The Black Forest
10 September 2017, continued
For a very long time now I have been fascinated by the Black Forest. Even the name itself sounds like a location from a fantasy novel. Everything from the pretty little villages, to the eerie misty landscape and dark woods, to the abundance of legends and fairy tales that have come from the area have captivated and inspired me over the years. Finally, we get the chance to visit. We have been anticipating this moment since we began planning this trip, and finally we have arrived!
The landscape had changed noticeably from the bright sunny seascape of the Bodensee into the overcast tree-covered hillsides of the Black Forest. The trees rose tall on either side of us as the road cut through the woods, occasionally opening up to stretches of green farmland. We drove for miles down the curvy road, going right into the heart of the forest. It was our intention on this trip to not just look at pretty villages and cuckoo clocks, but to actually get into the forest itself. As we were driving along a little road with the dense forest all around us, we found a pull off spot in the trees. We parked and ventured into the Schwarzwald.
The denseness of the woods struck me instantly. We could see in for maybe a few yards before the trees blended together to seemingly form a wall of wood, covered in a thick darkness where we could see no further. The sun was out and shining on the road, but the light could barely penetrate the forest, giving an almost twilight glow. The air was noticeably cooler in the dark woods, thick and heady yet clean and refreshing. The other thing that struck me were the trees themselves. They were so tall, with their greenery starting way up near the top; but they were not at all leaning, not branching out or twisting, instead they were incredibly straight as they reached high up into the sky overhead.
We walked further in, passing a small bush of fresh blackberries by the edge of the treeline. I plucked off a couple for a little snack as we stepped over the mossy ground. The mystique and lore of the Schwarzwald has for a long time drawn me to the forest, and there I stood, surrounded by its penetrating, awe inspiring presence. It is truly no wonder so many fantastical stories were born here, as looking into the dark depths of the forest could really make one believe in wood fairies and haunting witches. One could really believe that magic is real here. We wandered through the woods further, passing over stumps and mushrooms, sitting on old mossy logs, and taking inspiring pictures. Beth looked stunning, surrounded by the Schwarzwald wearing her bright red dress, the contrast in the way she radiated against the darkness of the woods behind her reminded us of the Red Riding Hood story. She stood out like a beacon of beauty in the dark forest, the eerie woods lurking behind her like the spirit of the Big Bad Wolf itself. So beautiful! So inspiring!
I loved this place as much as I had always dreamed!
I easily could have spent all the rest of the day in those woods, but we had to get back to the car. Now that I know how dark the forest can be in broad daylight, I can't imagine looking for a place deep in the woods after the sun goes down! We drove through the woods and took in the scenery, cut through the pretty town of Vöhrenbach and made our way to Furtwangen. A quick turn through the town and we found the small, windy road that would lead us up to our hotel. The road wound through the woods for a few miles, and as we passed ski crossings and a little park area with swinging grills, we twisted and turned our way back into the forest. We finally arrived at the Hotel Brend, a little guesthouse secluded deep in the woods. It had a nice little restaurant, an observation tower that looked out over the area, and wooden reclining benches with an incredible view. That is the type of place I love to find! There was an open area near the tower, and a little hut with signs for fresh honey. Must be something they do in season. I already feel like we are going to need to come back and see the Schwarzwald in warmer weather!
We checked in to Hotel Brend, and our room was beautiful, yet simple- bright wood and a comfy bed, and two big windows with great views. We took a bit of a rest, then went out to look over the property. The hotel was at the top of a hill, and walking over to the clearing by the edge where it sloped down gave a wonderful view over the trees. The view was to the west, and the sun was working its way to the horizon, and beautiful as it was we were getting blinded by the light. We lounged on the incredibly comfortable chairs, took shadow pictures against the sunlight, and took some time to enjoy the clean air and the quiet.
The long, windy drive down the woodland road brought us back to Furtwangen. That was pretty much the only way in or out. We headed north along Rt. 500, the long scenic road that runs through this area of the forest. Something tells me we will drive this road quite a bit over the next few days. We stopped off quick at a small town called Schönwald im Shwarzwald, the "Pretty Forest in the Black Forest". It was a cute little town, with woodcarvings and ornate signs outside the typical Black Forest buildings, but it also seemed to be very seasonal as most of the shops were closed. Still, it was a nice walk through the cool air, enjoying the calm evening while imagining what it would be like when the weather was nice and the streets were full.
Rt. 500 was very windy as we approached Triberg, curving down from the steep hillside into the small town. Triberg is one of the destination towns in the Black Forest, noted for its pretty downtown, abundance of cuckoo clocks, nice restaurants, and tourist-catering shops. There was a café here we wanted to try, though it was much too late for that today. Restaurants were open so we planned to stay for dinner after we walked the street, but first we needed to stop by the waterfall. The Triberger Wasserfalle sits along the Gutach River just on the edge of town. There was a little nature park set up there, with trails and boardwalk platforms set up around the falls where we could get close. Apparently there is a fee in season, but all of that was closed. We had free access to the trails and took the boards right down by the bottom of the falls. Shame I left my little pop-up tripod back at the hotel, still I tried to steady the camera for the best low light shots I could get. I love shooting waterfalls with a long shutter! We watched the water flow down the rocks into the little pool below until it grew dark enough to where we decided to head out. It's amazing just how hypnotizing that water can be.
Past the little treehouse and rope bridge we found the exit back to the street. We wandered up a bit, passing the many storefronts with their cuckoo clocks. Maybe we will get one, but if we do it has to be a locally made clock. Unfortunately, there are many cheap Chinese knockoffs being sold in the tourist-trap shops here. It’s a shame to cheapen the local craftwork the area is known for with mass-produced imitations, but that's the world these days. It really is worth the little bit of time it takes to research these things, and make sure you are getting what you pay for. Anyway, the shops were all closed at the moment, and we aren't sure if we were going to spend the money on something to bring home or not. As nice as an authentic Black Forest cuckoo clock would be, we don't really need more things in the house. Still, if you are ever planning to get one here, look into them and make sure you are getting the real deal.
Along the main road in Triberg was a place called Wursthaus alt-Triberg, and like the name implied, this was a sausage place! We do love our German sausages (hey, you! Out of the gutter!), and I've read this place is pretty good. We started with that other German tradition we are totally on board with – the Radler! A Radler is a mix of a pilsner beer with lemon soda (think Sprite or 7Up). Sounds a bit weird, but it is actually super refreshing. As cold as it can be in Germany, you would think they would think they would go for something heartier, not lighter and refreshing, but this is what is popular here. We are big fans! Germans also do another mix with Hefeweizen and cola. We’ve seen it everywhere, but that just does not sound appealing. Anyway, the Radler we had was made with Fürstenberg, and was nice and tasty. We both got the Bratwurst and potato salad, because when you’re in a place called Wursthaus, you get the best wurst (does that joke get old? I don’t think so). After dinner we switched from the light Radler to something a bit stronger. They call it “brandy” here, though I always thought of it as schnapps. But basically the lighter-fluid like Kirschwasser (from cherries) and Williams (from pears) liquors are the local distilled beverage of choice, and holy cow are they fire water. I’ve had the Kirschwasser before, but never the Williams. Potent, potent stuff. Not at all like the Hirschkrah from Salzburg or the fruity schnapps in Nuremberg from the last trip!
It was well after dark when we started heading back to the hotel. We checked out some options on Google maps to try to avoid going all the way down to Furtwangen, but the GPS was all over the place. I think that some of the roads here are mapped as roads, when they are really trails or private drives. Anyway, we were heading down a dark road and were told to turn through a gate into a farm. There was a big tractor blocking the way the map said to go, and we decided to back out. Nothing is quite as fun as doing a three-point turn in an unfamiliar car, on a tiny road, in absolute pitch blackness. As we were turning, something darted in front of the car. Maybe a fox. Maybe a fantastical Black Forest creature. Who knows? We decided to backtrack to Furtwangen and go the regular way.
As we drove down our windy road to Brend, the moon was out in full force, sending its soft, strong glow to pour down over us at every clearing. It was an amazing, beautiful night. We parked in the lot and started toward the hotel, but decided to walk out into the field. The darkness was enveloping, we could barely see what was right in front of our faces. But we could sure see the sky. Before us stretched more stars than we have seen in a very long time, possibly since our honeymoon in Ireland all those years ago. It was spectacular, overwhelming even. I set the camera up for some long exposure pictures as we stood out in the cold wind and just looked up. The Big Dipper sat a bit over the tree line, and the Milky Way cut through the sky. City living sure has its perks, but losing this view is definitely a big sacrifice. But maybe that makes us appreciate it more at times like this. We watched for a bit longer before the cold air forced us inside. Under the warm blankets in our cozy room, we cuddled up in the comfortable bed. The lovely room, close quarters, and the inspiration from the romantic forest itself kindled some energy. The room had gotten rather warm as we shook off the cold from the windy night.
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