free parking | The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

Some time ago, I read a review of what sounded like a great place to enjoy lunch. The man who wrote the review mentioned cute donkeys and low prices. He seemed the most impressed with the prices, but I was more interested in the donkeys. I bookmarked the site and then forgot about it, mainly due to the inclement weather that is so common in these parts. This morning, I realized we had a beautiful day in store, so I asked Bill if he wanted to try a new place.

All roads lead to the donkeys…

The donkeys and their pony friend were enjoying some time in their pasture. I had to use the zoom to get this photo.

Eselsmühle im Siebenmühlental (Donkey Mill) is located in Leinfelden, not too far from the Schwabengarten Biergarten and the airport. Bill had warned me that there’s construction being done on A8 (when isn’t there?), but we had no problems reaching it today. There’s a large, free parking lot at the end of the road leading to the cafe and shop, where you can buy fresh bread made in a wood oven, cakes pies, cheeses, and fresh fruits and vegetables, among other things. Below are some photos from our outing there today.

Charming, flat, paved walk to the cafe and shop. It’s maybe five minutes from the parking lot to get to the cafe, which feels far removed from the busy suburban area on the priority road going past here.

First glimpse of the yard. There’s a converted barn used for hosting events as well as a shop, geological museum, and the garden/cafe.

I was charmed by the Schweine… I probably should have taken one home.

There was lovely produce being offered…

And these were today’s specials. They also have a brief daily menu that includes typical items like schnitzels, sausages, and salads. I was kind of thinking this place should offer sandwiches made with their hearty wood oven baked breads. But then, I’m an American and I think about these things.

Cows napping in the paddock.

And a mama duck with her many ducklings lunching in the creek.

We were a little confused about what to do once we got to the cafe. There’s an outdoor bar area on first floor, where you would order if all you wanted was a drink and cake. If you want lunch, you go upstairs and order. It appeared that if you sat upstairs, they’d take your order and bring your food. If you want to eat in the garden, it appeared that you needed to order and pick up the food. They gave us a little beeper to tell us when our order was ready. We sat upstairs anyway and noticed that people up there were getting table service. Either way, we got fed. If you get a drink in the downstairs bar area, you have to return your glass to get your Pfand (deposit) returned.

Idyllic view from where we were sitting.

Upstairs cafe area. There’s limited indoor seating upstairs. We noticed this place is very dog and kid friendly An adorable retriever was sitting at the table in front of us.

We enjoyed Bio beers. The Donkey Mill is big on organic, fresh, and healthy… even in its beers!

I had a schnitzel. I liked it because it wasn’t huge. It came with fresh potato salad, a small green salad with a light mustard vinaigrette, and delicious cous cous flavored with red peppers. I think the cous cous might have been my favorite part of the meal. It was very interesting! The vegetables were very fresh, too.

Bill had sausages with sauerkraut. That kraut was really strong! Bill loved it, although the sausages reminded me of very large Slim Jims.

Large garden area… very pretty and casual. I really enjoyed our lunch here.

The drink area.

This is a picture of the donkeys and pony without the help of a zoom lens. They weren’t feeling very social today, but I did meet a very friendly cat.

The trucks came through… I think they were at the Saturday markets, selling their delicious wares.

Another shot of the area outside the barn, where it looks like they host private parties. This might be a good thing to keep in mind if you’re ever looking for a place to have an event.

After we ate lunch and looked at the donkeys, we went into the shop and picked up a few items. I was impressed with all that was available in the cute little shop, which had everything from fresh eggs and cheeses to soaps and shampoos. Below are some pictures of what you can find in there.

Lots of grains, including their own flour.

Baked goodies, breads, cookies shaped like donkeys, cheeses, and a very friendly shopkeeper who speaks excellent English!

Wines, mostly German but a few from Austria and Italy.

Eggs and dairy…

Pasta…

Jams galore and honey…

Teas, juices, soft drinks, and beers.

Cosmetics and even things for the home, like dishes.

In the back of the shop, there’s even a small geological museum. It costs nothing to see the collection of crystals and stones collected by the proprietor.

I only took a few photos because it’s not a very large museum. But it’s still pretty interesting, especially if you like rocks.

If you didn’t bring a bag with you, never fear. We did come prepared because I noticed on their Web site that they had a little store and figured we’d want to bring some stuff home.

Adorable donkey cookies made with hazelnuts or almonds.

We did buy a few pieces of cake and a loaf of bread, as well as strawberries and blueberries, cheese, wine, and soaps. The lady who waited on us spoke German until Bill started having trouble understanding, then, with a big smile, she said “We can speak English if you like!” I loved that she was willing to speak German at all. A lot of times, as soon as English speaking Germans hear the American accent, they switch to perfect English, dashing our hopes of practicing German! So kudos to her for indulging Bill and for being so pleasant and welcoming. She asked us if we were here “on holiday” and we said we live here. She said, “Oh, so that means you can come back!” I love that! Once we’d spent about 40 euros in the shop, we decided to go home. I made a quick stop in the ladies room first…

I got a kick out of this sign.

This place is also very bike friendly. If you wanted to, you could also take a hike. The area nearby offers many walking trails.

Geronimo!

I love these guys. I’d rather hang out with ponies and donkeys than most people.

We really enjoyed visiting Eselsmühle im Siebenmühlental today. I would recommend it especially for ladies who lunch and want to purchase high quality organic products. If you’re lucky, you might even get to pet one of the pet donkeys.

A few weeks ago, after Bill and I visited Glaswaldsee in Bad Rippoldsau, I read up on what else was in the area. I learned that the tiny spa town, also home to the wolf and bear park, is also where there are splendid waterfalls and hiking trails. In fact, Bad Rippoldsau is not only beautiful, but one could spend a whole weekend busy with things to do in nature. And if it’s too rainy, there are spas to visit in nearby Bad Peterstal-Griesbach and a glass blowing factory in nearby Wolfach. Once again, I am reminded of why I really like where we live, for Unterjettingen is just on the edge of the Black Forest, where there are plenty of cool things to do.

Today, while everybody else was watching Prince Harry and Meghan Markle getting married, I had tentative plans to visit two waterfalls. We only made it to one, the Burgbach Wasserfall, which is very close to both Glaswaldsee and the wolf and bear park. After reading up on the official info, which is in the first link in this paragraph, I read a more personal account of visiting the waterfall. A very helpful guy who lives in The Netherlands wrote up his experience hiking around the falls.

Bill was a little worried there would be rain today, but we had perfect weather, at least while we were actually hiking. There is a large, free parking lot on the side of the road, where there is a map showing where the falls are. The waterfall can be accessed by two trails. One is .8km, but a bit steep. The longer one is about twice as long, but a bit more gradual. We took the short hike to the falls and the longer trail back. I think that’s the better way to do it, especially if you’re in crappy physical shape like I am. The .8km trail is a bit steeper, but it’s shorter. You still have to walk up hills on the longer trail. The hills aren’t as intense, but they take longer to climb. I do recommend taking the longer trail back, because it’s a very beautiful walk. In fact, we even saw a family with their young boy riding his bike and the mom pushing a stroller. That’s pretty hard core!

Below are some photos from today’s hike to the waterfall. Afterwards, we had a marvelous lunch, on which I will report after the photos!

The helpful map. There is also a picnic table near this map, though we also saw people eating lunch by the falls. Bear in mind that it’s a wild area, so there are no trash cans or other facilities at the falls. There are also no admissions fees!

The first glimpse of the creek…

We’re in the right place. We took the road in the photo. We could have also turned right onto another road which allows a longer hike to the falls. The longer way appears to be easier, but it’s kind of deceptive. The hills aren’t quite as steep, but they last longer.

The area is full of beautiful wildflowers. I don’t think I quite did them justice with my camera.

Helpful signs show you where to go.

Peaceful creek…

In the distance, I spotted what appeared to be a burg on the mountain. To get to the waterfall on the shortest route, you pass through a neighborhood. It appeared that they had a trout farm there, though I can’t swear to it.

I stopped on the trail to take a photo. There are some beautiful views.

Our first glimpse of the falls. There were a few other people there and some who had braved a walk up to the burg we spotted on the way into the woods.

Near the base of the falls.

I think it was worth the trip… the falls are very photogenic and not too hard to get to, even if you’re not in great shape.

After a quick pit stop, Bill and I headed back down the long way.

Der Burgbachfelsen…

Glad I had a zoom lens.

This is what the road looked like most of the way down. However, we made the mistake of going all the way back to the highway. I would not advise doing that, especially if you have children or are in any way mobility challenged. There isn’t much of a walkway by the road and it gets very busy with scary bikers and speeding cars. There is another, well-marked trail on the gravel road before you get to where the traffic is. That’s probably the one you’d want to take, rather than trying to walk by the highway. However, because we didn’t take that trail ourselves, I can’t swear to the accuracy of my advice.

Stop and enjoy the views!

That’s a wrap!

This was on the walk back, which was pretty scary due to no sidewalk or trail. However, I did get a few shots of the wildflowers.

The restaurant where we had lunch was at a hotel called the Klösterle Hof, which is the site of an old monastery. Bill and I had noticed it the first time we visited the area, but didn’t happen to be there at a time when it was open. Today, we had no problem getting a table, even though there was a wedding going on at the huge church next door. There are a couple of other restaurants near this hotel, but I had read about the hotel restaurant and noticed the stellar reviews. Having eaten there today, I can add my own stellar review. We really enjoyed our lunch, even though we got caught by a rainstorm.

We sat outside at first, along with a large group of bikers and another couple.

A very kind waitress, who appeared to be working alone, brought us wine and water. I loved the little wine barrel pitchers the wines came in. I had a riesling and Bill had a gray burgundy. Both were local and very good. The riesling tasted of limes, while the gray burgundy had a honey essence.

We ordered our food and waited a bit, but the sky began to darken right after the church bells stopped ringing for the wedding. Our waitress kindly opened a previously closed dining room for us, since all of the inside tables were taken.

It was very quaint and comfortable.

Bill ordered the fresh trout, which probably came from a very local source. It was grilled with lemon and served with a green salad and parsleyed potatoes.

I had Seeteufel medallions (a dense white fish– kind of like catfish without the dirt flavor) with white asparagus and Hollandaise sauce… as well as the aforementioned potatoes.

This sauce was the real deal. No blender cheats with this one!

And a nice table full of digestives, of which we did not partake. Our bill was about 62 euros and well worth the expense. I felt great after lunch– not too stuffed and like I’d eaten really high quality food.

While we were eating, a group of gentlemen from the wedding showed up. If I had to guess, I’d say they might have been part of a band. They came in, had a round of beer, and headed to the church. We saw them all waiting on the front stoop as we drove past on the way home.

The outside of the restaurant and hotel as it was pouring rain. There was no rain once we got over the mountain toward Freudenstadt. Had it not rained, we might have tried to visit the other waterfall I read about. As it is, we’ll save that one for another day. I would love to go back to the restaurant and try the Black Forest ham, which I noticed the lady sitting next to us having. It smelled wonderful.

A trippy photo I took as we drove through the misty mountains. I love visiting the Bad Rippoldsau area. It feels like a mini vacation.

Below are a few more photos of Burgbach Wasserfall I took with my digital camera. I’m really glad we visited. The falls are beautiful and, at least today, not nearly as crowded as some of the other waterfalls we’ve visited. I would highly recommend a trip there, especially if you’re looking for something different and cheap to do.