Wow, I can’t imagine it has only been one week since we voted and left home. We’ve already had so many adventures. From almost freezing to death on the Dutch farmland to eating wonderful home made pizza in Germany and sleeping in the beautiful Schwarzwald. At the moment we are in Switzerland, enjoying snow & sun.
But let’s get back to the Schwarzwald first.
After saying goodbye to Dominik, Nicki & their sweet dog we headed for the Schwarzwald. The last time I explored this wonderful European gem I was 17 I guess. The Schwarzwald is of course known thanks to the brothers Grimm who got inspired by the forests and invented fairy tales like Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Hansel & Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and many more. But the Schwarzwald is also known for amazing hikes, cute little villages and cuckoo clocks.
We didn’t come here for the clocks but we did come here to explore the villages which are often located next to a river in a valley. The villages wind through the mountains following the rivers and surrounded by a dense forest. Like in most villages the church is in the centre of attention with homes surrounding it. In most villages you find a bakery, a hotel, a tiny supermarket and a post office. We have seen some fire fighter stations but no police station.
Outside the villages you find the more typical black forest houses which are byre-dwelling and characterised by a long hipped or half-hipped roof that descends to the height of the ground floor. This type of dwelling is suited to the conditions of the Black Forest: hillside locations, broad tracks, high levels of snowfall and heavy wind loading. While we were hiking we saw so many of these beautiful houses, some with a water wheel next to it, others with animals and we even found a spot to have a schnapps for travellers.
A night in the Black Forest
The first night in the Black Forest we stayed near natural pools. All the hotels and campsites are closed in Germany so it’s gonna be parking lots. In Germany, if you are in transit, you are allowed to stay the night to rest. So, who needs a campsite right?
We decided Ottenhöfen im Schwarzwald would be the perfect place to stay the night. And it was. Alexine, the van, did a great job. She had a little difficulty with climbing and at the end sputtered a little. I guess she grew tired of the highway, so she deserved a night and day rest. We learned in The Netherlands that sleeping in the van can be quite cold and pulled out our sleeping bags. Oh my were we warm. Hot even!
After a good nights rest we woke up early, headed into town for some breakfast. Little did we know that everything on Sundays is closed, except for the bakery. It opened up from 8 to 11, so lucky for us we had a nice breakfast. Love the bread in Germany btw, they have so many options and I haven’t found one that is bad. The cappuccino is a different story though. While at the bakery we ordered a cappuccino but I couldn’t even finish it. I keep that for Italy I guess.
Hiking in the Black Forest
Hiking in the Black Forest is not only a must it is also very easy. Every town, every parking lot, every incredible viewpoint has many hiking paths. There are so many different routes you can take. Want to have an easy short walk? It’s there. Ready for some more adventure and would like to hike about three hours? It’s there? Or are you the crazy type and love to hike a couple of days? You can!
We took an 8km walk through villages, over mountains and visiting a waterfall. It was a great hike actually. We came across animals, farmers, water wheels, schnapps house, dog barking gardens which we had to go through, steep hills, deep slopes, wide roads and tiny paths. We heard many birds and even saw an owl flying away. The waterfall ‘Edelfrauengrab-Wasserfälle’ was beautiful too, but because you can actually park your car there and have a short hike you’ll find many more people there. We didn’t meet anyone on the hike but we did meet many many people at the waterfall. Oh and while the hike should’ve been 8km, somehow we made it 16kms. No idea how, I’ve got some idea why. When we hike we get carried away by tiny paths that look adventurous, mysterious and interesting. Our curiosity where those paths lead takes over often, which means we end up off the road almost all the time. But that’s why we got to see an owl and hiked a very cool path.
Schwarzwaldhochstraße
It was time to get Alexine warmed up for another night in the forest. We drove to Freudenstadt, a one hour drive through the Schwarzwaldhochstraße. OMG! Everywhere was snow and the cloud we drove through blocked the view completely but as far as we could see (which wasn’t that far) it looked amazing!
The Schwarzwaldhochstraße or Black Forest High Road is the oldest and one of the best known themed drives in Germany. It is a part of the B 500 federal highway and leads over 60 km from Baden-Baden to Freudenstadt. The Hochstraße runs at an altitude of between 800 and 1,000 metres above sea level.
Alexine drove like an eagle flies, she took every turn like a dolphin surfs a wave and climbed up the mountains like a sloth moves from tree to tree. Not fast but steady, smooth and free. And wherever we go, we get happy faces along the way. No one cares that we drive 40 where 80 is normal or 60 where 100 is the average. We get there in the end and the people stuck behind us get the time to enjoy the view a little bit longer.
We arrived in Freudenstadt, but for now I’ll leave it with this. Freudenstadt and the night near the city is a different story. Stay tuned.
Love, Milene & Yuri
