Today we took a drive on the scenic route through the southern Black Forest -- the Schwarzwald Panoramastrasse. Very beautiful scenery today!
We are staying in the Kinzig Valley within the Schwarzwald. There is a river, the Kinzig, which runs throughout the valley and s
eems to have a couple of other tributaries. There are many places where the river really runs quickly and in the spots where it is fairly low and rocky there are a lot of rapids. Very fast! Makes Louisa want to put on her helmet and rafting armour and try another go at it!! (NOT!!).
Our first stop on our route today was at Triberg which has two claims to fame: First, it was the first place in the Black Forest where the cuckoo clock was made. Also it has the highest waterfalls in Germany. We stopped at a couple of cuckoo clock shops -- they seemed to be highly touristic and we weren't convinced the clocks were still made in Germany. One shop, however, had a fellow carving parts for the clocks. He explained that the clocks in his shop which were battery driven were no longer made in Germany, but the manual clocks of wood were still hand-carved in the area. They are very beautiful and those little figures that come out on the chimes are so cute!
Second we went up to the waterfall (wasserfalle). The hike was within the forest and it was very pretty in there. The trees were very dense in areas, but the pathway was well developed for tourists so it wasn't a backwoods hike at all. The falls are very nice by German standards I suppose, but when you have seen Niagara Falls and even the Helmcken Falls in Wells Grey Park it is hard to be impressed by these ones. Pretty hike though and it was nice to be up there.
So, onward we drove through some of the most peaceful, lush, rolling green hills and thick dense forested roads we have seen for some time. Very, very nice drive. We passed at the highest altitudes through two ski resort areas (again, Silver Star skiers may find it hard to be impressed) but there were little chalets for the skiers and tow bars up the hills.
We aren't certain about the height of the pass when we started the descent to Wardkirch. We were passing through the clouds on the way down a very narrow, twisting road with limited visibility. By the time we reached the bottom both of us had plugged ears from the altitude decrease.
We stopped for lunch today in Triberg and had a Schwarzwald Speciality -- goulashsuppe. It was a very thick and rich beef soup more like a stew and served with some of the delicious bread found in this area. Very tasty and very filling.
Richard spent a lot of time driving today and Louisa spent a lot of time asking him to stop to look at the views and take photos!!
We stopped back in Old Town Gengenback for Kaffe und Kunchen again today. It was a partly sunny day so the clouds have lifted considerably making some of the photo opportunities a bit better.
We must admit we are both a bit travel weary. We have been on the go for many weeks now and are looking forward to coming home. Tomorrow we will just spend around Gengenbach area as we have the long autobahn drive Saturday morning back to Freising to turn in the car. Louisa is starting to feel the beginnings of a cold/sore throat so time to slow down our sightseeing a bit.
eems to have a couple of other tributaries. There are many places where the river really runs quickly and in the spots where it is fairly low and rocky there are a lot of rapids. Very fast! Makes Louisa want to put on her helmet and rafting armour and try another go at it!! (NOT!!).
Our first stop on our route today was at Triberg which has two claims to fame: First, it was the first place in the Black Forest where the cuckoo clock was made. Also it has the highest waterfalls in Germany. We stopped at a couple of cuckoo clock shops -- they seemed to be highly touristic and we weren't convinced the clocks were still made in Germany. One shop, however, had a fellow carving parts for the clocks. He explained that the clocks in his shop which were battery driven were no longer made in Germany, but the manual clocks of wood were still hand-carved in the area. They are very beautiful and those little figures that come out on the chimes are so cute!
Second we went up to the waterfall (wasserfalle). The hike was within the forest and it was very pretty in there. The trees were very dense in areas, but the pathway was well developed for tourists so it wasn't a backwoods hike at all. The falls are very nice by German standards I suppose, but when you have seen Niagara Falls and even the Helmcken Falls in Wells Grey Park it is hard to be impressed by these ones. Pretty hike though and it was nice to be up there.
So, onward we drove through some of the most peaceful, lush, rolling green hills and thick dense forested roads we have seen for some time. Very, very nice drive. We passed at the highest altitudes through two ski resort areas (again, Silver Star skiers may find it hard to be impressed) but there were little chalets for the skiers and tow bars up the hills.
We aren't certain about the height of the pass when we started the descent to Wardkirch. We were passing through the clouds on the way down a very narrow, twisting road with limited visibility. By the time we reached the bottom both of us had plugged ears from the altitude decrease.
We stopped for lunch today in Triberg and had a Schwarzwald Speciality -- goulashsuppe. It was a very thick and rich beef soup more like a stew and served with some of the delicious bread found in this area. Very tasty and very filling.
Richard spent a lot of time driving today and Louisa spent a lot of time asking him to stop to look at the views and take photos!!
We stopped back in Old Town Gengenback for Kaffe und Kunchen again today. It was a partly sunny day so the clouds have lifted considerably making some of the photo opportunities a bit better.
We must admit we are both a bit travel weary. We have been on the go for many weeks now and are looking forward to coming home. Tomorrow we will just spend around Gengenbach area as we have the long autobahn drive Saturday morning back to Freising to turn in the car. Louisa is starting to feel the beginnings of a cold/sore throat so time to slow down our sightseeing a bit.
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