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and at 12:30 we are pulling up to the "Mooshof"
eager to get our four day stay underway. Frau Pfaff (yep they are all kinfolks
around there) greets us but admits she got her days confused and thought we weren't coming until Sunday. No big
deal... she says she needs about a half hour to get the apartment ready and we will be good to go.
To kill some time we head down the hill to the Sternen,
not really expecting to see any of the group here today as most are not due until Sunday or Monday. We stroll in
the front door only to find the place fairly empty. No sign of Rudi or Tina. Just as we prepare to occupy a table
on the terrace Tina pops out and gives us a big hug and explains she and Rudi are on cleaning detail in preparation
for the big event in a couple of days.
We decide we don't need to be in the way so we down our first (of many to come) Fürstenbergs and head back
to the farm to unpack and settle in. The Mooshof apartment that Ben and I shared had two nice sized sleeprooms
(doubles), a kitchen, bathroom and large balcony. We were very comfortable there and wouldn't hesitate to recommend
this farm to anyone. It was rustic, peaceful and the view of the valley from the balcony was outstanding.
Our plan for the day is to recon the area to locate
tomorrow's rendevous point for dinner with some of the gang. The Landgasthof "Ochsen"
in the little nearby town of Neukirch is the designated meeting place. We find it with no problem, and so with
that out of the way we head out for the serious business of finding dinner for tonight.
We had already agreed to make a return trip to the Gasthof "Schutterblick" in the Schutter valley. Ben
and family were there last summer, and I followed up with a surprise visit in September to get acquainted with
a couple of the waitresses Ben had made friends with. Out of the blue Ben suggests it would be a hoot if we could
pop in on Lump and Lisa who are staying in the town of Mühlenbach, which just happens to be on the route we
are taking to the Schuttertal.
We set out around 4 pm to explore new territory as we make our way into the "Simonswald". This is our
kind of terrain - sweeping hillsides, dark green forests, and lots of winding roads. We make our way direct to
Mühlenbach and the Gasthaus
"Zum Ochsen" (is everything over here
named Ochsen ??) and pull up in front. Ben heads inside to check and see if our cohorts have arrived yet. We're
in luck....it seems they just recently arrived so Ben marches up and knocks on the door. I was keeping the engine
running and so missed out on the surprise, but you can read Lump's report and get the gist of their reaction as
our leader rousted them out of the rack. :0)
We invite them to tag along for dinner and off we go. Arriving at the Schutterblick around
5 pm we take up positions at the outdoor tables and are soon greeted by our two waitress buddies Marion and Agi,
who seem genuinely pleased to see us again. Bier all around and we are soon chowing down on some great Schnitzels
followed by more Bier for dessert. It's great to spend some time catching up on past adventures, and wondering
how this year's reunion will come off.
By the time we run out of topics to gab about we discover it is almost dark and we better head back. We make our
way back along the B33 to drop Lump and Lisa off at Mühlenbach and then continue on back to Urach, arriving
around 9:30. It's been a long day but we are not overly stressed out. The driving was easy and we were able to
just kick back and take our time tooling around the area. It's great to be back in this little out of the way place,
and as Ben fiddles with the TV controls (hey...find that "good" station while you're at it :0), I pop
a cold one and listen to the night breezes blowing through the trees outside our apartment balcony.
Day 4 - 21 September 2003
"A Sunny
Sunday in the Schwarzwald"
We weren't exactly sure if we were in
for a good night's rest or not since we both seem to have acquired the nagging habit of waking up several times
during the night. I hate this when I'm at home during the work week, much less doing it over here. The warm (OK
- hot) weather from yesterday didn't change much during the night, so obviously there was no need for the duvets.
A bummer since we always look forward to those crisp Black
Forest nights.
At 6:00am I am up and strolling about the place while it is still pitch black. Only a couple of lights from the
neighboring farms give a clue there is even anything out there across the valley it is so dark. Shortly, Ben is
also up and we tune into some German channels to see what the news of the day is. Naturally, shots of the opening
parade at Oktoberfest yesterday fill the screen. We finally default over to CNN and kill some time until breakfast.
At 8:00 Frau Pfaff shows up with a large tray of goodies and it's a winner. Smoked Black Forest ham, several soft
boiled eggs, several large cans of different types of wurst (she makes her own and sells it in the local area.
I dig the leberwurst..yum..yum..), butter, cheese and a large basket of rolls. We've struck paydirt!
While we chow down we formulate the plan
for today. It's going to be another wonderful sunny day so we decide to head over to Freiburg, and if we get there
early enough we should beat the crowds. We load up and head out, but just as we are about to pull away something
on the front of the car looks out of place. Sure enough, there is a rubber bumper strip that goes all the way across
the front, but a couple of feet of it has come loose from the bumper and is just flapping in the breeze. Uh Oh...what
did we hit and why didn't we feel it?
Not wanting to take the chance of being dinged for a repair bill we mull around some options while we are driving
merrily along cross country. I have a roll of duct tape in my pack (beats the heck out of a set of Craftsman tools
anytime) and if worse comes to worse we will tape that whole bumper to the car if need be.
We finally pull off into a little rest area and I proceed to crawl under the car to perform a close up inspection.
Yep...sure enough, the strip is attached by means of little teeth that grip the rubber and hold it on. We must
have parked close to something the height of the bumper and pulled it loose unknowingly. No problem here, I just
proceed to pop the thing back in place and VOILA ...good as new.
Feeling pleased with my mechanical skills we are again
off and running, and within half an hour are entering Freiburg and looking for a parkplatz. There is very little
traffic so hopefully our timing is right. We stroll over to the Altstadt and the big main square. The church is
partitioned off with scaffolding (sound familiar?) and so we just stroll around the area to get some pics.
This seems like a good time for our first
Bier break so we grab an outdoor table and settle down for the pause that refreshes. The plan for the rest of the
day is simple. An hour or so here, and then get ready for tonight's dinner meeting with some of the group that
are arriving today.
There aren't even any souvenir stands set up so this
could be a slow day for the tourists. We opt to head over to McDonald's, which is now part of the original gate
to the city, and order up some coffee.
By noon we are done with Freiburg and back on the
road. Next stop is Titisee, and with such great weather chances are it will be wall to wall. We park over by the
Bahnhof and make the short walk down the hill into town and are soon part of the moving throng of tourists.
We stroll down to the lake and next thing I know
Ben has ordered up a boat and we are soon doing the captain and first mate routine. The only hitch is, we forgot
to specify what we wanted and instead of getting an electric boat we got the foot paddle type. Looks like one of
us is going to get some unplanned exercise. :0( I take up a seat in the back just so I can yell "faster..faster".
:0)
The lake is dotted with boaters, and we decide one
less on the water won't be noticed, so after our time is up we head back to the safety of dry land, and a Bratwurst
at the Imbiss stand next to the dock. The crowds are building and we opt to pick up a couple of souvenirs and then
make our way back to the car. It is now mid-afternoon and we have to get ready for our 5 pm dinner at the Ochsen
in Neukirch.
We take the backroads through some nice scenic countryside and are soon back in Urach near the sawmill. As long
as we are passing by the Sternen we may as well stop and see who's there. Yep...there are several cars parked out
front and we stroll in to find some of the crew have staked out a claim at a couple of tables. Lump, Lisa, Gary,
Carolyn, Chuck, Beverly, and Bob are all swilling down Fürstenberg's (easy folks.. Fred has promised they
won't run out) and we join the group for some idle time before we have to head out. Ben takes this time to replace
the Stammtisch album which we keep at the Sternen with a newer, classier model, transferring all pictures and notes.
After a couple of rounds everyone starts to break
up and we make a quick stop back at the ranch for a change of clothes. It is only about a ten minute drive to Neukirch
and just before 5pm we are pulling into the parking lot. At 5pm (designated dinner time) the only ones there and
on time (as they always are) were Chuck and Beverly. By 5:30 or so most had straggled in so we went inside and
had a very nice dinner. This was an open invitation Ben sent out a few weeks ago and the responses indicated about
15 would show up. BTW...hats off to Rolf who had reserved our tables well in advance and all was in order. They
were all primed and ready for us.
Everyone files into the reserved dining room, and by
headcount it looks like 13 have made it. The waitresses descend and everyone orders up (a delicious Kalbschnitzel
mit Spätzle for me). Somewhere between the salads and main course Deenise's gang of five ladies finally arrived
bringing our dinner group total to 18.
A pleasant couple of hours ensues while everyone
trades stories about past trips,and who is going where this time
around.
With dinner a done deal it seems only appropriate to head over to the Sternen for our "dessert", so off
we go. But first we need a group shot for posterity.
Back at the Sternen Rudi and Tina crank out the Bier
while we all sit around jawing for the next couple of hours. By 10:00 everyone is pretty well done for the day,
and we all start filing out. Tomorrow is another big day as Gary has arranged a tour of the Fürstenberg brewery
in Donaueschingen and we certainly don't want to miss that treat. :0)
Chapter 3
