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Slap Savica…

Slap my ass and call me silly… we hiked up to Slap Savica, which is a beautiful waterfall very close to where we’re staying near Lake Bohinj. We had sun today, so it was definitely the day to make the trip. It’s not a super long hike, but it is a lot of steps up wet, leafy trails. The lovely thing about it, though, is that there aren’t very many people here at all. We mostly had the place to ourselves. And I got some gorgeous photos. Once again… I am ready to write the story of this trip!

I will write a longer and more comprehensive post when I get home to my desktop. But for now, here are some teasers… I really made an excellent choice to come to this area for a fall vacation. It is just insanely beautiful here.

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Sud Tyrol and beyond… part five

Onward to Italy…

Monday morning, we woke up to clear skies and the prospect of driving to Italy. I was a little sorry to be leaving Leutasch, although I did hope our next hotel would have a bed with a softer mattress. The one at Hotel Kristall was pretty firm. We packed up our stuff, had another breakfast, and checked out of the hotel. One thing I didn’t mention in previous posts is that Hotel Kristall has a “Zumo” machine. I first encountered a Zumo machine in Spain. You load up fresh oranges into the machine and it makes delicious fresh squeezed orange juice. That was another thing I loved about our Austrian hotel. They also had a machine for carrot juice, but I didn’t try that. Since I prepaid the hotel, we only had to take care of the bar bill. With that settled, the receptionist gave us a small jar of housemade marmalade as a parting gift and we were then on our way to Parcines, Italy and Klein Fein Hotel Anderlahn. The last words I said as we left Hotel Kristall in Leutasch were, “What a great hotel!” I would definitely go back.

Parcines, Italy, also known as Partschins to German speakers, is well known for its waterfall. However, I didn’t know about the waterfall when I booked the hotel. I was just looking for a nice spa/wellness hotel to spend four nights. My German friend was the one who told me about the waterfall, which I understand is very beautiful. Unfortunately, we were not able to see it up close because although the waterfall is public property, the land around it is not. During the pandemic, the owner of the land around the waterfall decided to put up a fence. So now, if visitors try to get close to the falls, they are trespassing. Based on comments on Google reviews, the landowner is now engaged in legal action regarding this situation.

Still, some people were able to make videos of the falls before they became less accessible. Here’s a video I found on YouTube.

It was disappointing that we couldn’t see this up close…

Our drive to Parcines was easy enough, with lots of nice scenery and a familiar trip through Brenner’s Pass. I took some photos, of course. The drive from Leutasch was maybe about three or four hours, so we arrived in Parcines in time for lunch.

We got to the hotel at about noon. Our room was ready, so the very kind receptionist, who was also the wine sommelier and bartender, as well as the proprietor’s son, welcomed us to check in early. We had another junior suite. It overlooked one of the three pools at the hotel. When we checked in, no one was using the pool. I remarked my surprise about that, and Janek, the barkeep said, “That’s because everyone’s out hiking. Trust me. They’re going to use it!” I should have realized what was to come. That pool was to be used by the kids, as the hotel also has an infinity pool for people aged 15 and up. There’s also an indoor pool in the spa area.

Like our room in Austria, the room in Parcines came with half board and a small fridge. We could order the fridge filled with beer and such, or just use it on its own. Like Leutasch, Parcines offers a lot, especially to people who are into hiking, biking, whitewater rafting, or swimming. Once again, we were allowed into the hotel without a mask. They were only required for the buffet, although we did not have to wear gloves, as we did in Leutasch. But then, Leutasch didn’t require masks. Like I mentioned before, the mask and glove requirements are oddly different everywhere we’ve been this summer. In Meerfeld, Germany, last month, we had to wear masks in the restaurant and at the buffet and Bill had to wear gloves to see the wine list, because it was in a book. In Austria we had to wear gloves, but no masks. In Italy, masks, but no gloves… and in Switzerland, no gloves OR masks. More on that later.

Since it was close to lunchtime when we arrived, we decided to have lunch at a pizzeria in town, which we were able to walk to. Weirdly enough, the pizzeria doesn’t offer pizza until after five o’clock. Maybe it’s because the oven is too hot for daytime use? I don’t know. Parcines has a couple of little shops. I noticed a shoe store and a tiny grocery store. There’s also a Weingut within walking distance of the hotel. The town has a lot of little hotels and apartments for rent.

After lunch, we walked back to the hotel, and sure enough, people were in the pool. We decided to join them. First, we checked out the indoor spa pool, which was empty. A little boy kept peeking in on us as we swam in there. I suspect it was because the kids kind of commandeered that pool, too, as I discovered over the course of the week.

When we got back to the room, the kids were back and in full play mode. Unfortunately, there is no air conditioning in this hotel, so we had to leave the window/door open for cool air. But that also meant listening to shrieking from the kids and, later on, people on the patio drinking, laughing, and enjoying themselves. Don’t get me wrong! I am all for doing those things. But I also like to take naps and enjoy peace and quiet when I’m in my room. If this hotel had air conditioning and we could have closed the door to the balcony, it would have been a lot better for us.

Later, we went down for our first dinner at the Klein Fein Hotel Anderlahn. It was “Italian night”, and we’d made our selections when we checked in. Bill had saltimbocca– veal wrapped with bacon– and I went with the vegetarian dish– mozzarella cheese in a pastry with tomato sauce. We enjoyed aperitifs before dinner started at 7:00pm, and met the very friendly proprietor, who spoke only German and Italian, but was kind and welcoming.

I think of all the dinners we had at this hotel, our first one was my favorite. To be very honest, I wasn’t all that crazy about the food at the Klein Fein Hotel Anderlahn. It wasn’t the worst I’d ever had, but I would say it was kind of disappointing, especially for Italy. Although this hotel gets high ratings, the one bad review it got was by someone who didn’t like the food. While I wouldn’t go as far as that person did in their criticisms, I did think there was definitely some room for improvement in the culinary department. I’ll get more into why in the next post. But anyway, Monday night’s dinner was mostly fine.

Once again, we got some side-eyes from the many Germans who were also staying at the hotel. That’s another thing I don’t like about half board deals. You end up eating with the same people and it can be uncomfortable, especially during a pandemic, when you’re an American and Americans aren’t supposed to be in Italy. We felt a little bit under the microscope at this hotel. However, the staff was excellent. Again, it’s family run. The facilities are also very nice. I just wish they’d planned a bit better regarding the rooms over the patio area (which are many of them). If you don’t want to hang out and drink after dinner, you either have to wait for everyone to go to bed for quiet or swelter with closed windows/doors. It’s not a very appealing tradeoff. I think I’d like this hotel more in the cooler months.

*One guest’s opinions about the hotel. I wouldn’t go as far as a one star rating, but I did kind of agree with what s/he wrote.* *I don’t mind buffets, but I thought the food could have been better.*

Germany, Stuttgart, 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!

Baden-Württemberg, Germany, 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.

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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Mother’s Day at Bad Urach with Zane and Arran…

This morning, the weather was so beautiful that I decided we needed to go out and do something fun. But I also had memories of last year on Mother’s Day, when we made the mistake of showing up at a local Greek restaurant without reservations. I had a feeling today would be no different. I proposed going to Tübingen with the dogs and maybe stopping at our favorite biergarten. I’ve been wanting to acclimatize the dogs to venturing out with us so I don’t feel so guilty leaving them home alone.

We got to Tübingen and it was pretty clear that parking was going to be a challenge. So then I suggested Bad Urach, even though I knew it would be packed. Bad Urach has a beautiful waterfall Bill and I visited last year and I knew it was dog friendly.

We saw lots of dogs today. My two were not all that tempted by the running stream on the way to the waterfall, but we saw several dogs that took a dip.

For some reason, when we visit Bad Urach, I am reminded of Little House On the Prairie.

When we got to Bad Urach, it was totally teeming with people. Lots of folks were searching for parking. We ended up inventing a space, then walked the dogs around the large loop in front of the waterfall. I decided this year to skip walking to the top, since we did that last fall and I wasn’t really feeling up to it with the dogs in tow. The walk around the huge meadow was good enough and we passed through a fest on the way back. They were having food, beer, wine, and music and I was tempted to hang out there. We would have had there not been ponies in attendance. Our dogs are afraid of horses and make quite a racket when they see them. That’s exactly what happened today. Too bad.

A quick peek at the falls. I was in no mood to climb up there today.

Such pretty meadows… and ruins in the distance.

We did manage to visit a biergarten near where we parked. This was our dogs’ first visit to a German biergarten and I’m proud to report that they did great. There was another dog there barking its head off and my two didn’t make a peep. That would not have been the case even two years ago when we were in Texas and took them to the Flying Saucer. Living in Germany has really helped them socialize. Maybe someday they’ll learn to love horses like I do.

A lively fest. I wanted to stay and listen to the music. Bill wanted to use the WC. Sadly, the ponies made our dogs go ape.

Sitting at the biergarten, waiting a long time in the sun for sausage and bread. The boys were pretty good.

So was the beer.

We shared this with the boys. They are the closest thing I’ll ever have to kids.

One thing to note about the biergarten is that they charge you to use the toilet. Actually, men can pee for free in urinals. Ladies have to pay 30 cents. Doesn’t seem fair to me.

Some lady came in while I was fishing for change and didn’t seem to grasp that it was a pay toilet. When she came out, she held the door open for me so I got to pee for free. I’m sure they have to deal with people peeing without eating, but I think this is pretty tacky. The food and beer were good, though.

That kid in the stroller was in need of a nap.

It was even more of a madhouse as we were trying to leave Bad Urach. Lots more cars were searching for parking. Our invented spot was grabbed up in seconds. On the way out, we passed our all day parking voucher to some guy in what looked like a brand new BMW convertible. I’m sure he didn’t miss the two euro parking fee, but he was happy that we gave him our voucher anyway and rewarded us with a “Super!”

Now we’re home, the boys are worn out, and I’m going to drink more beer. Happy Mother’s Day to everyone!

Baden-Württemberg, Tübingen

A quick trip to Bad Urach to see the waterfall…

Since it’s Labor Day weekend and we didn’t make any travel plans, I really wanted to try to do something different today. Sadly, after last night’s indulgent dinner and wine excursion, Bill and I got off to a slow start. Finally, around noon, I got dressed and Bill asked me what I wanted to do. I said I wanted to visit Bad Urach.

I actually wanted to see the town of Bad Urach and, perhaps, drop by their thermal baths. But Bill determined that we needed to hike up the famous Bad Urach waterfall. We set off from Unterjettingen at about 1:00 after I had a brief OCD moment worrying whether or not I had shut the door firmly. Bill had thought to pack me a bag of peanuts in case I got hangry, but I had a better idea. I said we should stop in Tübingen and have lunch. Bill agreed, and we ended up having a really nice meal at Die Kelter, which is a very cool restaurant on the main drag coming away from our favorite parking garage near the university clinic.

We last dined at Die Kelter last time we lived in Germany, though we have since been in there for drinks. Die Kelter has a very unique atmosphere and very good food. In fact, today when we had lunch, I couldn’t get over how great the place smelled… kind of like fresh bread and Mom’s Sunday roast.

Bill looking bored… It’s time to order him some new clothes.

We sat at one of the big tables on the main floor and a friendly waiter who spoke perfect English took care of us. I had the New York pastrami on focaccia with a salad. Bill had the pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw and fried potatoes. He had mint iced tea and I had a beer. But before lunch could begin, I had to hike to the ladies room. And when I say hike, I mean hike. You have to go up two or three flights of stairs (I lost count) to get to the toilet.

There are several of these signs to help you in case you lose your way…

Here’s a shot of the restaurant. I took it on the way back down to our table. Cool, huh?

Nice Baisinger beer. Locally brewed and I think it’s Die Kelter’s brew of choice. The bread was very fresh and yummy.

My delicious pastrami. Seriously, this was very good, and at 13 euros, not too pricey. The pastrami was cool to the touch, with a toasted focaccia bread bottom. It was served with a nice mustard sauce on the bread. The salad was delicious, especially because of the dressing. I don’t usually eat a lot of salad, but I could eat this every day. The dressing was like crack. And the cherry tomatoes were sweet and almost like candy.

Curiously, Bill’s sandwich (which the waiter said was a good choice) was advertised on the “small hunger” part of the menu. It was also very good. I enjoyed helping Bill eat the potatoes.

Bill is waiting for the bill…

A couple more interior shots.

Well worth a visit! We’ll be back again.

With our hunger satiated, we went back to the car and watched as a nervous woman tried very hard to get out of her parking spot. I guess she and her man were teaching a young guy with them how to drive. We were stuck behind them for awhile and it was a bit hair raising. But soon, we were out of the city and the countryside turned pretty. I told Bill I wished we’d gotten an earlier start because I knew I’d want to see more than the falls…

First glimpse of the trail to the waterfalls. There is a train station located very close for those who’d rather ride the train than drive. Plenty of parking is available, too. You have to pay to park, but the pass is good all day. There is no charge to see the waterfall.

By the time we parked and Bill got his parkschein, I really had to pee. Sadly, there were no public toilets to be found. There was a restaurant nearby, but I figured there would be something near the falls. I was mistaken.

Though I badly needed to find a toilet, I tried to focus on the natural beauty of the Bad Urach area. Clouds were rolling in and it made for some very dramatic photography.

But then we came upon a swiftly rushing brook… just what my aching bladder needed!

Castle ruins in the distance. We weren’t up to hiking there today. Perhaps another time.

There were many people at the waterfalls today. With no bathroom in sight, I was hoping to be able to pull off the trail and find a bush. Unfortunately, the opportunity didn’t present itself and even if there had been a good bush to duck behind, the throngs of people made it difficult to do so discreetly. Just as I was about to lose hope, I spotted what looked like a deep dry creek bed with lots of tree cover and a convenient overhang. I sneaked down into the creek bed, found a private spot, and took a glorious whiz away from the glare of onlookers. It’s a good thing I did, too… It would not have been fun to hike up the falls needing to whiz.

We reached the base of the falls, where a sign warned us against drinking the water. It looked cool, clear, and clean, but apparently it’s been known to cause waterborne illnesses. I’ve had giardia before. Don’t need a repeat experience.

We started the walk up the falls, which mostly consisted of taking some steps up the side. I’m pretty slow going up these things since I’m not very thin or fit, but there were many fearless kids running down as if the steps were nothing. There are no handrails. I did my best mountain goat impression as I made up way up. I was sad to see that some people had thoughtlessly left trash in the area.

The roots on this tree reminded me of a horde of fighting monkeys.

About halfway up.

At the top… I am told that there’s usually more water, but we didn’t have much rain over the summer.

The view off the top of the falls.

People making their way up.

I managed to annoy several people behind Bill and me because I took my time going down. Like I said, I’m not as fit as I’d like to be and the last thing I want to do is break my ass coming down those hard steps. They finally made a move to pass just as I was putting out my hand for balance. One of them said, “Hallo.” I stepped aside, let them pass, and asked Bill if there was anybody else. He said no, then got in front of me and let me steady myself by putting my hand on his shoulder as we descended. Oh, how I miss the days when I was a kid and hadn’t yet fallen on my face in public.

Dramatic shots of the castle ruins.

On the way back to the car, Bill decided to pull off at the same place I did and relieve himself. Of course, when he did that, he attracted the curiosity of a couple who were wondering what they were missing. I wanted to say that all they were missing was my husband taking a whiz. You can see that on the side of the autobahn anytime. The same couple was ahead of us and I had a good laugh when someone walking the other way inexplicably said “Hallo!” in a cheery tone of voice. She laughed as she passed and the male half of the couple turned and stared at her with a confused expression on his face. I guess random people don’t go around saying “Hello!” so enthusiastically in these parts.

While Bill peed, I distracted myself by taking a photo of this tree.

An adorable and friendly golden retriever took an extended dip in the creek. Bill almost got a shower when the dog came up and shook off the excess water in front of him.

Another shot of the dog playing fetch in the water.

We left Bad Urach after our short visit, vowing to come back and see more sometime soon. On the way back to Unterjettingen, we decided to see the Mad Scientist at Agais in Entringen. We didn’t really need to eat, but we knew he needed the business and it’s always fun to see him. So we dropped in at just before 5:30 and had a nice Greek meal.

Beer instead of wine…

A small salad…

I had grilled turkey. Bill had souvlaki, which I didn’t photograph because he’s had it before. I have had the turkey before, but not since we moved back to Germany. It was a nice change of pace.

When we got home, Zane and Arran went absolutely nuts. They showered me with beagle kisses after they ate their dinner and had a potty break. They had a brief play session. Now, I suspect they’re asleep.

We had a really good day, despite starting off with a hangover. Next weekend will be even better because we’ll be in Austria while everyone else is back at work!

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Chasing waterfalls in touristy Triberg…

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

A cow passed us as we headed into town…

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

The picturesque field where we took a short rest…

A map of the area…

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

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

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

Pizzeria Pinocchio

Pinnochio is in the house!

Bill waits patiently for food and wine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Main drag…

Complete with water…

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

Main entrance to the waterfalls.

First view of the falls.

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

First level… there’s a ways to go…

Bill gazes at all the watery splendor…

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

I wonder if anyone heard this tree fall…

View from the very top…

On the way out…

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cuckoo clocks!

Touristy hotel with cafe…

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

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

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

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

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