Berghotel Tannenhof Triberg

Primer contacto con Alemania. Ciudad universitaria por exelencia, donde la bicicleta tiene la prioridad absoluta, el centro es enteramente peatonal. Una de las ciudades mas animadas del viaje, su ambiente nos recargó las pilas después de muchos dias de viaje.
Su catedral es especialmente destacable, y tiene una torre muy recomendable, aunque se encuentra actualmente en obras. Por la mañana estuvimos en un mercado artesanal muy, muy completo.

... So, I had spaghetti in Germany. After dinner, we really wanted to get a piece of Black Forest cake in the Black Forest. However, since it was past six o'clock, all of the cafes were closed. Luckily, Jingyi saw a woman inside one of the cafes and knocked on the door. The woman said that she had one piece of cake left, so she wrapped it up for us and we took it back to our hotel to enjoy. We then watched some more CNN and then ...

We caught the wrong train and wound up in Gengenbach. While we were waiting for a train back we met a lady who told us the town had a beautiful old-town section. So we went discovering again. After a good look around we stopped at a pub while we were waiting for the next train and got talking to the owner. Turns out he'd been to Australia on holiday, so we had a good time talking to him until it was time to go.

Day trip from Villingen. Wolfach has a factory cum tourist attraction where they blow the glass manually. It was good to watch them making vases etc. in the traditional way. The highlight for me was dobbing Roz in to get up on the stage and blow her own vase. She did a good job, and we bought the vase and brought it home. A very special souvenir.

Home of the world famous Hubert Herr clock factory. Met Reinhard Herr, Hubert's great grandson, who still owns and runs the place. The clocks are still handmade and handcarved in the traditional designs. They even make their own clock movements. Spent an hour or so talking to the gentleman, and he explained ...

Stayed here a couple of nights. Just a really pretty place in the heart of the Black Forest. Got my first look at a woodcarvers shop and was blown away by the quality of the work. The fine detail has to be seen in person to be truly appreciated. Snow everywhere ...

... with costumes and masks and bands. Damn near froze standing still for that long, but I had a good vantage point for the pictures so I wasn't going to move for fear of losing my spot. After the parade we got stuck into the gluhwein and some hot food then went back to the hostel for a hot shower, then out for dinner. We went to a local brewery that had a restaurant incorporated and had such a good time that we made it a regular while we were there.

... old telephone...etc. It had a watering trough for horses out in front of it. We looked at more cuckoo clocks...one guy told us showed us what a real cuckoo bird looks like... We found Schafer's Cafe that is the best place to get Black Forest Cake...we enjoyed it though it's not my favorite dessert. At that cafe we saw mustard in a tube like toothpaste...neat! The grandkids asked me why didn't I bring some home with me!

... to get some pictures while we were moving. I then saw a castle on a hill that I wanted a picture of. We then stopped at a small train station, so I ran to the edge of the platform, snapped a picture, and jumped back on the train. We then got off the train in Triberg. The first thing we noticed was the fresh mountain air. It smelled so good. We then checked what time we needed to be back to get the train (in 2 and a half hours), and headed toward ...

... the back, grabs a flower to put on our table, brings out 3 glass of free water. (Note: this is the first time we have gotten any free water anywhere in Europe). Also, she gets a bag for us to take along with three smaller pastries to enjoy later at no extra charge. When we go to pay, I asked her what some of the candies were in the case because I was so intrigued with how good they looked. I would have bought some to take along too. Rather ...