The Black Forest
Trip Start
May 19, 2008
1
15
20
Trip End
Jul 21, 2008
Triberg,
Baden-Württemberg,
Germany
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
We got to the train station, and got a ticket for Triberg, Germany with a layover in Offenburg. It was only about 17 euros round trip for all three of us - pretty cheap train tickets. So that was a great start to what became a great day. We grabbed some food at the train station and headed for Triberg.
We arrived at the small town of Triberg, which was one of the most beautiful places yet. We were told ahead of time that one of the largest waterfalls in Europe was in the town of Triberg, so we headed for that. We only had two things on our list: Black Forest Cake and the Waterfall
German countryside
. It was getting kind of late and we were noticing that a lot of stores were closed. We passed a bakery and the door was still open so we walked in. The woman was mopping the floor, and closing the store, but she still allowed us to come in. She was so excited that we were there, and when she heard that we wanted Black Forest cake, she was happy to help out. She pulled us behind the counter and started taking out lots of cakes and pies to show us all of the wonderful masterpieces that she has created. When she first handed me the cake, I didn't know what was going on but we soon realized that she was setting up a wonderful photo op. The desserts looked delicious and the little café was adorable. It was the perfect place to be. We decided not to all get a piece of black forest cake, but to sample some of the others, so we got three pieces and passed them around. The woman tried to make our experience there as best as possible. She herded us to the tables on the porch in 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
the train was really hot - trying to get air
. Rather than just explaining them, she starts picking out some of the candy and handed each of us one to try, again free. She was so excited for us to try them, and so we did and were on our way. It was an awesome experience. Off to the Black Forest and the Wasserfall (German for waterfall).The whole walk to the waterfall was uphill, and when we got to the entrance, it was just stairs and uphill ramps from there. It was a lot of walking, and not a lot of time to take it easy. We didn't want it to get dark, and we had to make sure we caught the train back to Offenburg so that we got the last train back to Strasbourg, and caught up with the trams before they closed at midnight. In order to do this comfortably, we planned on catching the 9:15 train to Offenburg, and then the 11:00 train to Strasbourg. That would give us plenty of time for the layover and to make sure that everything went well. However, our plans don't always go the way they are supposed to...
We stopped at the snack shop at the bottom of mountain to get some food before we headed home. All of us inhaled some black forest ham soup and shared another piece of black forest cake. It was delicious. Then, we hurried back to the train station to get there a little before 9:00. We had plenty of time to catch our train. That is, if our train would have come.
We waited at a deserted train station for what seemed like forever, and kept checking the train times to make sure we were right. We asked some locals, and they confirmed that a train should have come, but it never did. The station was closed by this time, so there was no one official to ask
All Aboard!!
. So we just sat, and waited. Hopefully, the 10:20 train would come. Even if it did, it wasn't scheduled to arrive in Offenburg until 11:00, a mere 4 minutes before our other train was scheduled to leave. So we waited, and waited. It got dark, and some sketchy teenagers from the town started arriving in the parking lot behind the train station. Apparently, it was the hang out spot for Triberg. We just hoped that our train would come soon. And it did, 4 minutes late.
We rushed on the train, and sat wishing that it would go fast. If we missed our next train, we were stuck in Offenberg for the night and we had a court visit in the morning. Besides trying to find a way back, we really didn't want to spend the night in another town. Instead, we stood by the doors of the train willing it to go faster and faster. The train arrived in the station only about 3 minutes late, and we were off at a full sprint. We checked the nearest board for what "bin" our train departs from as fast as we could and then proceeded to plow over every man, woman, and child to get to our train.
We burst through the train doors huffing and puffing, just happy that we made it, only to realize that every passenger on the train was looking at us like we were very strange
Train Station in Triberg
. Oh well, we made the train. So we took our seats, and then sat there for another 4 or 5 minutes before the train left. Yes, we could have been spared the embarrassment of running through the station. Stupid European trains - they are always late.Nonetheless, we were home free. Or at least we thought. We stop at a few stops along the way, and we are almost to Strasbourg when an announcement goes over the intercom that this is the last stop and that everyone must get off. A little confused, we watch as everyone disembarks the train. Wait, this train was supposed to go to Strasbourg! What is going on??? A bunch of other people are waiting outside of the train waiting to get on, and the conductor turns them away too. They ask us: "Is this the train to Strasbourg?" Well, we thought it was! Luckily, Amber speaks fluent German and so she spoke to the conductor for us. Apparently, we were supposed to catch a bus to Strasbourg outside the train station. It was going to leave any minute.
Here we go. Trying to keep up with the rest of the crowd going to Strasbourg, and not wanting to miss the bus, we were running once again. We found the bus, and boarded. It took us right to the train station. Awesome, it was still 11:45, so we can catch a tram back to our hotel. Or so we thought. We go inside to the tram stop, and find out that it has been closed. Long story made short, we took a taxi home and split the cost, but we arrived home safely. It was a long day of running, beautiful scenery, and disappointing public transportation. However, it was one of the best days yet.
