Bluer than blue at Blautopf…

Breathtakingly blue…

Sometime a couple of months ago, a person in our local Facebook group asked where to find a certain “blue lake” near Stuttgart. A German member of the group supplied the answer to her query. She was looking for Blautopf (Blue Pot), a beautiful spring in the town of Blaubeuren that feeds into the River Blau and eventually the Danube. I was curious about Blautopf; I had never heard of it until it was mentioned on Facebook. Once I saw pictures, I decided Bill and I needed to visit.

Going to Blautopf from Unterjettingen was a bit of a hard sell, though. The town of Blaubeuren is a somewhat stout drive from where we live. It’s somewhat close to Ulm. Since we didn’t plan to bring our dogs, Zane and Arran, with us, it would mean they’d spend several hours home alone. We had such pretty weather this weekend, though, that I finally wore down Bill’s resolve and off we went. The drive took about 80 minutes on B28. Alternatively, we could have gotten there by way of A8. We also could have brought our dogs with us. Blautopf is very dog friendly.

On the way to Blautopf, we passed through Pfäffingen, the town where Bill and I lived the first time we were in the Stuttgart area. As we drove through, I noticed a very large man standing on the side of the road with his thumb up. He was looking at us hopefully. Alas, even if we were in the habit of picking up hitchhikers, we were in my Mini Cooper, which really accommodates only two adults, despite the presence of a backseat. I was thinking to myself, “Dude, we’re in a Mini. Even if we wanted to give you a lift, where would you sit?”

My first view of the town of Blaubeuren, which is very tourist friendly. There’s lots of parking, although even in late March the town was full of people visiting the spring. I imagine it gets packed there in the summer.

We stopped by the public WC, where I spotted this cute little poem…

Then we followed the crowd and the blue arrows pointing to the point of interest…

The spring feeds into a mill, which fuels a hammermill. There is a museum where visitors can see horseshoes being made, among other things. We stopped in after we gazed at the beautiful water.

The water gets to be about 69 feet deep in the middle.

Here they show how deep the water is at any given time.

The inside of the hammersmith. We basically just observed all that was going on in there because it was pretty loud and the whole thing was in German anyway. But we were able to see how the water fueled the machinery and it was well worth the visit. It was also a cheap attraction. An adult ticket is 2,50 euros.

It costs nothing to visit Blautopf, probably because it only takes a few minutes to see it. Those who are feeling energetic can hike up the mountain to get some great views of the charming town. There are also several museums and a monastery. If we hadn’t been worried about leaving the dogs for too long, we might have stayed a little bit longer and taken in more of the sights. Instead, we decided to stop by Gasthof Blautopf- La Locanda for lunch. That was a good choice. The food was outstanding.

Bill enjoys the sunshine as we wait for beer.

I love a good Franziskaner.

This particular restaurant has an advantage of being located very close to the spring. I also noticed that there was a lovely aroma coming from the terrace. When we sat down, I noticed a guy sitting near us who had ordered pasta. The tomato sauce smelled so good that I decided I had to have that for lunch.

Bill ordered Spaghetti Principessa, which was spaghetti with olive oil, algae (which sounds weirder than it is), cherry tomatoes, capers, rucola, pine nuts, and very fresh shrimp. It was delicious! I wished I’d ordered it. But I went with the more pedestrian Spaghetti Mediterana.

This was also an excellent dish. The sauce was made of very fresh tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. It was topped with Parmesan cheese.

Service was friendly and the prices were very fair. Our lunch was under 30 euros before the tip.

The monastery.

A map of the town.

Here are a few more shots I took with my new camera…

A pair of mallards were enjoying the pristine water.

I would definitely recommend Blautopf for a fun day trip from the Stuttgart area. Although we didn’t do anything more than see the spring and the hammersmith museum, we could have taken the whole day to see other places along the way. Our route took us past Bad Urach, where there are waterfalls and ruins, Reutlingen, and Tuebingen… all places where one can have lunch and fill up the day with activities. If you visit during the summer months, you can also stop in nearby Laichingen and see the Tiefenhoehle, which is part of the cave system that forms Blautopf.

Baden-Württemberg, Sundays

We finally made it to lovely Schloss Lichtenstein…

Bill and I have now lived in the Stuttgart area for a total of four years. We were here from 07-09 and we have been here this second time since August 2014. We have seen a lot of cool places in the local area, especially since we moved back here the second time. The first time we lived here, we spent way too many weekends cooped up at home. That was a huge mistake and we have been doing our best to rectify our error during our second Germany experience together (Bill had a third experience back in the 80s, but it was when I was still jailbait…)

Today, we finally made the trip to Schloss Lichtenstein. I am ashamed to admit that the first time we lived here, I had no idea this beautiful little castle near the town of Sonnenbühl even existed. It wasn’t until we moved back and my new Facebook friends from the local community started posting pictures that I realized what I had missed. I have now seen several castles here in Germany and I think Schloss Lichtenstein may be among my favorites. I think I like it even more than the much hyped Neuschwanstein, which I did manage to see during my first time living here.

Bill and I set out for Schloss Lichtenstein at around noon. We expected our journey from Unterjettingen to take about an hour via B28. What we didn’t know was that traffic was going to be absolutely horrendous driving through Tübingen and Reutlingen. Turns out there’s a lot of construction going on in those towns, plus it was a beautiful day. Lots of people were out and about, so traffic was backed up.

Having studied the route before we left, I was surprised Bill didn’t opt for B27, which would have taken us south of the construction. We did come back that way and it was much easier going!

The drive to the castle is absolutely gorgeous and it was so nice to have the top down on the convertible, speeding along country roads. As we approached the parking lot and saw all the cars there, I could see there were lots of people who decided today was a good day to see the castle… or perhaps they had come for the Abenteuer Park…

Here are a couple of shots I got of the ropes course. Lots of people were there today, enjoying the zip lines and climbing challenges. Much to my great surprise, Bill said it looked like fun and he wants to come back and try it! I might have to sit at the biergarten when he does…

We momentarily thought it would be a good idea to eat before we visited the castle, but did not realize that the onsite restaurant Altes Forsthaus (Old Forester’s Lodge) had been booked for a wedding reception. It was closed. So we went on to the castle. Here are some photos I took.

You can either pay a couple of euros to walk around the grounds or opt for the tour. The tours run for about 30 minutes and cost 7 euros for adults and 3,50 euros for children. Our tour was done in German, although you can purchase a card that explains everything in a different language. I understand English tours are also available on request. We muddled through with German; consequently, I didn’t understand everything that was said. Guess I’ll read up on it.

Stunning views!

I was kind of sad that we didn’t get to go to the top of the tower. The tour was very short and really only consisted of the first two floors. The inside of the castle is beautiful, though, and well worth seeing.

I think it was worth the price of admission just to get the pictures! Wow, this is one pretty little Schloss!

I think this is my favorite photo of the day!

This is the chapel, which I understand can be rented for weddings or baptisms. There is also a tiny chapel in the castle itself. The ceiling looked like it came straight from Florence.

After we toured the castle, we decided to go have lunch at the Castle’s Tavern. This is basically a snack bar that offers a few items of substance. I noticed they had a few specials today to include a vegetarian dish and Maultaschen. They also had turkey schnitzel and the usual wursts with pommes. Bill got us two schnitzels while I waited. He ordered in German and the lady behind the counter answered in perfect English as she handed him a “beeper” to let him know when our order was up.

I took a photo of our spot in the biergarten… little did I know, this was the calm before the “storm”.

Ahh… refreshing export beer…

Our schnitzels… they came with substantial salads. We probably should have just shared one. We almost forgot the salads and the lady from the counter brought them out to us with a gentle reproach. I didn’t get a picture of the salads, but they were substantial and surprisingly tasty. I especially liked the pepper relish that came with it.

Just as we were sitting down to eat, a German family came over and joined us. It was a young mom, dad, and two little boys close in age… I’d say one was probably two and the other was perhaps four. They were a boisterous lot. I think Oma was also in tow, along with another woman who might have been a friend or an aunt. They filled up our once roomy picnic table.

I didn’t mind them too much, although the older boy startled everyone when he spilled his drink all over the table. His dad started yelling at him in German. I am surprised to say that I understood much of what he said and it sounded a lot like what many parents yell at their kids in English!

As we were finishing up our late lunch, we heard lots of honking and saw cars driving up the road to the castle. The wedding party had arrived!

There is a playground next to the biergarten for your little ones to go burn off some steam.

And a rather dark photo of the Castle’s Tavern. It does have an indoor dining area, too. I don’t think anyone was sitting in there today.

A map of the area. There is a lot to do near this castle. I want to go back and visit the Easter museum and the caves…

We didn’t bring Zane and Arran with us, though we did notice a couple of folks with their pooches walking around the grounds. If we do go back, though, it’ll probably be so Bill can try the ropes course. And I will most likely be talked into trying it with him… which would mean Zane and Arran would need to stay home again.

All in all, we had a great day! I would definitely recommend visiting the Lichtenstein Castle with your kids and any visitors coming your way. It makes for an excellent day trip from the Stuttgart area.

Rhein

Rheinfall: a quick and easy day trip from the Stuttgart area!

I don’t know how, but somehow we missed Rheinfall (Rhine Falls) the first time we lived in Germany. In fact, I’m sorry to say that I never heard of it until we moved here the second time, two years ago. I’m glad we finally found out about this magnificent waterfall in Switzerland. It would have been a real shame not to have seen it at least once. It has the distinction of being Europe’s largest plain waterfall.

After last weekend’s successful outing to Riquewihr, France with our dogs, Zane and Arran, I decided this weekend, I wanted to go to Switzerland. I gave some thought to enjoying an overnight in Schaffhausen, which is a decent sized town near the waterfall. I looked at places to stay, but finally gave up on the idea when I realized that Rheinfall is really not that far from Unterjettingen, which is where we’re living. On a good day with normal traffic flow, it takes less than two hours to drive there. We woke up to pleasant temperatures and sunshine today, so it seemed like the perfect day to visit.

We loaded up the dogs, packed some water and a bowl for them, and set off for Switzerland down A81. I was enjoying the beautiful scenery as we headed further south, at least until we hit the first of several Staus (traffic jams).

If you are driving and don’t already have one, you’ll need to stop and buy a vignette, unless you plan to stay on secondary roads. They cost 40 Swiss francs, though you can also pay for them in euros. The sticker for 2016 is good until January 31, 2017. Otherwise, you can also easily reach Rheinfall by train. There is a station literally right by the falls.

Rheinfall is literally just a few miles into Switzerland. We already had a vignette because we visited Switzerland in December 2015. We figured we might as well get our money’s worth. Once you reach the Rheinfall area, you have to decide if you want to visit the north shore or the south. We chose the north shore because of the dogs; it’s basically a public area.

The south shore has a castle on its grounds which offer attractions. We parked at the first lot we encountered. Today was a very busy day. I watched the lot quickly filling up as Bill went to pay for three hours of parking. As the lot was filling up, Zane and Arran were whining and annoying a couple of women trying to have a conversation near us. That was the worst of their behavior today. Again, euros or francs are accepted for parking, though people seemed to be very confused by the machine where the tickets were dispensed. Bill paid five euros for three hours (2 CHF per hour).

Once we paid for parking and I made use of the free bathroom facilities, we started the fifteen minute walk to the waterfall. Those who don’t want to walk can take a little train/tram thing. It costs money to ride the train, but it takes you all the way to the bottom of the waterfall. Those who have mobility problems may want to consider taking the train. There are lots of steps and hills to climb.

Bill checks out the city map in Neuhausen, which is the community where the north shore of the river is located.

Along with many, many other people, we made our way down the steep hill to the river. The place was teeming with people and quite a few had brought their dogs with them. Zane and Arran made fast friends with a friendly beagle. I was pleased to discover there was no entrance fee to see the waterfall. You just have to pay for parking.

My first few dramatic views of the falls… They were beautiful, loud, powerful, and putting off a refreshing spray.

It was about 12:45 when we arrived and I was feeling pretty hungry. Luckily, there was a very expensive snack bar handy. I sat down with the dogs and Bill went to fetch us some lunch.

For some reason, lots of people were posing with this fake cow. I decided not to because I figured it would be asking for trouble.

Bill brought me a nice locally produced Swiss beer. This is a Falken lager, made in Schaffhausen. It was kind of a nice change of pace. Didn’t taste like a German beer. It had more of a malty flavor.

We also had very fresh butter pretzels and brats. Bill bought a bottle of water for the dogs. All of this cost about 33 francs, which is roughly $33. Switzerland is expensive! Budget conscious folks may prefer to bring a picnic lunch. On the plus side, this simple lunch was restorative. I felt a lot better after we ate. Zane made friends with an adorable little Indian girl of about two who bravely came over to pet him. She was a lot more courageous than the little Dutch kids they met last weekend.

More dramatic shots of the falls. Notice the rock in the middle. You can take a boat out to the rock and climb up. We didn’t do it because we had the dogs and because the rock was *teeming* with people. It was very obnoxiously crowded!

Obligatory shot of bearded Bill posing in front of the falls.

And one last shot right in the center.

This is a train that takes people to and from the falls.

I got a kick out of this sign in several different languages warning people of death.

We walked around a bit, but soon got tired of the extreme crowds and heat. We walked up a gently sloping road instead of the extremely crowded steps we walked down to get to the bottom of the falls. I think the road is probably the better way to access the waterfront at the bottom of the falls. It’s a lot less crowded, not as steep, and you don’t have to contend with people paying closer attention to their phones than where they’re going.

But before we walked back up, I stopped in the bathroom and got a kick out of another sign. This one was explaining how to use the toilet properly. It was entirely in English. I noticed that the people before me didn’t follow directions very well.

FYI: An elevator is available. You can take an elevator from the train station to the access road we walked up on, and then this elevator from the road to the bottom of the falls. This is another option for those who don’t want to bother with the steep hill or crowds.

Soon, we were back on the way to Germany! We got home at about 4:00pm.

It was great to finally see Rheinfall. If we’d wanted to, we could have found plenty to do all day there. The area is very dog friendly, although I’m not sure how dog friendly the castle on the south shore is. I did read on TripAdvisor that dogs are welcome all over the area. Had it been less crowded, maybe we would have tested out that theory a bit more. Today, it was just overrun with people! But we did have a good time and it was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Maybe we’ll visit again in the fall. I bet it’s beautiful there when the leaves are changing colors.

Pro-tip: If you plan to use your cell phone in Switzerland, remember that it’s not part of the EU and roaming charges could add up quickly. I went through about 54 Euros in less than a couple of hours.

Baden-Württemberg

Chasing waterfalls in touristy Triberg…

I don’t know how we missed it last time we lived in Germany, but somehow Bill and I never made it to Triberg before today. Triberg is notable for being very cute, having lots of cuckoo clocks, and being home to the highest waterfalls in Germany. The falls have an overall drop of 163 meters over seven cascades. I happen to love a good waterfall, so I talked Bill into taking me there today.

A cow passed us as we headed into town…

From Unterjettingen, the drive was maybe 90 minutes southwest through some very scenic country. Though clouds threatened to spoil our fun, the rain held off. We pulled off at one scenic location on the way into town so I could get a few photos and Bill could duck behind a tree. Luck being as it is, a woman pulled up with her little white dog while Bill was whizzing, causing him to abort abruptly. I would have finished. It’s not like it’s uncommon to see guys peeing in the woods in these parts.

The picturesque field where we took a short rest…

A map of the area…

We arrived in adorable and very touristy Triberg at about 1:00pm. Lots of people were there today. Parking was somewhat scarce and we were impatient to find it, since we both needed to pee and we were stuck at world’s longest stoplight. I mean, seriously, that thing was red for several minutes.

After pulling into a full parking garage and having to back out disappointed, we ended up parking for free at the Netto Supermarket. Since it was Sunday, the store was closed. We weren’t the only ones using the lot, which has lots of signs threatening to tow people who stay too long. Our car was unmolested, though, and we managed to enjoy a nice little visit. If you visit Triberg on a Sunday or a holiday and can’t find a place to park, try the Netto.

The first order of business was to find a WC. There is a public one right on the main drag, but we avoided it because we also wanted lunch. We ended up at Pizzeria Pinnochio, an Italian place that also offers Black Forest cake… just like every other cafe, konditorei, and restaurant in town. It wasn’t packed when we sat down, but the service was very slow. It took several minutes to get menus, several more minutes for drinks, and quite a long time to get our food.

Pizzeria Pinocchio

Pinnochio is in the house!

Bill waits patiently for food and wine.

The food at Pizzeria Pinnochio wasn’t bad. Bill had the Rigatoni Pinnochio, which was rigatoni pasta served with a cream sauce, ham, mushrooms, and peas. I had grilled salmon, which came with a salad. Bill’s dish came out much sooner than mine did, so I had to watch him eat.

I had Montepulciano and he had Bardolino… They took awhile to get to us, but at least the pours were generous.

I wasn’t impressed by Bill’s dish, though he seemed to like it.

My salmon was nice, though. It was a good choice and worth waiting for.

I have heard that in Europe, they bring the food out when it’s ready, but this was the first time it had ever happened that way to me. My entree took a noticeably long time… as in, Bill was about halfway done before I got my food and that was because he waited for me. Fortunately, I enjoyed the salmon very much. We thought about getting dessert, but the service was just way too slow and neither waitress seemed to have any sense of urgency. We wanted to see the town and check out the falls. So we paid our 28 euro check and got out of there.

We saw two Ferraris in Triberg. I took a picture of one of them.

Main drag…

Complete with water…

It was four euros per person to see the waterfalls. Word to the wise; the climb up is strenuous and there may be a lot of crowds. You can take a tram to the top of the falls, which may be a better option for those who have mobility issues. There are several entrances to the park and you can buy peanuts at the cashier’s station. I’m not sure if the peanuts are for you or the squirrels.

Main entrance to the waterfalls.

First view of the falls.

Standing here at the first level will net you a refreshing spray from the rushing water…

First level… there’s a ways to go…

Bill gazes at all the watery splendor…

Bill and I walked up the waterfalls and it was a challenge for both of us. I’d say the walk up took about twenty minutes or so, but we were moving fairly fast to get past the throngs of people. The rewards at the top of the falls are worth it, though, since there’s a beautiful view from the top cascade.

I wonder if anyone heard this tree fall…

View from the very top…

On the way out…

There are a number of ways to leave the falls; we simply decided to walk down the way we came. I recommend good walking shoes. You might want to bring a jacket, though we didn’t really need one today. It was noticeably chillier at that field where Bill peed than it was at the falls. Speaking of peeing, there is a WC right by the main entrance should the need arise.

Walking down took longer than walking up did, mainly because I forced myself to go slow. I have a feeling my thighs are going to complain tomorrow. Walking down the falls is almost as challenging as walking up is because you don’t want to fall on your keister. I’ve done that before– when we went to El Yunque in Puerto Rico, I fell hard on a large boulder and my tailbone wasn’t the same for weeks.

Once we were finished with the falls, we headed to a little konditorei for coffee and Black Forest Cake. It was a very nice way to cap off our short visit to this cute little town.

I might stay in Triberg to try the many different authentic Black Forest cakes there…

Nice konditorei… not so touristy and fast and friendly service. I’d go back!

Lots of souvenir shops were open today. If I didn’t already own a cuckoo clock (which is in storage in Texas), I might have gone ahead and picked one up at one of Triberg’s many cuckoo clock shops.

Cuckoo clocks!

Touristy hotel with cafe…

There is a clinic in Triberg and we passed it as we were leaving the trail to and from the waterfalls. The sign asks for quiet.

A front shot of the hotel where we had dessert and coffee.

Lots of cute hotels are in Triberg. I know they must have a lot of tourist business, but I’m not sure I’d want to stay longer than a day or two. The area is very pretty, though…

We had a good time in Triberg and would definitely recommend it as a day trip to others living in the Stuttgart area. It’s well worth a visit, even if the town is very touristy. Triberg is also very kid friendly; we saw plenty of kids burning off energy climbing the falls.

Bill also pronounced today a fun day, though I think he enjoyed yesterday’s outing a little more. We’ll see where we end up next… I think I can get into these staycation trips.