Tag Archives: Things to do on Sunday

Sundays

Der Schönbuchturm in Herrenberg!

Last weekend, Herrenberg opened Der Schönbuchturm, its long awaited new tower that overlooks the forested areas surrounding the city.  I considered visiting the tower last weekend, but since it was the first day, I figured it might be better to wait a week.  I’m glad we waited.  We had perfect weather this afternoon to see the brand new tower– a miracle of German engineering.  Bill pointed out the tower as we drove down the hill from Jettingen.  I’m surprised I hadn’t noticed it before.  It sticks up from the trees in the distant hills overlooking Herrenberg.

First view of the tower.

Der Schönbuchturm, which reaches a height of 35 meters, is located across from the Schönbuch Naturpark, right next to the Naturfreundehaus am Schönbuch, a self-serve restaurant and Biergarten.  We parked there at about 3:00pm.  There was a fairly decent sized crowd there, but it wasn’t too obnoxious.  We easily found a parking spot and then began the 400 meter mostly uphill hike up to the tower.  I was pretty breathless by the time we reached the new engineering marvel.  Some people were biking up and there were plenty of places for people to lock their bikes.  It costs nothing to visit the tower, which is open until 7:00pm nightly.

At the start of the trail, there’s a sign welcoming visitors and a place to lock bikes.

The trail to the tower is covered in gravel made of small stones.  Part of the trail consists of steps.  I noticed a steep bike trail to the side of the steps, but I don’t think that would be suitable terrain for a stroller or a wheelchair.

A bit closer… I stopped to catch my breath after the short uphill hike.  As you can see, you can stop at two vantage points on the way to the top level.

 

Some interesting stats.  The trail to the tower also has little information points like this one.  Since my German blows, I mostly ignored them.

There are two stairways.  Seems like one should be designated as the “up” stairway and the other as the “down” stairway.  However, both stairways are open to either direction.  Consequently, you may have to stop to let someone pass in the other direction.

These pictures are from the first vantage point.  To be honest, as sturdy as I know the tower is, I was feeling slightly anxious with each new level.  The tower has been designed so that there’s little to obstruct your view.  It can be a bit unnerving.

Wire fencing and “handrails” rather than solid metal…

The above pics are from the top vantage point.

On the way down… phew.  The tower wobbled a bit with the breeze.  It reminded me a little of our visit to Highline 179 in Austria.  I’m not sure I’d want to climb the tower during bad weather!  Today, it was kind of a thrill.  

I think I like this view the best!  

Our visit to the tower only took about a half hour.  It occurred to me as we were enjoying the views that last weekend, we climbed a 35 meter tower that was originally built in the 12th century.  Today, we climbed a 35 meter tower that has only been open for a week!  And both activities were completely free of charge with no one hanging around to enforce the rules!  Gosh, I love Germany!

Last week’s climb was just as high as today’s climb, but today’s was less painful.  Instead of a tight spiral staircase, there’s a much gentler climb.  I noticed a lot of children climbing up, including one adorable little girl with intense blue eyes crawling on her hands and knees!  As nervous as the climb made me, I have to admit the view at the top is breathtaking.  You can see for miles.

Although we could have gone to the Naturfreundehaus for a snack, Bill and I decided to visit La Piazza Gelataria for ice cream.  The outside seating was full of people who had the same idea we did.  I will note that the Naturfreundhaus, while no frills and self-serve, also has a little playground for kids!

The church bells played a hymn we used at our wedding in 2002… “Now Thank We All Our God.”

Bill had a Waldbeere Becher (wild berry cup).  It was strawberry and vanilla ice cream with blueberries, strawberries, currents, and cherries, along with lots of whipped cream.

I had an After Eight Becher, made with After Eight mints.  My mom used to love those things!  It had chocolate ice cream, mint ice cream, mint sauce, and chocolate “streusel”.  We also shared San Pellegrino.  Our total bill was just over 16 euros.  Today was “cheap”!  I don’t think I’ll need dinner, either.

For the first time, I noticed the really cool looking balcony on this building, along with its terrace on the roof.

Fun scene in Herrenberg.  Little kids were enjoying the fountain.  I couldn’t help but muse about how pleasant life in Germany is… for me, anyway.  It’s so nice to be able to sit in a square that looks like it’s out of a fairytale and eat ice cream while children play in the fountain.  

One last shot before we went home.  

I’m pretty happy with how today turned out, especially given how it started off.  Next month, we’re going to Ireland to see Paul Simon in concert.  I bought tickets for the show in February and put them in my usual safe keeping spot.  Somehow in the past four months, the tickets got lost.  This morning, we spent about an hour trying to call Ticketmaster in Ireland to get duplicates made.  For awhile, it looked like we weren’t going to get through to a human being and I was getting pretty pissy.  But we were finally successful.  A lovely Irish lass helped us out and for a six euro fee, I hope to have duplicate concert tickets in my hands for next month’s concert… the second of four we’re planning to attend this year.

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Sundays

Thanks to Ruine Mandelberg, our Sunday wasn’t ruined!

This morning, Bill called my attention to a swollen cut on my dog, Zane’s, face.  He and our other dog, Arran, had a fight last night.  After Bill broke them up, he thought both dogs were okay.  Neither appeared to have a scratch.  In fact, Zane had actually come out the victor, having scored a rare rawhide treat that Arran had momentarily let out of his sight.  We were marveling at that, since Zane is not really a fighter and tends to be the less aggressive of our dogs.  But then this morning, there was that swollen place on his face.

Zane enjoyed the freshly mowed grass yesterday, before he and Arran had their little spat.  He’s going to be ten in November and both he and Arran have had cancerous mast cell tumors that have had to be surgically removed.  But they’re still plugging along and at each other.  

Bill and I don’t have kids together, so we tend to be neurotic about our dogs.  Because puncture wounds can get infected quickly, Bill decided to take Zane to the on duty vet, a gruff guy in Herrenberg named Dr. Katz.  Dr. Katz took a look at Zane, said he was fine, and told Bill to keep the spot clean.  Then he said goodbye without even bothering to charge Bill for the visit.

Since Zane seemed to be okay, Bill and I decided to go out to lunch in Nagold.  Afterwards, we had plans to visit Ruine Mandelberg, another one of my highway finds during our many recent trips to the Black Forest.  I had noticed the sign for it as we passed the turnoff for the little hamlet of Bösingen, a true one horse district if I’ve ever seen one.  I had looked up Ruine Mandelberg on the Internet and I wasn’t sure if it was something that would excite me, but since it’s pretty close to where we live, we decided today was the day to see it.

We started in Nagold, where parking is free on Sundays and you never know what’s going to happen. Lunch was at Provenciale, a little Italian restaurant near the main square.  We had eaten there before, but it had been awhile.  For some reason, this restaurant does not get good reviews on Trip Advisor.  I don’t know why.  Our experiences there have been good.  In fact, today we both enjoyed our pasta dishes.  I especially liked mine.

We enjoyed malty hefeweizens.  Sometimes, when I drink one of these, I taste Ovaltine.  That sounds strange until you realize that beer is malty and so is Ovaltine.  Bill had to move as the sun did.


Bill enjoyed cheese filled tortellini with spinach, ham, and gorgonzola cheese sauce.  He said it was delicious, even if he preferred yesterday’s mushroom extravaganza more.  Personally, I preferred his choice for today, if only because it didn’t smell of fungus!  Sigh– if I only liked mushrooms, my life would be so much easier!


I went with the very safe Tagliatelli Salmone, made with cream sauce and very tender, delicious pieces of salmon.  I loved it.  What can I say?  I like comfort food.  It shows… especially on my ass.  

 

This particular restaurant also specializes in ice cream and we saw plenty of people enjoying fancy Italian/German style ice cream treats today.  I think many people were substituting ice cream for lunch!  Our bill came to 27 euros, which Bill rounded up to 30.  Before we left, we caught the Albanian cultural/dance club Shota marching by.  My German friend says they were performing at Kinderfest today.  I caught a short video clip of them parading by.  I’ll have to see if I can upload it to YouTube.

After lunch, we got back on B28 and headed for Ruine Mandelberg.  We drove through tiny Bösingen, which has an interesting looking antique shop, a gasthaus, a church, and lots of pretty scenery.  There’s a road where cars are not supposed to go unless they are going to the ruins.  There’s a small parking area near a park/picnic area.  It’s free to park there and, as you can see below, there’s playground equipment for kids.

A map of the sights in the area.  If you wanted to, you could take a nice hike here.  There are lots of trails.

It looked like a group was having a picnic today.

 

We parked the car and started walking.  It was about 1.5 kilometers to the ruins themselves, though there were a couple of other trails and roads that made Bill nervous we weren’t going the right way.  

 

But then we rounded a corner and easily found the ruins, which date from the 12th century.  Actually, according to Wikipedia, the 11th century ruins predeceased what is there now.  The first time the castle was mentioned in documents was in 1287.  The castle burned down during the peasant revolts in 1525 and was never rebuilt.

A sign offering a brief history… in German, naturally!

The community of Pflazgrafenweiler purchased the property in 1970 and renovated what was left of the ruins.  In 1975, they renovated the keep, which is 35 meters high and offers nice views of the surrounding countryside.  Below are some pictures I took during our visit.


First glance of the tower.  A family of four was at the top when we first arrived.  They met us at the bottom as I was wondering whether or not I really wanted to climb up the extremely tight spiral staircases.  The parents were encouraging us in German, telling us it wasn’t unlike climbing the church spires in Ulm!

 

The first steps seem narrow…

 

And the tower seems high…  You do get two opportunities to pause on the way up and down.

 

But those steps are extremely narrow.  You must hold on to the railing and the center or risk falling.  Bill got dizzy going up the tight spiral.

 

But then you reach the top…  Thank GOD!  It’s very well fortified, so there’s no need to worry about falling.  Unfortunately, some people left trash up there.

 

At the top of the keep, we were rewarded with some very beautiful views.  Below are some pictures from the top of the tower.


This isn’t a great shot, mainly because the barrier prevented me from getting more of the grounds in the picture.  You can see the cistern on the left, which is unfortunately full of trash.

A couple of closer pictures of the cistern from the ground.

After a few minutes, we decided to climb back down.  Going down was less strenuous, but a bit scarier.  You can see how far down it is as you climb down.  I am very cautious about climbing, so I tend to go slowly.  The last thing I need is to faceplant in a tower.  When we got to the outside steps, I realized that might have been the best spot for picture taking, especially within the ruins.  Here is a 360 tour of the ruins.

Directions for other areas of interest.  I was too sweaty and dirty to hike more.

 

One last look at the tower.

Bill gazes at the view.

A cave?

With a friendly ghost?

Bars on the window…  wonder what for!

Auf wiedersehen, Ruine Mandelberg!

I couldn’t resist taking pictures of this pretty church we passed going in and out of the little hamlet.

I think these ruins are worth seeing if you’re interested in old castle ruins dating from the 12th century.  It might also make an okay stop on the way to Freudenstadt or some of the other attractions in the Black Forest.  It doesn’t take long to see the ruins, but if you wanted to hike longer, you certainly could, and the area is pretty and offers good picnic/play opportunities.  I’m glad we stopped by.  I was also considering visiting Herrenberg’s new Schönbuchturm, but figured it would be crowded, since it just opened yesterday.  Maybe we’ll do that next week!

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Sundays

Ten places to beat the heat in and around Stuttgart…

I’m in the mood to write another one of my top ten posts.  If you’ve been reading this blog for some time, some of what I write will be repeated information.  I am writing this, more or less, for the new people who will be moving to the area this summer.  It can be a real shock to move from the United States, or even Italy, and not have air conditioning.  Today’s post is about some places I’ve found where a person can cool off, most of which involve a little bit of hiking outside.

Before I get started… I’m not going to post about Schwimmbads or Freibads or anything like that.  Of course you can cool off in any one of the area’s fabulous public pools, which put our American ones to shame.  I’m not going to write about the pools, though, because it’s been my experience that most people find out about those right away in any of the local Facebook groups.  Besides, I myself didn’t actually visit a Freibad until last year.  I wrote about the experience and, to date, have scored only 90 hits.  I’m just gonna say that if you want to go to a pool, chances are good your community has an awesome one.  Seek it out.

Okay… enough about pools.  On to my list of cool summer stops in Stuttgart, not ranked in any particular order of awesomeness.

10.  Laichinger Tiefenhöhle

Germany’s deepest show cave.  Hope your heart is strong!

Bill and I discovered the Laichinger Tiefenhöhle last summer, when an American who is married to a local suggested it.  The word “tief” means “deep” in German.  That should give you a clue!  The Laichinger Tiefenhöhle is Germany’s only vertical cave open to the public.  It’s located in the little town of Laichingen, which is east of Stuttgart, kind of on the way to Ulm.  If you want to cool off, this is sure a great place to do it.  I remember visiting last June as temperatures soared and wishing I had worn longer pants while I was climbing up and down the ladders in the deep hole.  This vertical cave is a lot of fun to visit, but it’s not for anyone with mobility problems.  In fact, you have to be kind of fit to be able to visit this cave because it requires a lot of climbing up and down steep ladders. Frankly, I found it rather exhausting, yet exhilarating.  I would not bring small children to this cave, but older ones will be able to blow off plenty of summer steam here.  Afterwards, they can play on the nearby ropes course or perhaps visit nearby Blautopf, which is where the cave system ends!

9.  Triberg Wasserfall   

One segment of the huge falls.  Stand here and enjoy the very refreshing spray, which you’ll probably be sharing with other visitors.

The Triberg waterfall system is Germany’s highest and it’s a very heavily touristed place.  Nevertheless, if you want to cool off, Triberg is not a bad place to be.  It costs a few euros to climb up the falls or you can take a tram to the top.  Afterwards, go cuckoo clock shopping or have lunch in one of the town’s many restaurants.  Triberg is also a great place to score a piece of Black Forest cake.

8.  Seewald

Seewald… lovely lake in the Black Forest!

 

Bill and I discovered Seewald a couple of years ago, when we visited a Biergarten a friend of his had recommended.  When we made the trip, we didn’t know that there was a lake there where swimming is permissible.  If we had, I would have brought a bathing suit!  Seewald is located near Freudenstadt.   There is free parking in the area, but it gets full.  If you want a spot close to the action on a sunny day, get there early!  This link includes links to other lakes in the area where one might enjoy a dip.

7.  Bärenhöhle and Nebelhöhle

Bärenhöhle

Nebelhöhle

 

These are two caves located very close to each other near the town of Sonnenbühl.  Sonnenbühl is also very close to Lichtenstein Castle and Abendteuer Park (a ropes course).  Although visiting the caves might entail a long drive, you could really pack your day in this area.  There’s a lot to do here.  My personal favorite of the caves I’ve visited so far is Nebelhöhle.  It’s not as exhausting as the Laichinger Tiefenhöhle, but it’s more challenging and interesting than the Bärenhöhle, which is a much smaller cave very suitable for young kids.  After you’re finished at the Bärenhöhle, if you have little ones, you can visit Traumland, which is a little amusement park that seems especially suited for children.  Or you can visit the Easter egg museum, which is located at the same complex.

6.  Burgbach Wasserfall

Bill and I recently visited this beautiful waterfall, located in Bad Rippoldsau…

 

If you’re up for a short, uphill hike, you can visit Burgbach Wasserfall.  It takes a little bit of work to get to the waterfall, but it’s worth the trip, much of which is under a canopy of trees.  It costs nothing to visit Burgbach, just a little bit of sweat.  But once you get there, you can stand next to the spray and enjoy the fruits of your labor.  Afterwards, you can stop at one of the local restaurants for lunch or visit the Wolf and Bear Alternative Park, which is only a couple of miles away.  Parking at Burgbach is free of charge.

5. Glaswaldsee

Glaswaldsee… also a cool place, although you’ll work up a sweat getting there.

Glaswaldseee is also located in Bad Rippoldsau, very close to the Burgbach Wasserfall.  Once you park in the lot, you’ll walk a couple of kilometers to reach this wild mountain lake.  The walk to the lake is mostly uphill, but once you’re there, you can enjoy the shady trees or stick your feet in the water.  Technically, swimming is not allowed, but I did see a couple of people wading when I visited and there was no one there enforcing the rules.  Like Burgbach Wasserfall, Glaswaldsee costs nothing to visit, except for a nominal fee for parking.

4.  Bad Urach

Bad Urach, east of Reutlingen.

 

Bad Urach is a very popular stop for people wishing to beat the heat in these parts.  I’ll be honest.  It’s not my favorite waterfall.  However, you can walk along a cool brook and climb to the top of the falls.  I hear there’s a nice Biergarten up there.  We did climb to the top on our first visit, but a thunderstorm was threatening, so we had to come down before we could find the beer stop.  The fall is near a beautiful meadow as well as castle ruins that, if you’re up for a climb, you can visit.  It costs nothing to visit the waterfall, except for parking.  However, if you come on a sunny weekend day, be prepared for crowds and tricky parking!  There is a train station near the falls, as well.

3.  Neubulach Silver Mine

Don your safety hat and cape and come in out of the sun to see where silver was mined.

If you don’t mind taking a tour in German, you can visit the awesome silver mine in the little hamlet of Neubulach.  From May to October, you can explore this mine or even get an alternative treatment in a special room dedicated to people with asthma.  We visited last July, when the asthma treatment was not being offered.  I was pretty curious about it, since I have a touch of asthma myself.  After you take your tour, you can visit the little museum and have a snack or take a creekside walk on the “bat trail“, also at the complex.  Parking there is free of charge.  The town of Neubulach is really cute and there’s also a Brauhaus there with a Biergarten.

2.  Allerheiligen Wasserfälle

One of the seven cascading waterfalls at Allerheiligen Wasserfälle.

Drive a bit west of Freudenstadt, over Kniebis Mountain, and you can find the All Saints Waterfalls.  Bill and I visited there last weekend and had a great time hiking along the beautiful waterfall system. This is another free activity.  You don’t even have to pay for parking.  Once you’ve seen the falls, you can have lunch at the kid friendly restaurant and look at the abbey ruins right next to it.  I was not expecting much when we arrived at these falls, but I was pretty blown away by how beautiful they are… and how strenuous all the stairs were!  This is not a stroller friendly place.  There are signs posted prohibiting wading or crossing the creek, but I saw many people ignoring the signs.  Do so at your own risk.

1.  Barfuss Park…  or the Baumwipfelpfad (aka: Tree Walk)

A frigid pool at the Barfuss Park… afterwards, you can hop across a trampoline.

The Tree Walk is in the mountains and surrounded by plenty of shady trees!

Okay… so these are actually two very kid friendly activities and they’re not near each other.  I had originally only intended to recommend the Barfuss Park in Dornstetten, since there is some water involved in this activity that encourages visitors to walk barefoot through it.  But then I remembered our visit to the so-called Tree Walk up in Bad Wildbad and realized that it belongs on this list, too.  Personally, I’m kind of partial to the Barefoot Park, although if you do visit, you might want to consider bringing a change of clothes.  Bill fell in the mud when we went and had to drive home in dirty drawers!  There is a two euro admission fee to enter the park, which you pay on your honor.  You must also pay for parking.

A lot of people love the Tree Walk, though, and if you’re wanting to enjoy a cool stroll in a fun place, it’s well worth a trip.  Walk up to the top of the structure, then pay a small fee to slide back down on a spiral slide.  Or, if you’re chicken like Bill is, walk down.  After you go to the Tree Walk, you can visit one of the local spas (although keep in mind that Palais Thermal is textile free!).  The Tree Walk does charge an admissions fee.  At this writing, it’s ten euros per adult, although family tickets are available for 21 euros.  That’s for two adults and their own children between the ages of 6 and 14.  Kids under 6 can visit for free, although they are not allowed to use the slide.

All of the activities on this list are doable on Sundays.  Happy cooling off!

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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 this 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.

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Baden-Württemberg, Schwarzwald, Sundays

Beautiful Burgbach Wasserfall, and lunch at the Klösterle Hof!

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.

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Sundays

Gasping my guts out on the way to Glaswaldsee…

Today was another beautiful day here in southern Germany.  Despite that, I gave some serious thought to staying in and being lazy.  Fortunately, Bill decided he wanted to go out and see something new.  It wasn’t too hard to convince me, since the sun was out and the temperatures were so agreeable.  Plus, there was a place I had in mind to see.

Last month, Bill and I visited the Bärenpark, which I had discovered on our February trip to the Dorotheenhütte (glass blowing factory) in Wolfach.  As we were leaving the bear park, I noticed a sign for a place called Glaswaldsee.  My rudimentary German skills told me that Glaswaldsee translates to glass forest lake.  That sounded interesting to me, so I did an Internet search and learned that the Glaswaldsee is a wild lake referred to as the “blue eye” in the central Northern Black Forest.

The Glaswaldsee is a “Karsee“, meaning that it’s a remnant from the last ice age.  These lakes formed when ice water could flow down a mountain side and collect on a flat surface.  The water formed a lake that is fed only by melting snow and rain.  During periods of drought, the lakes can dry up and become overgrown.  After the ice age, there were as many as 35 Karseen in the Northern Black Forest.  Now, there are only a few left, many of which are near Freudenstadt.  As luck would have it, we live relatively close to Freudenstadt.

We put the top down on the Mini and took off for the tiny spa hamlet of Bad Rippoldsau, since that was close to where we’d seen the sign.  Alternatively, we could have reached the lake via another spa town, Bad Peterstal-Griesbach.  On the way there, we stopped at a hotel in a really tiny village called Zwieselberg and had lunch at Hotel Hirsch… one of many Hotel Hirsches in the area.  We stopped there because we saw a sign that read they had non-stop food from noon until 9:00pm.  Just before I got out of the car, the strap on my new purse broke… the one I bought two months ago to replace the last purse I had whose strap broke.  I guess I should stop carrying so much crap with me.

Hotel Hirsch in tiny Zwieselberg welcomes you…

Bill looks relaxed in the empty restaurant…

It was really dead in the restaurant and super quiet, but soon some hikers came in.  The bartender, who seemed to have a rather stoic personality, turned on the TV to music videos.  The menu was limited and simple… it was mostly stuff like schnitzel, goulash, wurst, and salad.  Everything was super cheap, though…

I had red wurst with fries and salad.  Props to the Hotel Hirsch for bringing out a big ramekin of ketchup.  I was surprised they didn’t supply mustard, which also would have been welcome.

Bill had white wurst.

 

While we were eating, a guy came in and asked to turn the channel to sports.  He asked us in English if we minded.  We didn’t, actually, because the video that had just played was by a woman named Noah Cyrus.  The song was called “We Are Fucked”.  It always amazes me how much freer Germans are with English swear words… not that I mind the f-word, but that particular song was kind of depressing.  It was followed up by a song from Justin Bieber.  So yeah, turn the channel to football, please!

After we paid our twenty euro bill, we headed toward our final destination.  We found the road I had spotted during our last trip to the area.  It was narrow and rather primitive.  There were a couple of times when Bill was sporting white knuckles as he gripped the steering wheel.  We made one wrong turn and ended up at someone’s private abode.  Then we finally spotted a sign for a parking area for the Glaswaldsee.  After several more scary minutes ascending the primitive road, we reached the edge of the nature park where the lake is located.  Bill parked, paid for the 1,50 euro Parkschein (which is good all day), and noted that there’s also a zip line at that location.

I listened to the peaceful creek…

We took a look at the map…

 

Then it was a one kilometer walk to the lake…  however, that one kilometer hike was entirely uphill.  I got a bit winded, and I’m sure my hips and legs will complain tomorrow morning.  I was still able to walk up the gravelly road without too much trouble.  And when we reached the lake, we were rewarded…

A sandstone wall borders the lake.

It should be mentioned that swimming is not allowed at this lake.  I did see a couple of people wading in the water, including a little girl whose mother was taking pictures.  Personally, I thought the water looked more brown than blue, but it was definitely quiet and serene and I didn’t regret the challenging climb.  Needless to say, it’s not exactly stroller friendly.  I did see people with dogs, though.  There was no one official there to make sure people followed the rules.  Below are some photos I got before we headed back down the mountain.

Ducks live there.

There is a path that surrounds the lake.  It takes about twenty minutes or so to stroll around it.  There are other trails you can take, including one that goes to Bad Peterstal-Griesach.  I was glad we didn’t start from there, since the sign said it was 7.8 kilometers away on hilly terrain.  Those of you who are more fit than I am may find it a good place for a challenging hike.  

A long walk…

The path around the lake is pleasant.

Here’s a little hut and cookout area.  We saw a few people enjoying it today.  I did not notice any public restrooms here, but there are plenty of bushes for ducking behind…

A nice view down…

I snapped a picture of Bill as he was telling me about some guy he met in Iraq on a “vomit comet”.  Apparently, the guy was a jerk and warned Bill not to throw up.  Bill responded by grabbing a barf bag and threatening to use it.  My mild mannered husband is endlessly patient, but he has a snarky side, too.

 

The journey home was excellent.  Below are a few more photos of the lovely drive…  Yes, this area is a long way from downtown Stuttgart, but we wouldn’t trade living out this way for being closer to Bill’s work.  There’s so much to do in and around the Black Forest.  Lots of bikers, on bicycles and motorcycles, were also enjoying the views and the weather.

I’m really glad I noticed the sign for Glaswaldsee…  I don’t think it’s one of those places tourists usually find.  Glaswaldsee, by the way, is very close to the Bear Park.  You could easily combine the activities.

Really… if you live near the Black Forest, you owe it to yourself to get out and explore it.  The last time we lived here, we didn’t do nearly as many local activities.  We’re making up for that now, but not everyone gets to come back to Germany.  So, I urge you to make the most of your time here, however long or short it might be.  And if you feel up to it, maybe you should visit the Glaswaldsee.

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Sundays

Bratwurst in Bebenhausen…

I very nearly gave in to the urge to stay in and read a book this afternoon.  But then Bill said he wanted to go out and do something.  I had been wanting to visit Bebenhausen Monastery for awhile, so I suggested we go there.  It turned out to be a good day for a visit to this monastery, located in a peaceful valley on the outskirts of Tübingen.  The GPS sent us through Herrenberg and Holzgerlingen to get to the kloster, not our usual route to Tübingen.  As the gorgeous monastery appeared on the horizon, I gasped in awe.  It really is a beautiful place.

It turned out Bill missed the turn for the parking lot, so he drove up a hillside and managed to find a lone parking spot right next to the tower pictured below.

The “Schreibturm”…

 

We passed this little garden area on the way to lunch.

It was about 1:45pm when we arrived, so we felt it would be prudent to get lunch before exploring Bebenhausen.  I have a tendency to get “hangry” and a lot of restaurants take a “pause” after 2:00.

There are several traditional Swabian restaurants in the town.  We stopped at the first one we came to, Gasthof Sonne, which is billed as a “laid back gasthaus”.  The had the Biergarten open and plenty of people were out there enjoying the warmer weather and hazy sunshine.  We took a seat and prepared ourselves for a very typical German lunch.  There was a sign outside that read “warm food” all day on  Sundays and holidays.  But there was also a sign that read that they only serve coffee and cake after 2:30.  I’m not sure which one was accurate for today.

Bill looking impish, probably because I told him I’m about to come after his eyebrows with tweezers.

Beer makes everything better.

 

This restaurant serves very typical Swabian fare.  It’s very hearty and tastes good, but it will fill you up.  We both opted for sausages.

Bill had the “Linsenteller” (lentil plate) with beer sausages, spaetzle, and lots of lentils.  He probably won’t be hungry again for awhile.

I had bratwurst with potato salad and a mixed salad.  The salad had a really nice dressing on it.  It was kind of like mustard vinaigrette with a twist.  I was sad when a little gravy ended up on my new turquoise shirt.  I need to start carrying a bib with me.

 

More people came into the restaurant as we were finishing up.  At one point, a party of three asked if they could sit with us.  We actually had three chairs open, although one was at the end of the table and my purse was on it.  I had forgotten I put it there.  Then someone else motioned them over to share their table.  A few minutes later, a young couple came in looking for a table and asked if they could sit with us.  We welcomed them.  They heard us speaking English and apologized in fluent English for not realizing we’re Americans.  Actually, I took that as a compliment.

They wondered if we’d understood their request.  We said we did.  Then they asked where we’re from and we told them.  We also told them we live here.  I was impressed by their language skills and embarrassed by my lack of language skills.  But we probably do okay for Americans…  Bill called for the check, which came to about 31 euros.  Service was friendly and professional and the food was good.  Yeah… after a total of five years living here, I have the German comprehension skills of a toddler.  But I’m slowly getting there.

The outside of Gasthof Sonne.  I’d go back, even if it does get lukewarm reviews on Google.  I noticed at least two other restaurants in this little town, one of which was connected to a small hotel.

 

We walked back to the monastery and quickly found the entrance, which is situated in a small gift shop that has everything from whisky to cold water for sale.  Admission costs five euros per adult.  There is also a family ticket available.  You walk into the kloster and there’s a “rundweg” that takes you through the monastery.  It’s very beautiful and peaceful inside.  There are signs explaining what you’re looking at, but almost everything is in German.

Littered with coins!

Graves of abbots.

Dormitory room… or “cell”.

Washroom in the dormitory.

Straw mattress?

This was what I was waiting for.  I love walking into European churches.

We finished walking around the monastery, then visited the WC, which is clean and free of charge to use.  Then we walked around the grounds.  It was a beautiful day to tour the area, which is coming alive with spring.

Lots of fish swim in this fountain.

A good view of the parking lot Bill missed.  There’s a larger one further down the road, obviously for buses and overflow.  There’s a brief but pleasant walk from the larger lot.  Parking is free of charge.

To my shame, this reminded me a lot of Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia.  I spent four summers working there.  Of course, Germany for real is way better than fake Germany in Williamsburg.

For another two euros, you can tour the palace kitchen.  I recommend taking the trip, especially since there is information in French, English, and Russian.  It was the only part of the monastery that had information in languages other than German.

Some old style “modern” appliances.

If we’d wanted to, we could have spent more time strolling around the beautiful grounds.

One last shot before we decided to head home.

We took a different route home, driving through Tübingen instead of Holzgerlingen and Hildrizhausen.  Basically, my Mini got a nice tour today.  I put the top down and probably annoyed people with my music.  It was nice to get out.  I’m glad I resisted the urge to stay in and read.

I would highly recommend a visit to Bebenhausen, especially when the weather is so agreeable.  It’s a very beautiful place, even if parking is a bit obnoxious.  And what better thing to do on a Sunday than go to a place where God is the cornerstone of life?

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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.  😉

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Sunday lunch at Eiscafe La Piazza in Herrenberg…

Eiscafe La Piazza is a very popular place in Herrenberg, especially on Sundays!

 

The first time Bill and I lived in Germany, we lived in a little town in Ammerbuch County called Pfäffingen.  It’s about ten miles south from Herrenberg and ten miles west of Tübingen.  In those less adventurous days, we used to visit either bigger town frequently.  We went to Herrenberg less often because it’s smaller and less interesting than Tübingen is.  Usually, we’d go there when we needed a change of scenery.

One place we often visited in Herrenberg during our 2007-09 stint was Eiscafe La Piazza.  La Piazza is a very nice Italian ice cream cafe.  They serve beautiful ice cream creations, but they also have gorgeous cakes, coffee drinks, and cocktails.  You can also find pizza and pasta there.

When we lived in Germany the first time, we’d often visit this cafe and have lunch.  I think we mainly went there because it has non-stop service.  A lot of times, we don’t get going until it’s too late for lunch.  That’s not a problem at La Piazza.

Since we’ve been back in Germany, now going on four years, we’ve only visited La Piazza twice.  The first time was back in April 2016.  We went in there for ice cream after walking around Herrenberg and ran into our original next door neighbors from our first tour here!  It was very strange, since they immediately recognized us.  I recognized them, too, but it seemed like my mind was playing tricks on me.  We proceeded to have kind of an awkward conversation, since they don’t speak English and my German is very rudimentary.  I used to talk to their daughter and son-in-law all the time, though.

The second time was today.  We went in there and I was half expecting to see our old neighbors again, but lightening didn’t strike twice.  A friendly English speaking guy invited us to pick a table.  We did, and ordered some San Pellegrino and a couple of glasses of Primitivo that he didn’t have on the menu.

 

Bill laughs at my jokes… that’s why we get along so well.

 

As we were waiting for our dishes, I took note of the music playing, which was pretty good Motown and jazz.  It was better than the German pop we heard yesterday.  More people filed in and pretty soon, the cafe was almost full.

Originally, we had given some thought to visiting a small fest going on near our house.  A local metal smith, who, according to our landlady, made our carport, was serving goulash made with wild boar and hosting a choir that would be singing German folk songs.  However, the weather, while much warmer than it has been recently, was kind of wet and depressing.  Also, our landlady said that she thought he was a better metal worker than cook.

 

Tagliatelle con salmone…  This was pretty good and very reasonably priced at under eight euros.  It was a simple creamy sauce with salmon.  I appreciated that we had plenty of Parmesan cheese.

 

Bill had the “pasta of the house”…  This came with olives, tomatoes, and plenty of garlic, with pieces of fresh Parmesan.  Bill really enjoyed it.  The garlic was especially welcome!

 

Every time we’ve been to La Piazza in Herrenberg, I’ve been tempted by dessert.  Their cakes always look so good!  They had several beautiful ones today.  I am usually too full to consider having dessert.  Today, I didn’t finish the pasta and saved room for a piece of the cake posted below.  Bill split it with me.

This was kind of like a Sacher torte, only with cherry instead of apricot.  It was moist and sweeter than a lot of German cakes I’ve had.  I’m glad we shared it.  I liked this fine, although next time, I think I’ll go for the Tiramisu.  It looked amazing.

And an espresso!

The total bill came to 37 euros.  I noticed a lot of the people coming in were there for just cake or ice cream.  In the spring and summer, when the weather is fine, this cafe will set up a large outdoor area. I expect that in less than a month, a lot of people will be enjoying its prime location, right in Herrenberg’s attractive main square.  Herrenberg was pretty quiet today, though.

If you live near Herrenberg and are looking for a “go to” Sunday spot, La Piazza is not a bad choice.  It’s not fancy, but it’s got lots of simple pizzas and pastas, as well as tempting desserts.  You will find English speaking servers there and not break the bank.  And it doesn’t matter what time you arrive, because they serve food until 10:00pm.  I also noticed that they have a lot of breakfast choices, which are available until 11:00am.  Maybe someday, we’ll go there for the first meal of the day, then climb up to Herrenberg’s castle ruins.  I will probably need to be fortified for that!

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Ten cute towns in the Stuttgart area…

Today’s post is more or less meant for people who are new to the Stuttgart area, looking for cute towns to visit.  It’s inspired by the many people I see posting in the local Facebook groups, looking to venture out on day trips that aren’t too far away.  The towns in this post are places I have personally been to, so I will probably miss a few places that really should get a mention.  Hopefully, in the future, I’ll be able to update this post with a sequel for those who have already seen the best known towns near Stuttgart.

Once again, these ten towns aren’t necessarily ranked in any order.  Here goes…

Tübingen

 

The lovely Rathaus in Tübingen.  They finally finished renovating it!

The obvious first town to mention, at least in my opinion, is Tübingen.  This awesome college town is located about 19 miles south of Stuttgart and offers plenty of restaurants, shopping, and when the weather is warm, a pretty great biergarten.  You can climb the church tower at St. George’s Collegiate Church (Stiftskirche) for a great view of the area or go punting in the Neckar River.  You can also visit the city museum and the Schloss Hohentübingen, or walk around the market square and look at the newly renovated Rathaus.  Tübingen is one of my favorite towns because we lived very close to it the first time we lived in Germany and we used to visit often.  There’s always something going on there and it’s a great place to people watch.  I think it’s a must see stop on any visit to the area, although be prepared for hilly terrain, especially when it’s icy outside.  You can take a train from Herrenberg that goes directly into the city.

Esslingen
 

Das Alte Rathaus– One of Esslingen’s most recognizable landmarks!

Esslingen is a pretty town situated about 9 miles southeast of the Stuttgart center.  Because it’s located pretty far from where I live, I’ve only been there three times myself.  However, it’s easily accessed on the S-Bahn, even though it takes us a good hour to get there that way.  Esslingen is especially enchanting during the Christmas season.  Its medieval Christmas market is legendary!  This town also boasts other festivals throughout the year, good restaurants, shopping, and the Kessler Sekt Cellar, where you can shop for locally made bubbly.  You can also take English tours of the city, which has a very interesting history!  Join Ellen Stillman Thomas’s group for information on how to do that!

Nagold
 

A shot at Hohennagold, castle ruins that reward your long, steep walk with ice cold beer!

Nagold is probably one of the less discussed cute towns in the area, but I’m partial to it because I live very close.  It’s a very charming little town that borders the northern Black Forest with a beautiful city center and small town appeal.  I think it’s probably become my favorite local hangout.  It has almost everything I love about Tübingen without the crowds!  Nagold also features a river where I’ve seen a lot of dog owners let their dogs swim during the summer.  If you’re feeling up to it, you can climb Hohennagold and see castle ruins, shop at the Saturday market, or visit the city museum in the Steinhaus which has different exhibits.  The last time I went to the museum, they had a very interesting exhibit about how Nagold was a model city for the Nazis during World War II.  It was free of charge to visit.  Every two years, Nagold also hosts a Celtic festival in the summer called Kelten-fest, and there is also a fantastic public pool there, complete with water slides (for warmer weather, of course).

Weil der Stadt
 

A beautiful shrimp salad I had at Samowar, a Russian restaurant in Weil der Stadt.  

I will admit that I haven’t spent a lot of time in Weil der Stadt, except to drink wine at a wine tasting, go to an international food truck festival, and eat Russian food.  I still couldn’t help but notice how charming this town is, located 19 miles west of Stuttgart.  Weil der Stadt offers an attractive cityscape, with its beautiful Church of St. Peter and Paul.  It’s also the birthplace of astronomer Johannes Kepler.  I like Weil der Stadt for its great fests, but I also love it because there’s good shopping there.  The town boasts a gorgeous Edeka grocery store– one of the nicest I’ve seen!

Ludwigsburg
 

In Ludwigsburg’s square…

Jewish memorial… outlined destroyed synagogue and suitcases symbolizing the lives that were lost.

Bill and I first discovered Ludwigsburg, a city about 7.5 miles north of Stuttgart, when we lived here the first time.  We had gotten on the mailing list for a small French vintner we discovered at the weekend market in Tübingen and they let us know that they would be at Ludwigsburg’s market.  Wine is the reason we discovered Ludwigsburg, but we tend to go back there to buy beer.  Ludwigsburg is not far from Kornwestheim, which is where Heinrich’s drink market is.  We haven’t been to Heinrich’s recently and we have a lot of empty beer bottles to unload!  Usually, we visit Ludwigsburg when we’re on a beer run, but we’ve also been there for fests, their Christmas market, and to pick up wine.  The city also boasts a great African restaurant.  I like to have lunch at one of the restaurants in the main square and watch people who have just been married.  If you’re there on a Saturday, there’s a good bet you’ll see at least one reception going on.  It’s a good place to catch buskers, most of whom are pretty good musicians.  Ludwigsburg also has a Schloss and is the site of where a synagogue was destroyed on Kristallnacht in 1938.  There is a very poignant memorial there.

Herrenberg
 

A shot of the Stiftskirche and the Saturday market.

Herrenberg is a pleasant city situated off of A81 between Stuttgart and Tübingen.  We’ve spent a lot of time in Herrenberg because during both of our Germany stints, we’ve lived close to this city.  As charming towns go, I’d say there are a few others I like better than Herrenberg.  However, I still think it’s worth a visit because it has a very nice market square (and weekend market), several good restaurants, a church with a tower you can climb and a bell museum, and castle ruins.  It’s close to the Schönbuch forest, where you can enjoy a lovely spring hike.  There’s also good shopping in Herrenberg, especially if you’re looking for whisky, cheese, or unusual gifts.

Freudenstadt

At the old school Experimenta Science Museum in Freudenstadt.  Cheap and fun for kids and big adult kids!

Freudenstadt is probably a little out of the way for a lot of Americans in the Stuttgart area.  We drive through it whenever we go to France or want to visit certain parts of the Black Forest.  It’s an attractive town that offers a kids’ science museum, as well as fests, shopping, restaurants, and proximity to the Barefoot Park, located in nearby Dornstetten.  Every time we pass through Freudenstadt, I want to stop and wander around.  It really has a pretty downtown area, well worth a visit if you’re looking for somewhere new or simply a place to stop for lunch on the way to France or the Black Forest.  It’s also a very popular vacation spot for Germans.  Many famous people have visited Freudenstadt for its health resort, including Americans John D. Rockefeller and Mark Twain, and George V of the United Kingdom!

Reutlingen 
 

In downtown Reutlingen…

Reutlingen is another southern town, 22 miles south of Stuttgart, which boasts a pleasant downtown area.  We pass through it whenever we head to Bad Urach, Lichtenstein Castle, Blautopf, or any of the caves in the Stuttgart area.  I will admit we haven’t spent nearly enough time in this lovely town, mainly because we encounter it as we pass through to get to another place.  It’s on my list for a Saturday visit, perhaps when the weather isn’t so cold!

Calw
 

Lovely downtown Calw!

Calw is a town that probably gets missed by a lot of Americans in the Stuttgart area.  We missed it the last time we lived here.  It would be a shame not to visit Calw, because it’s a charming and historic town that happens to be the birthplace of Nobel Prize winner Hermann Hesse.  Located west of Stuttgart, Calw makes a nice stop on your way to the “Treewalk” (Baumwipfelpfad) or to Bad Wildbad itself, the beautiful spa town where the Treewalk is located.  It even boasts a location of the Schönbuch Brauhaus, which I know is a popular place for local Americans to eat in Böblingen.  This isn’t to say there aren’t other nice restaurants in Calw, only that if you’re wanting something familiar, you can find it there.  Calw also participates in the very progressive and much appreciated “Nette Toilette” program, which is an initiative in certain German cities where businesses allow people to use their restrooms even if they aren’t patrons.

Waldenbuch
 

If you love good food and visit Waldenbuch, be sure to stop by Gasthof Krone!

And finally, I want to mention Waldenbuch, which I know is well-known to a lot of local Americans due to the Ritter Sport Factory’s presence there.  It’s also a cute little town with a great restaurant called Gasthof Krone.  I will admit that Waldenbuch is another town I haven’t yet explored enough, but I do know a lot of Americans happily live there and love it.  I’m putting it on my list of towns I need to explore more… or at least a place where I need to have another great dinner!

I hope this list will be helpful to newcomers!  I’m sure that before too long, I’ll be making a new list full of new discoveries as Bill and I explore more of what there is here.  I share these posts because we made the error of not getting out enough the first time we were here.  It’s a mistake to only focus on visiting other countries and big cities.  The truth is, Baden-Württemberg has so much to offer.  I would encourage anyone lucky enough to spend an extended amount of time here to get out and see what there is to see before the next move!

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