Post pandemic trip number two– Eagles and wolves and goats, oh my!

Saturday morning, we decided that after breakfast, we would visit Gerolstein, the land of famous bubbly water that drew me to the Eifel in the first place. After taking the slow elevator to the reception area of the hotel, we walked into the hotel’s restaurant/bar area and found our assigned table, still with its personalized ceramic nameplate. I ripped off my mask, and Bill fetched some Brötchen. A lady came around to take our preferred hot beverage order. We got a Kännchen of coffee, and I put the mask back on for a trip to the buffet. I was actually kind of surprised that they were doing a buffet breakfast, given that so many practices have been altered due to the virus. I did notice that the staff was rather strict about the mask use. One guy was kindly but firmly reminded as he approached the buffet. He dutifully put the mask on and went looking for his morning Wurst.

Besides the usual breads, cheeses, sausages, smoked salmon, and fruit offered for breakfast at a lot of German hotels, the Hotel Zur Post in Meerfeld also offers hard boiled eggs. Bill and I had them all three mornings and they were perfectly done. Bravo to them for that. When we were in Strasbourg, France back in February, I was served an almost raw egg at breakfast. I was pretty grossed out by it. But that place made up for the egg fiasco by also having really excellent brownies at breakfast.

We weren’t totally sure what we were going to end up doing after we visited Gerolstein, so Bill and I took along our bathing suits. I knew that I wanted to visit the Vulkaneifel Therme in Bad Bertrich at some point, and I wasn’t sure when we’d do that. The trip to Gerolstein took us in the opposite direction of where we’d need to go to get to the Therme, but you never know when you’ll run into a good swimming hole.

The drive to Gerolstein from Meerfeld was extremely pretty. We even pulled over so I could take a few pictures of the stunning countryside. I also played around a bit with the features on my digital camera, which doesn’t get used as often as my iPhone camera does.

This picture was pretty enough… but in person, it was even more beautiful.

As we were heading toward our destination, I read a news article about a German “Rambo” who was on the loose in Oppenau last week. I mentioned in a previous post that we were once in Oppenau and needed to call for help, but were unable to get a cell signal. We had just visited the Allerheiligen Wasserfälle (All Saints Waterfalls), which are located in the Black Forest near Oppenau, when we came upon a motorcycle accident. A group of bikers had come around a sharp corner too fast and one of them went over the side of the road. It must have happened literally minutes before we encountered it. One of the bikers asked if he could use my phone to call an ambulance. Unfortunately, there was absolutely no cell signal whatsoever.

I was reminded of that lack of cell coverage when we were in the Eifel, but I was reminded of Oppenau because my German friend told me about the German Rambo guy… a heavily armed reclusive man named Yves Rausch who was running amok near Oppenau after having held up four German police officers and stolen their weapons several days prior. As we were headed toward Gerolstein, I read about how he’d been “rolled up” by the police… Oppenau would not have been a bad place to visit over the weekend. It’s very beautiful there, too… but no longer so close to get to as it was when we lived near Stuttgart.

We found a public parking lot near Gerolstein’s Kyllpark, which is notably good for kids. We didn’t plan to visit this park; it’s just where we happened to land. I was kind of delighted by it and got some pictures on a walk Bill and I took. It’s been too long since we took a walk in nature, although if I were going to plan a nature walk, I probably wouldn’t necessarily start with the Kyllpark, unless I had children with me. Bill, of course, has a big kid with him at all times… 😉 Here are some photos.

If you’re feeling brave, you can cross the river on these strategically placed rocks.

After our walk, we headed into town and walked around a bit. I needed to pee and did see a sign for a WC, but never ended up finding it. It was close to lunchtime, so I thought maybe we’d have lunch in Gerolstein. But we ended up just walking around some more, taking in the sights. At one point, we stopped for a rest and social media break and I started talking to Bill… then got off on a ranting tangent. He gave me this face…

I finally said, “Let’s move along, so you can recover your dignity…” I am very lucky to have a husband who indulges me so much.

I got some more photos of Gerolstein, which is, in fact, a nice little town with plenty of things to do… but I’m kind of glad we stayed in Meerfeld, because it was a lot prettier and its location forced us to move around the area more. Staying in a town like Gerolstein would have been very convenient. Maybe too convenient… There’s a lot to do in and around Gerolstein, though, and we would come back for another visit.

This was a small shrine on the corner of a building, which didn’t appear to have anything to do with religion… I was puzzled.

I never did manage to find a toilet before we got back in the car. Luckily, we picked a direction that took us right past the Gerolsteiner water plant… and up the hill to the Eagle and Wolf Park at Kasselburg Castle. I was pretty glad to see it, since this was another place we’d hoped to encounter during our trip. We were lucky enough to run into it by chance, and wonder of wonders, it had a place for me to pee in private. An added bonus was the amazing castle, as well as seeing animals. I love going to animal parks, especially if I get to feed the animals, too. This particular park is very well kept and offers stunning views as well as fun animals!

The Eagle and Wolf park costs 9 euros per adult and 6,50 euros per child over age 4. However, they do offer family cards for 35,00 euros, as well as group rates and special admissions fees for people in certain categories, such as the disabled. Dogs are not allowed, and there is a snack bar in the park, as well as an adjacent restaurant that one can visit before or after visiting.

We weren’t allowed to go into the imposing tower on the grounds, which suited me fine, since I can guarantee many steps were involved. However, we did walk around the castle ruins and visit the birds of prey/raptors. Some of them were a little depressing to look at, if I’m honest. They were completely still in their cages with lanyards attached to their legs. I was prepared for that, having read reviews on TripAdvisor about a similar place in Kintzheim, France. Some reviewers commented on the birds being attached to lanyards and the people who run the French Eagle Park explained that after eating, raptors sit motionless on their perches for hours. I also know that the birds are trained and do flight shows almost every day, so they do get to fly… and some of the birds were a little more animated, too. I got a kick out of a pair of randy owls in the palais area who kept flirting and cleaning each other’s feathers. The owls were not attached to lanyards, as they don’t tolerate them. They were aviaries and were more active. They all looked healthy.

Although my stomach was growling a little, we ended up walking the long way through the park, visiting the wolves. This Kasselburg park has Timber wolves and a couple of Arctic wolves. I saw the Timber wolves napping and I caught sight of one of the Arctic wolves, who was on the move, so I didn’t get a good picture. They also had wild boars, who were clustered together rooting around and eating something…. probably worms.

I was pretty grateful when we finally encountered the deer, which visitors are welcome to feed. You can buy a box of food from the machines at just one euro each. It’s worth it to interact with the very friendly and adorable goats, deer, ponies, and geese. Here are some photos of our visit to the park… which took us on a six mile hike. Been awhile since I last did that, and I must admit, it wore me out.

Just after we left the woods, we heard what sounded a little like donkeys braying… but I knew they weren’t donkeys. It wasn;t until we rounded the corner that I saw the source of the hubbub. A small group of deer were standing in the shade. I’m not sure if they were fighting or fucking, but they were sure making some noise! I think it might have been the first time I have ever heard deer making animal noises. I didn’t have much time to think about that, though, because I was soon met by my first beggar of many…

This sweet deer was politely asking for food…

By the time we were finished feeding the animals, we were definitely ready for refreshment. So we went next door to the Restaurant Forsthaus Kasselburg, which offers traditional German food and beautiful views. It was a good place to stop for refueling. In fact, we were so well fed that we managed to skip dinner on Saturday night…

You can reach this restaurant by footpath or an entrance in the park near the castle. If you leave the park, though, your visit is over. This restaurant isn’t part of the attraction.

The restaurant offered reasonable prices, as well as a fun “sprinkler show” in the dining room, complete with cheesy Muzak. That’s really the only way I can describe it. It looked like the indoor dining room had a stage, and there were sprinklers in front of it, along with lights. I’m sure when the weather is less beautiful, the inside is nice to dine in. No one was eating inside, though… better for virus protection. I noticed that besides contact tracing (leaving your name, address, and phone number) and wearing masks, this restaurant also routed access to the bathrooms so you go in and out through different doors, thereby lessening the chance of exposure to the virus or other people.

By the time we were finished with lunch, it was mid afternoon, and we were pretty tired. I wanted to go swimming in the hotel’s awesome spa pool and visit the Meerfelder Maar close up. More on that in the next post.

Uncategorized

Wiesbaden’s fabulous Fasanerie…

I really needed to have some fun today, so Bill decided we’d visit the Förderverein Fasanerie, which is a lovely animal park in a wooded area near downtown Wiesbaden. This park reminds me a lot of the Wildpark Pforzheim in the Stuttgart area, only you don’t have to pay for parking. Entry is free, unless you want to pay two euros for animal feed. The park isn’t quite as large as the one in Pforzheim, but it’s a good size and you will definitely get your exercise strolling around the gentle hills.

Here are some photos I got from today. We saw all kinds of animals, from goats to wildcats, with plenty of bears, deer, and wolves in between.

Right at the entrance…

Plenty of fun learning activities for children…

A very insistent goat who wanted all the food.

I used to catch these in my yard in Virginia.

A tunnel where all of the nocturnal creatures live.

A fox. I had to zoom in for him.

Wolves… we did see one who appeared to be on a mission.

Bears.

This bear was very chilled out. The water hole was full of golden fish.

I really enjoyed the deer. They were very friendly and hungry.

I miss these views.

Bison.

A wildcat…

Nutria

Storks!

Pigs…

Raccoon!

So many majestic deer with antlers! They were very tame and hungry for food.

I loved the nutria. They were so busy looking.

This poor dude kept getting edged out of handouts by the female. I guess that’s just how it goes.

He posed for me anyway.

We had to go back to the goats and unload our food. We still had a lot left. I wish I’d given more to the deer.

A lot of people brought picnic lunches and we heard one group singing “Happy Birthday” in English. We decided to stop by the Biergarten for a snack, where a very kind waitress took care of us.

Bill had pommes with ketchup. They were better than usual… nice and hot.

I went with Spundekäs and a pretzel, a treat I only recently discovered. It comes from Mainz and it’s delicious… a nice rich quark cheese spread with paprika and garlic. I had forgotten how good this is… I don’t usually do cheese, but this is an exception. I’m definitely a fan.

For the children…. actually, there is a very nice playground for kids at this park.

I had never seen one of these before…

A swing for people in wheelchairs! I didn’t see anyone in a wheelchair today, but how cool is it that they have a special swing for them?

I’m not sure what to make of this… looks like some kind of naked creature who needs to pee.

Hessian lion…

I really needed a fun day today, and I got it. After we were finished at the Tierpark, we bought some fresh cherries from an adorable old lady selling fruit out of the back of her car. She threw in a few plums for us after letting us try her cherries (perfectly ripe and very sweet). I got to ride in the new car, too. I’d say today was a resounding success.

Tonight we’re going to try a new restaurant, which I’ll probably review tomorrow.

Uncategorized

We went Dutch for MLK weekend 2019! Part three.

Saturday morning, we woke to beautiful sunny skies. The weather in Wiesbaden has been so yucky lately that the sunshine was especially energizing. The dogs went a little nuts when they saw Yogi prowling around outside, but then Nel invited us to let the dogs play with her in a little paddock. Zane and Yogi got along beautifully, but Zane gets along with everyone. Arran needed to warm up a bit, but he also had a great time. They rolled around in chicken shit and ran like a couple of youngsters. It’s been awhile since I last saw them play so hard, especially Zane!

Adorable Yogi is eight months of unbridled puppy energy! She was jumping up to give me a kiss when I took this photo, even though it looks like she’s on the ground. Who could resist that smile?

Yogi was a great canine hostess!

Yes, the chickens were tempting, but fortunately, they were well protected.

The horses looked on in amusement.

They were so happy that they came running to me when they saw me with the camera.

Arran checks out the henhouse. No hens were harmed.

I think Zane wanted to play with the chickens.

I already miss Yogi. She’s so cute!

A picture of the outside of the house.

After an extended play session, we brought the dogs inside and went on a short excursion, starting with the St. Martinus boutique winery. The winery is literally steps away from Nel’s house. We could have walked there very easily, but we wanted to make a purchase and we didn’t know how much we’d be buying.

The entrance to the winery. It’s a rather small vintner, but they have a beautiful tasting room. In the summer, they offer group tours of the facility.

When we arrived at the winery, the parking lot was pretty empty. Bill parked far away anyway.

By the time we left about thirty minutes later, the lot was fuller. We even ran into an American couple who appeared to be affiliated with the military, but we didn’t chat them up. The male half had the air of an up and coming officer. My guess is that they were Air Force. 😉

The very friendly lady behind the counter spoke perfect English and let us try several of the wines, which included several whites, a red, a rose, and a couple of sparkling wines. They also had beer that had been aged in wine barrels. We bought several bottles of wine and a couple of the beers. I had one of the beers last night, and it was surprisingly good. I was expecting it to be sweet and cloying, but it was actually much drier.

The tasting room, which offers a lovely view of the surrounding countryside.

Bill tastes a sparkling wine. I never knew the Dutch made such good vino. The whites were good, and we bought a bottle of red, which was unusual but interesting. The biggest surprise to me was the rose, which was dry and had a finish that reminded me of buttered popcorn with a little zing at the end.

Beautiful scenery! This is one thing I miss about our former house near Stuttgart.

After we visited the winery, we headed to Vaals. It’s just a few miles from Vijlen. There’s a park there where you can visit Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands at the same time. Although it was sunny on Saturday, the weather was quite cold. Still, lots of people were visiting and, if we’d wanted to, we could have had lunch there or visited the labyrinth. There’s also a tower to climb where visitors can get a look at three countries at the same time, hiking trails, and lots of playground equipment for kids. I expect it gets busy there during the warmer months. We could have spent more time there and not been bored.

Parking is two euros a day. When you leave, you deposit your coins into the green machine.

A commemorative rock.

Someone brought her horse. I was jealous. You can bring your dogs, of course. We did not bring ours.

Bill gets his bearings by looking at the sign.

The entrance to the labyrinth. If it had been a little warmer, we might have tried it. I read that it’s a pretty challenging maze.

The big tower. It was too cold for us to consider climbing up, although there is also an elevator. Maybe next time.

A picture of the labyrinth… again, an activity we might try next time.

This sign was in Belgium. It was in French.

And here it is… three countries, no passports required. This may not seem like a big deal to some folks, but I’ve never even been to Four Corners in the United States.

The Netherlands…

Belgium…

Germany…

And one more photo for the road. The border itself isn’t all that exciting, but there are a few family activities available.

We probably should have gone up the tower.

We didn’t have to pay for anything besides parking, although there are a couple of restaurants there and I think there is a fee to climb the tower. The labyrinth is also not free. I noticed a couple of other restaurants in the area, including one that had its own tower. We decided not to eat at the park, since there was a Cuban restaurant in Vijlen I wanted, and failed, to try.

Bill took a wrong turn and we took a short jaunt through Belgium, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I’ll post pictures in the next installment.

Uncategorized

Lunch at Wichtel Hausbrauerei in Böblingen

Tonight is the last night we will spend at our soon to be former house in Unterjettingen. Tomorrow, the packers will come and we’ll spend a night at the Hotel Adler in Nagold. Tuesday, we’ll load up our stuff and be on our way to Wiesbaden. It will be my last day in the house. Our new house has no carpets (hallelujah) and is a bit larger than the house we’re leaving. I love not having carpeting to worry about, but I do worry about the beautiful new floors that are in our new home. We decided to visit the Turkish rug guys at Panzer and load up on some floor coverings.

Now… this was not my first time buying carpets at Panzer. A couple of years ago, we bought a couple of rugs for our living room. I have to admit, they kind of look like hell now, mainly because they’re stationed right by the doors to the outside. I don’t expect the new rugs we bought today will hold up much better. They are better, and more expensive, than the shitty rug sets often sold in the PX, and I like the way they look more than the German rugs I’ve seen. For many reasons, IKEA really doesn’t do it for me.

But before we bought rugs, we went into AAFES to buy new toothbrushes and some face cream. We ran into Bill’s soon to be former boss and Bill chatted with him. Then we happened to check out behind a guy who had a rather complicated order that took some time to process, so I took the opportunity to crack inappropriate jokes. Bill later told me the guy is a high ranker on post. I wasn’t surprised. He definitely had the air of a general.

Then I was waiting for Bill to use the men’s room. While I was waiting, a vendor offered me free chocolate. I thought about taking it, but a pre-teenaged girl swooped in front of me and grabbed it before I could act. I kind of laughed about it, and the vendor said he had more chocolate, but I plan to be pounding beer throughout the rest of the moving process… except when we’re driving to Wiesbaden. I have to be totally sober for that.

Anyway, after we bought our AAFES stuff, we went to see the Turkish rug guys, who were only too happy to help us. I walked out of there with three large rugs, a runner, and a smaller rug for my office. They threw in the hall runner for free. Nice of them, and I’m sure we’ll use it. I’m also sure I’ll be visiting the rug guys in Wiesbaden, if they have them there. I’m not sure why they wouldn’t, since I’ve seen those guys at every European base I’ve been to… perhaps with the exception of Lajes Field in the Azores.

After we dropped 1200 euros on rugs, we decided to have lunch. I think Bill was originally planning to visit Patch to return some electronic Swiffer products we bought without realizing they won’t work without massive transformers. But after our large purchase, I think Bill was ready for a drink. We decided to try the Brauhaus in Böblingen, but as usual on a Sunday afternoon, it was packed. So we moved on to the Flugfeld, where I knew there were a couple of restaurants besides Check Inn Foodport we hadn’t tried.

Actually, that complex has at least three restaurants. There’s Check Inn Food Port, which is very nice for a dinner date. Tower 66 Steakhouse is open for lunch until 3:00pm on Sundays, then takes a pause until 5:30pm. And then there’s Wichtel Hausbrauerei. I noticed Wichtel got some pretty mediocre reviews on Google, but they didn’t have a pause. Sold!

We walked around the restaurant’s generous terrace, which still had some tables out, though they weren’t set up for outdoor dining. To enter the restaurant, you must walk into the Motor World building. Then you go in and find a seat. Unlike at the Schoenbuch Brauhaus, there were plenty of spots open at Wichtel Hausbrauerei. We chose one near the taps. I needed a slight boost to get up on the tall seat. I actually like high chairs because I’m short, but I’m also getting old, which makes getting up and down on them harder than it used to be.

The outdoor area. You have to walk around this to get inside the restaurant.

Welcome! I really should have stopped to look at the specials for today.

An adorable young man stopped to ask for our drink orders. Seriously, he was super cute. I bet his mom is proud of him. Not only was he good looking, he was also very charming and congenial.

I asked for a weizen and he rattled something off in German, which took me by surprise. Actually, I know he was asking me which size I wanted. At Wichtal, you can get a beer in three sizes– .33 liter, .5 liter, or a liter Krug. Bill started answering in German, but then the guy switched to perfect English and offered me a menu in my native tongue. I actually do pretty well reading German menus. It’s just speaking German that kills me. I can only sing in German.

Bill decides on lunch. The choices are somewhat limited if you don’t want pizza.

So Wichtel has what appears to be a hybrid of regular pizza and Flammkuechen. I asked the waiter what it was like and he said it was like both pizza and Flammkuechen. He said the rest of it was “marketing”. Our winsome waiter was not only friendly and adorable, he also had a sense of humor. What a cutie pie! Too bad I’m happily married, fat, and old enough to be his mother. I noticed his name was Valentin. He’s aptly named. Hubba hubba!

I ascertained that the “pizza” would be too big for me to eat by myself and I am not trying to bring home more food as we’re trying to clear out of here. I ended up ordering what was described as “roast beef”. I had a choice of spaetzle, potato salad, or fries as a side. I decided to be extra healthy and went for fries. Bill ordered a schnitzel.

If I had paid more attention, I could have ordered today’s special, which was half a duck. I believe they had another type of braten on special today. Besides pizza, schnitzel, and “roast beef”, they also had salads, sausages, and other drunk food. They also had a kids’ menu.

I liked their coasters. They reminded me of myself. Bill said they reminded him of Starbucks.

Someone was doing shots of some sort… You can see the barkeep pouring them.

So this was my lunch. It turned out the “roast beef” was actually a strip steak. Bill reminded me that sometimes what we think of roast beef is not really roast beef to Germans. It’s steak. This was German beef, which was okay. It was smothered in a brown gravy and dried onions. Not the way I usually eat steak, but it wasn’t bad. I’m probably done eating for the day.

Bill’s Schnitzel was your standard Schnitzel. It came in two pieces with a side of potato salad and gravy. While I don’t know that we necessarily really wanted to eat German food today, it wasn’t a bad thing that we did.

Prices at Wichtel are very reasonable. It’s a very family and kid friendly place. And although Google reviewers gave it mediocre reviews, we thought the service was quite good. I was smitten with Valentin. I wonder if he’d be my Valentine… LOL… I’m kidding. I only have eyes for my Bill. Anyway, our tab came to 41 euros, which gave Bill significantly fewer heart palpitations than our purchase of five rugs did. But I figure I could spend that much on one really nice rug from the Middle East. And as long as I have dogs, I won’t be doing that.

So ends today’s review… perhaps the last one I write of a restaurant in this area for the time being. Or maybe we’ll go somewhere in Nagold tomorrow night, our last down here on the edge of the Black Forest. I’m seriously going to miss it… Especially the views from our house. But as the Brady Bunch sing, when it’s time to change, it’s time to change.

One more picture for the road. My view is about to change substantially.

Uncategorized

Labor Day weekend in lovely Lesa, Italy on Lake Maggiore… Part one

Bill and I usually go somewhere for the long Labor Day weekend, although last year we didn’t do anything because we had a cruise planned for Scotland and Northern Ireland. This year, we hadn’t really talked too much about it, since Bill had a big business trip to Morocco the week prior. We also just found out that we might have to move and the need to secure a job and potentially new housing has kind of dominated our thoughts.

I got to thinking about it, though, and decided I did need a short break from Germany. So, a few weeks ago, I casually asked Bill what he wanted to do for Labor Day. He said he wouldn’t mind a quick trip, despite having to travel to Africa the week prior. I had been looking at going to Ticino in southern Switzerland, which is near Lake Lugano, but I knew we’d need to bring our dogs with us and I wasn’t finding any appropriate self-catering properties.

Then I looked at all the places I had saved on Booking.com and most of them were already booked. Suddenly, I remember that my German friend, Susanne, had recommended Lake Maggiore. This lake is close to Lake Como, which we’ve visited a couple of times, but was rumored to have a quieter vibe. Also, although I had been looking at Ticino, Switzerland, when it comes down to it, Italy is much cheaper. And if you’re going to be that close to Italy, you might as well just go there. So I searched Lake Maggiore on Booking.com and found the Rose Apartment in Lesa. Bill flipped a coin; it was between the Czech Republic and Lesa. Lesa won.

The word “apartment” is kind of a misnomer for this property. When I think of apartments, I think of small rented quarters sharing walls with other people. The Rose Apartment is, in fact, a good sized house, complete with a huge fenced in yard. I noted that it was very close to the lake and the price was right, so I booked it for three nights. In retrospect, I should have booked it for at least four nights. Our break in Italy wasn’t long enough. However, we were in Lesa long enough to get a feel for the low-key town. I now know that I don’t have much of a reason to go back to Lake Como. Lake Maggiore is definitely more my style. It’s less flashy and more homey.

First thing’s first. How do you pronounce Lesa?

No, it’s not like “Lisa”. It’s more like lay-zuh.

Bill got home from Morocco late Thursday night. Friday morning, we considered waiting to pick up the mail before starting our journey south. Fortunately, I realized that waiting for the post office to open would really put us behind. We set off from Germany at about 9:30am or so, expecting to arrive in Lesa by 4:00… maybe 5:00 at the latest.

The drive to Italy through Switzerland is very beautiful. You pass through stunning mountains and lakes that will take your breath away. I probably should have been enjoying more of the scenery, but I also got to try out the cellular capability on my new iPad. I signed up for a month of data from GigSky for 50 euros (5 GB). It worked very well and I only used one gig to and from Italy. Sometimes I’m surprised I was born in the 70s. You’d think I never had to live without Internet access. But for a small country, Switzerland takes a long time to get through and since it’s not in the EU, roaming charges are a bitch. Gig Sky worked well enough that I’d use it again.

This lake is so beautiful. We need to stop sometime so I can take proper photos. We had sun on the way back today and the lake was even more gorgeous.

Sadly, because we had our hoodlum dogs with us, we ended up eating lunch at a Burger King, where we both had sandwiches that were sodden with mayonnaise. I don’t know why, but fast food restaurants in Germany and Switzerland really overdo the condiments, especially mayo. Next time, maybe we should pack our own sandwiches.

Way too much mayo!!!

Then… fate conspired to keep us on the road much longer than we originally planned. First, we hit a ton of traffic in Switzerland near the Gotthard Tunnel. It took awhile to get through the 16.9 kilometer passage. Once we were through that, we hit more traffic in Italy. We got there just as rush hour was starting.

Just over the Italian border. It was like this the whole way.

And then, we hit a section of the autostrada, really not that far from Lesa, and ended up sitting for in traffic that was pretty much at a standstill. We were stuck there for well over an hour and, when Bill honked at a young woman who was apparently asleep at the wheel, she flipped him off. In Italy, it’s not illegal to flip people off like it is here in Germany. I wouldn’t ordinarily do something like that, even though we were really tired and our tempers were very short. When you’re sitting in traffic that has come to a standstill after you’ve been driving for hours, you tend to have less patience. Bill was amused and surprised by her vehement response.

We paid just under three euros in tolls to drive on the autostrada. Bill remarked that it was very cheap. I turned to him and said, “You would have wanted to pay more for that experience?” He had a good laugh at that. While we were stuck in the Stau, we managed to stop into an Autogrill (Italy’s rest stop chain) and the gas station attendant pointed out that the back wiper on our RAV 4 was slightly cracked. The attendant offered to replace it for us. Bill got the sense he might have cracked the wiper himself, looking for extra euros. We’ve been to Italy enough times that we’re seasoned when it comes to small time scams. Unfortunately, this was not the only calling card our car brought back from Italy. More on that in the next post.

Bumper to bumper traffic. Turned out the holdup was a very bad accident. My mouth dropped open as we passed what appeared to be an overturned truck. I’d be surprised if the driver walked away from that with his or her life.

First view of the lake. I was so glad to see it!

By the time we got to Lesa, it was about 7:30pm. Since he and his wife had dinner plans, the host sent his two very beautiful and charming teenaged daughters to give us the keys to the house. They got to try out their English skills and our dogs, Zane and Arran, got lots of welcoming pats. I don’t think I could have picked a more dog friendly rental!

Below are some pictures of the inside of the Rose Apartment.

Huge chestnut tree in the yard. There are swings.

Sliding board next to a pavilion where you can grill.

Crib in the master bedroom.

Master bed. Fairly comfortable mattress.

Laundry room in the basement. There’s a washer and an ironing board.

Hall bathroom.

Kids’ bedroom has four beds. There’s also a twin bed in the living room and in the basement.

Basement bed.

Basement half bathroom.

Couches in the living room and another twin bed.

Nice sized kitchen. Opens to a lovely terrace with an awning.

We were too tired to go out to eat, so Bill found a local pizzeria and got a margherita pizza and tortellini with sage.

Then he tried on the hat that was left behind. I’m not sure the Italian look is for him.

This is a post office we passed in a big town on the way to Lesa. I thought it was an interesting mix of dramatic art and 60s kitsch.

We didn’t stay up long after we had dinner. The drive down was very exhausting. I was kind of bummed, since we might have found a nice restaurant if we’d had a little more time on Friday. Food, wine. and a change of scenery were pretty much what this trip was all about, anyway.

I should mention that the Rose Apartment has old style Italian three pronged L outlets, which means that our regular electronics didn’t fit. However, the owners did provide a power strip in the kitchen that gave us enough outlets that we could charge up our phones and such. Also, WiFi worked great, which is more than I can say about our experience in the last Italian rental we stayed in last year.

I will continue this series tomorrow, after I’ve had a good sleep. The drive back to Germany today wasn’t quite as exhausting or obnoxious, but I could use a drink.

Uncategorized

Places near Stuttgart to get your animal fix…

I usually update my blog on the weekends, but we are going to Italy for the Labor Day holiday and I may be indisposed. Aside from that, my husband is on his way back to Germany today and I’m trying to keep busy. With that in mind, I thought I’d write a post for those looking for local places to visit animals. A few of my suggestions may be well-known or even obvious, but I hope to surprise a few people with something unexpected. I don’t have children, but I think it’s safe to say that all of these places are kid friendly.

I’m going to list these in no particular order. We visited each place at least once and you can search the blog for my reviews. Here goes…

Wilhelma Zoological and Botanical Park- Stuttgart

I might as well start with the obvious, Wilhelma Zoo, which is located in the Bad Canstatt area of Stuttgart. I went there for the second time a couple of weeks ago and had a pretty good time visiting the animals. Some people seem to think this zoo is outdated and poorly maintained. Although I know there are better zoos out there, I had a good time visiting the one in Stuttgart. It does get crowded and, at 16 euros per adult, is probably the most expensive choice on my list. But I have to include it because obviously, you’d go to a zoo to see animals, right? And this zoo includes plants, an aquarium, a petting area, and access to a public park, as well as a pretty cool insect exhibit. You can spend a few hours at the zoo and still not see it all. It does get crowded on nice days, but I think it’s worth a visit, if only to make you appreciate some of the other choices. Public transportation is a snap, since there’s a station right outside the main gate. Also, the sea lions are fun to watch!

I think s/he stole the show!

Tierpark Nymphaea– Esslingen

Germany has what they call “Tierparks” (animal parks). They’re basically like small zoos that are more kid focused. So far, we’ve visited two of them and at both parks, it was easy to pet and feed some of the animals. We visited Tierpark Nymphaea a couple of weeks ago, mainly because I’d repeatedly heard it was a nice place to take kids. Although the animals at the park were not particularly exotic, it was a lot of fun to feed and pet the donkeys and goats. And you can also feed the ducks and deer and look at all of the other animals who live at the park. Tierpark Nymphaea offers a nice, stroller friendly trail around a large, attractive lake and a number of interesting exhibits. Afterwards, your kids can play while you enjoy a beer in the Biergarten.

A very persistent goat begs for popcorn.

Der Kleine Tierpark Göppingen- Göppingen

Speaking of Tierparks, we visited one last year in the town of Göppingen, a city east of Stuttgart, kind of on the way to Ulm. To be honest, I’m not sure where I first heard about this park. I do have a German friend from Göppingen, but although she is an animal lover, she’s not a mom and she currently lives in North Carolina. This park, compared to Tierpark Nymphaea, is a bit smaller. However, there is a wider variety of animals at this park, including camels and monkeys. I’m not sure I’d necessarily advise a road trip there unless you’re already in the neighborhood, but I did enjoy meeting their friendly camels and goats, who are pros at scoring food.

What, me worry?

Wildpark Pforzheim- Pforzheim

Of all of the animal friendly places I’m going to list today, Wildpark Pforzheim is probably my favorite. This is a huge park in the Black Forest where you only pay to park and buy some food. Then, you and your little ones can scurry around the park mingling with deer, elk, Highland cows, mini horses, owls, donkeys, and many other friendly animals looking for a handout. Seriously… this is a great park. Not only is there a huge array of animals to be visited, there’s also a ropes course and playground equipment. You could easily spend several hours here, enjoying the many exhibits and burning energy. Highly recommended!

A wild cat on the prowl! This is one of the animals you aren’t allowed to feed!

Alternativer Wolf und Bärenpark Schwarzwald- Bad Rippoldsau-Sheppach

This small park in the Black Forest hamlet of Bad Rippoldsau-Sheppach is home to bears, wolves, and lynxes. Many of the animals at this sanctuary were once circus performers or zoo animals. This isn’t really like a Tierpark or a zoo; it’s really more of a place where these animals can live out their lives in peace. In 1996, I visited Bulgaria and, in those days, many Roma people were making money with “dancing bears”. These bears had been trained to “dance” via cruel methods involving pain and heat. Since I had actually witnessed cruelty toward bears in Bulgaria, I was very glad to see that the animals at this park in Germany have such a nice home out in the forest. Although this is a small park and doesn’t take long to visit, it can be combined with a number of other activities in the area.

One of the more social wolves at the park.

Monkey Hill-Affenberg Salem

If you prefer feeding monkeys, you can venture to Monkey Hill, a really cool park near Lake Constance, maybe 90 minutes or so south of Stuttgart. Those who have been to Monkey Mountain in Kintzheim, France, may already be familiar with the concept. That’s because both parks, as well as another one in France and one in Great Britain, are owned by the same people. At this park, you walk around a loop and offer popcorn to docile monkeys who gently take it from you. Although you aren’t allowed to pet the monkeys, it is fun to feed them. Some will practically mug for the camera as they take popcorn from you. This is probably my second favorite animal activity on the list.

Sweet family portrait… not of my family, mind you.

Fischzucht Zordel- Neuenbürg/Eyachtal

And finally, here’s a place where you can feed fish… and they can feed you. This fish farm near Pforzheim appears to be a very kid friendly activity. You or your kids can feed the fish, then have a nice lunch of fresh or smoked trout. I’ll leave it up to parents to decide if they want to tell their children what will happen to the fish they feed. Still, it’s a lot of fun and, if you like fish, you can get some very fresh trout here.

Fish waiting to be fed and harvested.

I know I’m probably leaving off some places, but these are the places I have been to and can evaluate based on personal experience. I figure this list will give people a good start for the time being. Frankly, for my money, the Wildpark Pforzheim is the best of the lot, offering the most fun for the euro. I hope you’ll visit and let me know if you agree!

Uncategorized

Wine with a new friend at the Breitenholzer Weinfest…

Yesterday, Bill and I met up with one of Bill’s co-workers and the three of us went to the annual Breitenholzer Weinfest. We would not have known about the wine festival had Bill’s co-worker, Travis, not stumbled across it last year with his wife. Travis told Bill about how a winemaking family in Breitenholz was serving and selling their wine during their yearly Weinfest, which happens the last weekend of every August.

Breitenholz is located in Ammerbuch, a county just south of Herrenberg. Bill and I lived in Ammerbuch the first time we lived in this area, from 2007 until 2009. It holds a special place in our hearts, since that was where we first experienced life in Baden-Württemberg together. Bill lived in Bavaria in the late 1980s, well before he knew me, and I had visited the Rhein and Bavaria before we met. But BW was a new place for both of us during our first tour here. We lived about two villages south of Breitenholz when we were here the first time, in a town called Pfäffingen.

Ammerbuch is so beautiful! It’s always nice to visit our old stomping grounds.

Travis had asked Bill if we’d like to accompany him to the wine tasting, since his wife is out of town this weekend. Bill said yes, although there was a period yesterday during which we wondered if the weather was going to hold for us. If you live in the Stuttgart area, you may have noticed that the weather suddenly got rainy and chilly yesterday. I also wasn’t feeling very well. Fortunately, wine was a good cure for what ailed me and the weather didn’t turn out to be so bad. We stayed several hours at the fest, enjoying conversation, locally produced wines, light food, and fellowship with wine loving Germans.

Below are some pictures from yesterday’s fun, which continues today, starting at 10:00am.

First thing’s first. At an event like a Weinfest, proper facilities are a must.

We arrived just before things got into full swing. You can either go up to the counter and self serve, or wait for one of the young women to wait on you. Most of the people working yesterday spoke excellent English, but were very willing to let Bill and Travis practice their German.

A small “wine trail”, where one can see the process of making these local wines.

The price list. There were four wines offered yesterday, all of which I managed to try. They also had snacks and sandwiches.

Smoking is also allowed.

An inviting road into the orchards.

Travis talked Bill into trying “Schmalzbrot”, which is basically bread smeared with bacon grease and topped with dried onions. I tasted it myself and enjoyed it, although it’s not the kind of thing my stomach can take too often.

The men chat while I busied myself with vino and people watching. A family with two adorable little kids was sitting next to me. I was amazed by their boy, maybe aged three, who was climbing up and down the tentpole like a little monkey. He had very impressive upper body strength!

This is a fest for friends. We saw lots of people gathering, enjoying the food, wine, and fellowship with their neighbors. It was really kind of cool to be a part of it.

As we were leaving, Bill and Travis decided to buy some wines.

Lots of people were enjoying the fest yesterday, despite the showers and clouds in the sky. There are more tables behind the tents, too.

And there’s something for the kids to do while the adults enjoy the wines or non alcoholic beverages, like coffee and Apfelschorle.

Grapevines.

We were blessed with beautiful skies as the sun was starting to set.

The guys and their haul.

There’s plenty of free parking. You just have to walk up a slight hill to find the festival.

Germany is so pretty.

As I mentioned before, the fest continues today, starting at 10:00am. If you are in the area and inclined to try some rustic German wines, I highly recommend visiting.

Uncategorized

Sometimes Stuttgart can be a real zoo!

Today, Bill and I decided to visit Wilhelma Zoological and Botanical Park, the only state owned zoo in Germany and second only to the Berlin Zoo in its collection of animals and plant species. This zoo is Europe’s only large combined zoo and botanical park. It’s been in operation since 1846 and features some really cool Moorish architecture that brings Morocco and southern Spain to mind.

Today wasn’t our first time visiting Wilhelma. When we lived in Stuttgart the first time (2007-09), we visited. I want to say it was in the spring of 2008, not long after a polar bear cub was born at the zoo in Stuttgart. I remember there was quite a line to see the cub. I believe it was around the time Knut the orphaned polar bear was very popular at the Berlin Zoo, so the polar bear exhibit was very popular in Stuttgart. About a year later, a depressed woman visiting the Berlin Zoo decided she wanted to be one with the polar bears and climbed over the barriers to swim with them, where she was promptly mauled. Fortunately, everyone, including the polar bear that attacked her, survived the incident.

Sigh… I love the flowers.

Today, I saw neither hide nor hair of bears of any kind, but I did see a lion, a tiger, zebras, gorillas, camels, and huge cockroaches, the same kinds people used to be forced to eat on Fear Factor. I saw a crocodile, Burmese pythons, donkeys, ostriches, and adorable ponies. I also saw an enormous Schwäbisch-Hällisches Landschwein. We spent about four hours at the zoo and could have stayed longer, had we not been worn out by the heat, the crowds, and walking. The zoo is adjacent to a public park, which can be accessed from an entrance near the petting zoo. Keep your ticket if you want to venture into the park and come back into the zoo.

We got an earlier start this morning, arriving at the zoo at about noon. Bill parked at the garage adjacent to the zoo, although we could have also taken the train, which has a stop directly outside of the zoo’s entrance. He paid 32 euros for two adult day passes and off we went. Below are some pictures of today’s fun. Bear with me… there are a lot of them!

Today’s line at noon. Not too bad. There are lockers right next to the box office, as well as toilets. I think you’re supposed to start in the botanical part, but it was kind of warm and I was enjoying the fresh air…

So we visited the flamingoes, first. Then we went into the greenhouse.

They had a lot of chili plants on display. I couldn’t help but laugh, remembering my original German neighbors from our first time here gifting us with hot peppers because they were too much for them!

I kind of wanted to take one of these home. My German friend Susanne says there are days during the year when Wilhelma sells some of its plants and/or cuttings. They have a booth at the Slow Food Festival in April and they also sell plants on Wilhelma Day, which this year is on September 30th.

Colorful fish… just a few of many I saw today.

We went into the first part of the greenhouse, which featured cacti.

Our first German landlord was a cactus fan and we had a few in our house. I was reminded of him as we checked out the exhibit.

More beautiful flowers. The first time we visited, those flowers were tulips and were just as lovely.

We saw a few kids riding these things… I see it’s 2 euros for a 10 minute ride on these big stuffed animals.

A few more beautiful flowers… Germans are so good with plants.

Just before lunch, we went into the insect house. There, we saw some pretty awesome bugs…

I never saw roaches like these in Texas.

Horseshoe crab, which I used to see a lot of in Virginia.

One photo of one butterfly. The others weren’t quite as cooperative.

The biggest millipede I’ve ever seen.

A tarantula. Yikes!

You could get pretty close to the pelicans.

Some equipment for other “wildlife”…

Last time we visited Wilhelma, we didn’t eat there. Today, we did opt to have lunch at the cafeteria style restaurant closest to the entrance. We stopped for a drink at the one closest to the petting zoo area, on the other side of the park. I noticed a marked difference in the two places. The restaurant closer to the entrance seemed cleaner, calmer, and had more shady areas. It’s run by Marche, the same people who bring us nice rest stops in Switzerland and France. I was somewhat impressed by what they had.

Salads with fresh looking produce that smelled great.

Vegetarian cuisine.

Coffee…

They even had fresh squeezed juices. In the inside dining room, there’s also a play area for kids.

I went with a currywurst and pommes, which ordinarily wouldn’t have been my first choice… but I didn’t want a schnitzel and we’re having salmon for dinner tonight. The pommes were awesome! They weren’t all dried out and tasteless. I could have just eaten a plate of those and been done with it.

A man and his hefeweizen… and penne pasta with pesto. It was really good.

Just after I took this photo, a man pushed a trolley full of dishes by. A beer glass fell off, shattered, and sent shards everywhere, including my shin. Fortunately, it was a pinprick sized flesh wound. No harm done.

After lunch, we found our way to the sea lions, who were a lot of fun to watch. I got a bunch of photos and some video footage. Here are a few of the best pictures, starring one sea lion with particularly good showmanship.

I was kind of jealous of their pool, too. It looked refreshing.

Next, we went into the aquarium/terrarium… we saw lots of creatures there.

The snakes were cooperative at the zoo…

There were so many fish… and just as many people, so I just got a few shots of the more colorful ones.

Alpacas and Schweine…

I told Bill this fancy bird reminded me of Diana Ross… complete with feathers and long legs.

A gorilla who was outside… the others were inside.

I loved the zebras. They were very chill.

And the giraffes, too…

This ostrich had an attitude. S/he came over and gave a guy with a camera what for…

I got several shots of the ostrich snapping at some guy with a camera. It was kind of funny to watch. The other ostrich wasn’t as interested.

At this point, we decided to stop for a drink. We were at the other restaurant, which appeared to be smaller, much more crowded, and offered less seating than the other restaurant, particularly in the shade. Although it looked like they had a lot of the same kind of food, the first location near the main entrance was a lot more pleasant. I noticed it was also less crowded and shadier on our way out of the zoo.

Look closely for camel butts. They were of the two humped variety.

This Shetland pony was in the petting zoo area. I remember the last time we visited, there were machines where you could buy food and feed some of the animals. This time, both machines had signs on them that said they were broken. Kids were putting some of the goats, though, and this pony let me pet him for a minute. I could have hung out with him all day.

This pony was having a good laugh… no, actually, I think he was yawning. Lucky catch with the iPhone.

Pigs!

And an enormous Schwäbisch-Hällisches Landschwein! He was huge!

These two were sharing a moment…

The elephants were putting on a show. Up the hill, we noticed another World Wildlife Fund tent, like the one we encountered yesterday. Bill was determined to avoid it.

A majestic Asian lion, who was proudly posing for photos…

It was dinnertime for the tiger, so I wasn’t able to get a really good shot.

These two were friendly!

I got some great video footage of these monkeys! I’m going to see if my old computer will cooperate, so I can put it up on YouTube.

Peacocks minus plumage!

And more monkeys!

Some rather chilled out kangaroos who weren’t very social.

And penguins!

Wilhelma Zoo is worth a stop if you love animals. Both times we’ve visited, it has been crowded and some people seem to think the enclosures are too small and outdated. That may be true, although I can’t deny that we had a nice time yesterday and that is my focus as I’m writing my post. Are there bigger, nicer, and snazzier zoos? Probably… but the animals we saw yesterday appeared to be well cared for and basically happy, and we did enjoy seeing them. I was especially impressed by the insect exhibit, which was more interesting than I was expecting it to be.

I think to do a proper visit, you should come somewhat early, wear comfortable shoes, be prepared for climbing hills and big crowds on nice days, and plan to stay awhile. We were there for four hours today and I don’t think we saw everything. There were some enclosures that appeared to be empty. I noticed a few animals I saw in 2008 were missing this time. I would have liked to have gone back to the sea lions, but was too tired by the time we’d done the loop. The explanations on the exhibits are pretty much all in German, although I understood a lot of what I was reading. I noticed it was fairly stroller friendly, too, although there are some hills. The animal houses that had steps in them did have ramps, though, which was nice.

All in all, we had a really nice day. I love visiting animals, although I tend to like zoos less than Tierparks. I don’t like crowds and the zoo on a day like today is bound to have lots of crowds. But Wilhelma is open almost every day– It might be worth visiting when the temperatures are a little cooler. On the other hand, the flowers are so pretty this time of year! If you enjoy zoos, Stuttgart’s isn’t a bad one. And with the train stop right outside the gate, it couldn’t be easier to get there. In fact, the parking ticket machine is apparently broken right now, so taking the train might be better, anyway.

Baden-Württemberg, Sundays

Heavenly hiking at the Allerheiligen Wasserfälle

Still chasing waterfalls in the Black Forest!

On May 19th of this year, Bill and I paid a visit to the lovely Burgbach Wasserfall in Bad Rippoldsau. On that day, we had made tentative plans to also visit the Allerheiligen Wasserfälle (All Saints Waterfalls), which I found out about when I read some guy’s blog about waterfalls in Europe. His post about the Allerheiligen falls led me to believe they weren’t anything special. I was also thinking they were closer to Bad Rippoldsau than they are. We couldn’t visit the All Saints falls on May 19th because while we were eating lunch, the sky opened up with rain. Having now been to the Allerheiligen Wasserfälle, I’m pretty glad we chose to visit them on a different day. The visit was a lot more intense than I was expecting.

We left the house at a few minutes past noon and made the trip to the Black Forest National Park. The falls are located just north of the village of Oppenau. As usual, we enjoyed a lovely ride through the Black Forest, past Freudenstadt and Kniebis. The only thing that made it a little stressful were the many bikers sharing the road with us. The Black Forest is very beautiful, and it attracts motorcycle enthusiasts in droves. They can be rather aggressive in their need for speed. More on that later.

A lot of people had the same idea we did. We arrived at the falls at about 1:00pm and the first parking lots we encountered were pretty full. We parked on the street, where there are a number of spots available. Here’s another hint. Keep going past those first lots and you will eventually find the main entrance to the waterfalls. There is also a large, free parking lot there. On the other hand, if you want to eat before you hike, parking at the first lots will get you close to the very good Gasthaus there.

A lovely view of the mountains, meadow, and a war memorial honoring men who died during World War I.

Besides the majestic waterfalls, Allerheiligen is also the site of a ruined monastery, the foundation of which originated in 1192. Evidently, the site of the monastery was determined by a donkey, which threw off a sack of money in the area. A wooden chapel was built, and by 1657, it became an abbey. The Allerheiligen Kloster was at the height of its power during the 18th century, but in 1802, Margrave Karl Friedrich of Baden began a course of secularization. He dissolved the abbey and took all of its possessions. The monastery was already damaged by several large fires between 1405 and 1555. In 1804, there was another fire caused by a bolt of lightning. It wasn’t until the end of the 19th century, when people started to tour the Black Forest, that anyone thought to preserve what was left of the ruins. So many years later, they are still very interesting and kind of majestic in their starkness.

We encountered the ruins first, as they were at the end of the trail we took from our roadside parking spot. Below are some pictures.

Now you see Bill…

Now you don’t.

This creek eventually turns into the waterfalls…

A more modern church on the hillside. We didn’t investigate it because frankly, after walking up and down the falls, we were exhausted!

If you like photography, this is a beautiful place to be. There’s a lot of interesting scenery.

The gaststätte is conveniently located next to the ruins. Bill and I arrived just in time to snag a table. The hardworking staff was busy the whole time we were there and no table stayed empty for long. We sat down next to two tables consisting of two couples with kids. I’m pretty sure the husband of one couple was German. Everyone else was very obviously American and spoke loudly enough for everyone to know from where they came. It made me chuckle.

A very slender and extremely friendly lady took our order. She spoke some English and was relentlessly chipper. I admired how much she seemed to enjoy her work. She was all smiles. I used to wait tables myself and I can promise that I struggled to smile a lot when I was doing that work. It was truly a pleasure to be served by her, though. Not only that, but the food at the restaurant was surprisingly good.

Bill peruses the menu, which was passed to us by a nice guy at the next table.

Bill settled on Schweinebraten, which was served with brown gravy and a mound of delicious mashed potatoes.

I had fresh trout, topped with toasted almonds and served with mashed potatoes. Those potatoes were off the chain! They were very buttery and delicious! It was such a treat! I don’t remember ever being served mashed potatoes at a German restaurant before, but these would have made my mother proud. We both enjoyed Weizen beers.

The food at the gaststätte is typically German. They do have vegetarian selections and both a children’s menu and a menu for seniors. We were pretty full after lunch, but I had to try the Black Forest cake. All told, we spent 46 euros.

We shared a piece. It was delicious. Definitely not what you’d find at Busch Gardens in Virginia. I used to decorate the fake Black Forest Cakes there.

As we were about to leave, a group of bikers sat at the table next to ours. It was good that we were leaving, since they pulled out their cigarettes and clearly intended to foul the air with smoke. Sorry… I don’t mind smokers unless I am forced to sit next to them, especially when I’m eating. But we were on our way to the falls by the time they lit up, so it was all good.

Another shot of the ruins.

They were still busy when we left… and when we came back an hour later. This restaurant only runs until 6:30pm, but it appears they work all day. We thought it was well worth the trip.

There is a public restroom. It’s not the cleanest and the doors have locks on them that require 20 euro cents to open. I didn’t have to pay, though, because I got one that was left open by someone else.

A small museum with three rooms in it. If you can read German, you can learn more about the history of the Allerheiligen monastery.

A fountain.

As you walk toward the falls, you encounter a fork. If you go straight, you will go straight to the waterfalls. If you bear left, you climb a gentle hill to the war memorial I mentioned earlier and pictured below.

You can unlatch the gate and look at the memorial close up. We chose not to, which in retrospect was a wise decision. We had many steps in our future.

You’re not supposed to wade or swim in the creek. However, we saw plenty of people ignoring these ubiquitous signs. We even saw one group that were actually wearing bathing suits and in the water. Not saying you should do it, but I will say that there was no one policing.

The walk to the waterfalls is pleasant, easy, and flat. You don’t know what’s coming…

At the beginning of this post, I mentioned that we parked at the first parking area we encountered. I think that was a mistake, even though I wanted to have lunch before we started our hike. If you start at the top of the falls, you will get tired going down. Then you will have to turn around and hike back up. The hike up is a lot more strenuous than the hike down is. There are seven levels, most of which aren’t steep drops. However, at the bottom of the system, there are two big falls with many steps to climb up and down. Keep that in mind if you visit. Also… do not come to the falls with a stroller or a wheelchair. This is a moderately difficult walk and requires participants to be able bodied or carried.

Below are photos from the walk down the falls. It was fairly busy today, so a lot of people were taking pictures. I think I did a pretty good job of not including most of them in my shots! It took us about an hour to hike down and back, with another hour or so for a leisurely lunch. If you have a lot of energy, you could combine this activity with another one.

One of the steep staircases to climb.

And a look at just how far down the mountain you are…

At the end of the falls, as we were approaching the main entrance.

Piles of rocks left by other visitors.

A map of the area. If you wanted to, you could do a lot of heavy duty hiking here.

This is a picture of the main entrance– seems most people use it.

We turned around and started walking back. This is a sign warning against winter visits, when the falls are closed. I would imagine it would be dangerous to walk along the falls when it’s very icy.

A chair? I sure could have used one.

Another long trip up the stairs! Good thing I have a strong heart!

Although it didn’t take long to visit the Allerheiligen Wasserfälle, it was a challenging walk for Bill and me. I was alternately panting, sweating, and thanking God I’m still able to do these kinds of activities. I thought of my mom as I was climbing the steps. She’s turning 80 in August and can no longer walk like she used to. She would not have been able to enjoy the beautiful waterfalls here. On the other hand, we did see a number of very fit seniors visiting this natural wonder. So I will keep hauling my ass up the hills and taking pictures. Even if I sometimes grouse at the hard physical work, crowds, and stinging nettle plants, I am never sorry I do these day trips. I always come away better off for having made the effort to visit.

I was tempted to hike up and down this very short but steep shortcut. But then I remembered being stung by plants yesterday and decided not to cheat.

One last shot…

Now… earlier in this post, I mentioned the bikers and how they were creating a bit of a hazard on the road to the waterfalls. Those of you who ride motorcycles should pay close attention. Bill and I got in the car and started heading home. My cell phone had absolutely no signal in the area. While this was initially a nuisance for an Internet addict like me, it actually became what might have been a matter of life or death.

As we were driving along the road between where we parked and where the main entrance to the falls are, we passed a young woman dressed in biker garb. I noticed that she looked very distraught. She waved at us to slow down. As we approached a sharp bend, I could see why she was waving. There was a small group of bikers on the side of the road, next to the treelined cliff. A young man stood in the middle of the road and flagged us down. He motioned for us to lower the window and asked us if we had a “handy” (cell phone). Bill and I were confused as to what was going on, but the look on his face told us something bad had just happened. Clearly, he was hoping I had a signal so he could call for help.

I noticed the groups’ bikes were parked nearby and a couple of the men were looking over the edge of the mountain. I can’t be sure, but it appeared that a very serious accident had just occurred. Bill and I surmised that perhaps a member of their group had been unable to negotiate the turn and went over. I don’t know this for sure, though… only that the people in that group appeared to be very upset. It looked like whatever had happened had only just happened. Hopefully, whoever came after us was more helpful than we were and no one was either hurt or killed. But that’s sure the way it looked.

So if you ride a motorcycle, please slow down and be careful, especially on the very curvy mountain roads at high altitudes. We saw an awful lot of people taking stupid chances today, even if we hadn’t run into this distressed looking group.

Edited to add: Here’s a news report about the accident. Our impressions were correct. Looks like he survived.

Oppenau (ots) – On the county road 5370 between Allerheiligen and Oppenau came on Sunday afternoon at 16:25 clock a 47-year-old motorcyclist alone involved in a right turn to fall. The driver of a group of four slipped over the road after the fall and threw first against a tree on the left lane side and in the sequence down a slope. The man was seriously injured about 50 meters below the road to lie down, his admitted in France two-wheelers crashed about 80 meters in depth. The casualty was hospitalized in a hospital. During the extensive recovery, the county road was closed for about 2 hours. The damage to the bike is around 12,000 euros.

Minutes after we passed the guys on the side of the road, we passed the main entrance. If we had parked there, we probably would have missed the whole drama.

It was a really beautiful day to visit the waterfalls. And… I was thanking God we did it in June instead of late July or August! I was still radiating heat when we got to the car. By the way… it doesn’t cost anything to visit these falls. Frankly, I thought they were gorgeous. Triberg may have Germany’s highest falls, but I think Allerheiligen’s falls are much prettier. In fact, I also liked them better than the falls at Bad Urach. If you like waterfalls, I definitely recommend a trip to the Allerheiligen Wasserfälle.

Below are just a few photos I took on the way home. The route took us a different way than we’d ever been before. Oppenau looks like a really nice town. I may have to explore there next.

Sundays

Fine weather for a visit to the Alternativer Wolf und Bärenpark Schwarzwald

About a month ago, Bill and I took a trip to the charming Black Forest town of Wolfach. We were there to visit Dorotheenhütte, a glass factory and museum where visitors can blow their own glass vases. On the way back from Wolfach, I noticed the Wolf und Bärenpark Schwarzwald on the side of the road. If you were reading my travel blog last year, you probably already know that I love to visit animals. Germany is full of places to visit where one can see animals in somewhat natural surroundings. The Stuttgart area is particularly rich with animal exhibits.

I was intrigued by the Alternative Wolf and Bear Park, so I did some Internet sleuthing and discovered that the Schwarzwald location is one of two such parks in all of Germany. The other park is in Worbis, in Thuringia.

The entrance to the park. There’s a large, free parking area near the sign. Those who are disabled can park up the hill. I noticed a couple of “handicapped” spaces up there. Otherwise, you have to walk up a hill.

The Alternative Wolf and Bear Park is not a zoo or a “Tierpark”. It’s more of a sanctuary for wolves, bears, and lynx. Although most of the signage at the park is in German, I was able to determine that at least some of the bears came to the park having once been circus or zoo animals. The animals were all born in captivity. The first bear that came to live in the park is named Jurka. Since Jurka’s arrival, more bears, wolves, and two lynxes have come to live at the park. I learned today that Germany’s only native big cat is the lynx.

The drive to Bad Rippoldsau-Schapbach, which is where the park is located, is absolutely beautiful. We happen to live about an hour away from the Wolf and Bear Park, which is about sixty miles southwest of Stuttgart.

We found a spot in the free parking lot, then walked up a steep hill to the cashier. Bill paid 14 euros for both of us to enter the park, then patiently answered the lady’s questions about where we live and how we found the park. This exchange was conducted entirely in German. I’m proud to say that I understood most of it.

After we paid, we headed to the exhibit, a large enclosed area with sturdy fencing and electric wires. It’s very early spring, so the bears who weren’t still sleeping off winter were pretty chilled out. In fact, all of the animals we saw were napping in the sun. I got some photos of the park, which I note is very kid and dog friendly. Although there are hills, one can bring a stroller. Dogs must be kept on leash, but are otherwise welcome (with a two euro entrance fee). Hours are from 10-4 from November through February and 10-6 from March through October.

It doesn’t take long to visit the Alternative Wolf and Bear Park. I would recommend combining this activity with another one. For example, when the weather is warmer, visitors could pair this with a trip to the Glass Factory in Wolfach or maybe a stop at the Barefoot Park in Dornstetten. Or perhaps a visit to Freudenstadt paired with the Wolf and Bear Park is preferable. Pick a day with nice weather, since the area around the park is so picturesque! You may also want to visit nearby Glaswaldsee, especially when the weather is nice.

Below are some pictures I got during our visit.

The park really seems to want to attract visitors, although I think it could be easy to miss this place if you don’t hear about it (or notice it on the side of the road).

A list of rules in German, French, and English. This was the only sign I saw in a language other than German.

Like every activity in Germany, this park has a snack bar. This is what they serve there. I’ve heard their veggie burgers are particularly good. They also have vegan choices. We chose not to eat at the snack bar, but plenty of other people were enjoying it.

Teepees… they were kind of an odd entry for the park. They appeared to be for kids to play in.

The front of the snack bar. Restrooms are free and clean!

There’s that “Native American” motif again.

Once we passed the snack bar and teepees, we started our walk around the park. There’s a dirt path that leads up the ridge so you can get a good look at the animals. A few of them were out today and they seemed very chilled out. Although there are a lot of fences, there are small “portals” in the fences so you can get good photos. I was glad I brought my digital camera. It made it much easier to zoom in past the fences. Pictures taken with the digital camera are at the end of this post.

Visitors are asked to be quiet.

Unlike the Tierpark in Pforzheim, this park does not allow visitors to feed the animals.

There are small caves throughout the park where the bears and wolves go to shelter.

The lynx was looking out over the land.

When you’re ready for refreshment, there are plenty of places to go.

The landscape at the park is absolutely beautiful. Sometimes I can’t believe how gorgeous Germany is. The best pictures of the animals appear at the end of this post. I took them with my digital camera, while the ones above were taken with my phone.

We decided to stop at Turmbräu, one of our favorite restaurants in Freudenstadt, which is on the way home. Freudenstadt is one of my favorite towns in the Stuttgart area. It’s very pretty and offers good shopping and restaurants, as well as things to do. Below are a few pictures of Freudenstadt, but they don’t really do it justice. I like Freudenstadt because it doesn’t look like any of the other well-known towns in the Black Forest.

This restaurant makes its own beer.

These folks at the bar were having a great time! They were drinking and cheering. It was stereotypically German!

We took a spot near the bar…

It was time for the restaurant’s spring beer. We each had one. It was fresh and crisp and kind of citrusy.

Bill ordered “crispy pork” with potatoes and gravy made with beer.

I ordered sauerbraten with spaetzle and red kraut. I liked Bill’s dish better, so we traded. I’m still full a couple of hours later… Total damage for this was about 30 euros.

This restaurant is also a music venue. They regularly have events. When the weather is warmer, they will also open their Biergarten. Here’s a link to their Facebook page, where you can see who’s coming in the upcoming weeks.

I love this bridge.

A wolf hides behind the brush.

Yes, your dog is welcome! Bring a leash and plenty of shit bags.

These wolves were loving the sun. So were we!

We didn’t see any snakes.

I loved this creek that flowed through the park… fresh water for the animals to enjoy and a peaceful sound for visitors.

This sign was about the two bears who live in this enclosure. They were circus bears before they came to the park.

My German friend has this to say about the teepees: The kind of odd looking teepees in the Black Forest landscape are meant as a symbol and reminder for a gentle treatment of nature, to respect animals and to learn from them etc… “Sie stehen als Symbol für die nativen Völker, die einen sanften Umgang mit der Natur pflegten, die nur das Nötigste von ihr nahmen und die Tiere würdigten.”

The lynx was a little camera shy.

This was the end of the line. I think our visit lasted about an hour or so. It was a very pleasant hour spent, but if you’re coming all the way from Stuttgart, you might want to pair a visit to the park with another activity. Luckily, the Black Forest is rich with things to do… and it never closes. 😉

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Tag Archives: kid friendly

Post pandemic trip number two– Eagles and wolves and goats, oh my!

Wiesbaden’s fabulous Fasanerie…

We went Dutch for MLK weekend 2019! Part three.

Lunch at Wichtel Hausbrauerei in Böblingen

Labor Day weekend in lovely Lesa, Italy on Lake Maggiore… Part one

Places near Stuttgart to get your animal fix…

Wine with a new friend at the Breitenholzer Weinfest…

Sometimes Stuttgart can be a real zoo!

Heavenly hiking at the Allerheiligen Wasserfälle

Fine weather for a visit to the Alternativer Wolf und Bärenpark Schwarzwald