlingen, K-town, the Asbach factory and our tour of a few homes for sale in Kirchheimbolanden.

Tuttlingen - K-town - Kirchheimbolanden