Route 500 to Gutach Valley
12 September 2017
We woke up to another rainy morning. Seems like we will have rain for most of this trip, but that's ok. We will always make the best of it! We had another fantastic breakfast in the hotel, just as yesterday. We packed up and checked out, excited for the next leg of our journey, but a bit bummed that we had to go. We really liked it there, both the hotel itself and the area in general. It was a tough spot to leave.
On the way back to the Rt. 500, down a small back road that really looked like we were going into a school, there was a little chapel on the hill. We stopped to visit, and while we couldn't go in, the little spot on the hill was a nice quiet spot to walk around. There are so many of these quaint little places tucked away that are almost like a mini-adventure to seek out. We then wound up back on the Rt. 500 once again, heading up through Schönwald im Schwarzwald to Triberg.
When I was a kid, my favorite dessert was a Black Forest cake. Cherries were my favorite fruit, and I loved the way they mixed with the cream and chocolate. Whenever we would go out to the diner I'd always want to get a slice. As I got older though, and my tastes changed (dare I say "refined"), I moved away from the dessert. The cholate cake itself was too dense, the cream icing was too heavy, and the cherries just tasted like the canned pie filling. Overall, it was much too sweet, and the flavor was a bit too artificial. I've since thought about trying a real one (called "Schwarzwald Kirschtorte" in German), made properly with quality ingredients, and maybe even made by myself from an authentic recipe. Well, right before the trip we watched an episode from our favorite British culinary adventurers - the Hairy Bikers - as they travelled around Europe exploring the traditions of baking. On these travels they had found the place that made the claim for the original Schwarzwald Kirschtorte recipe. And how convenient, it was 20 minutes from where we were staying! Triberg was on the plan for this trip all along, with the cuckoo clocks, waterfall, and picturesque buildings all being things we wanted to see. And while we were a bit late for the café when we were here the other night, we were passing through again today. Stopping was a must!
Café Schaefer was a small bakery shop right along the main road in Triberg. Actually, it is just a block further up from Wursthaus-Alt-Triberg where we had dinner the other night. We got an easy parking spot out front, found a seat, and ordered our coffee and a slice of the cake to share. First – this was most definitely not the old diner cake I had as a kid. Instead of the dense chocolate cake, this was light and airy. Instead of the thick icing, this had a light whipped cream. Instead of the pie filling, this was made with sour cherries. Nothing tasted artificial, nothing was too sugary, nothing was too heavy. It was perfect! Second – we were surprised to find a thin layer of pastry crust along the bottom. A little feature I've never seen on one before, but it added that little crunch and pastry taste that elevated the dessert even further. Lastly – I knew that the traditional way was to splash some of the Kirschwasser schnapps on the cake, but wow! Good thing we shared the slice, because if we each had one we would have staggered out of the café! In all, the stop at Café Schaefer was a great choice, and – original recipe or not – their version redeemed the Schwarzwald Kirschtorte from the sad imitations of my youth.
A bit further beyond Triberg was the world's largest cuckoo clock. This is one of those absolutely touristy things that you just have to stop to see. Luckily for us it was almost on the hour, so we wandered a bit through the store for a bit. There was a good mix of mass produced clocks that were cheaper for a touristy gift, a selection of quality locally made traditional clocks for the real thing, and a room full of amazing (and very expensive) grandfather clocks. We checked the time, then headed out, happily noticing that the rain had slowed to a light drizzle. The clock struck the hour, and a giant cuckoo bird came out and did its chirp over the highway. If you are right there, it's definitely something to see once!
We continued up 500 through the Gutach Valley with the rain starting and stopping the entire way, and definitely getting heavy at times. They have something here called a rodelbahn, which is basically like a luge sled that goes down the hills on rails. They are mainly summer activities, but they are open this time of year weather permitting. Unfortunately, the weather is not permitting. You can find these all throughout the Alps and the surrounding regions, so we will hopefully have the chance to ride one in the future. It's too bad we missed our opportunity this time though...
