The Black Forest
Bavaria and the Black Forest are the two areas in Germany we planned to visit at the beginning of our journey. These two areas are where most of our European friends and relatives reside (with the exception of friends in Bremen, Italy and Spain), so we planned to say good-bye to them before jetting off to the other side of the world.
Here in the Black Forest, there was not enough time to see everyone, as our plan was to go hiking and explore this area more. I lived here for three years of my childhood but have only vague memories of how beautiful the area really is.
After visiting my sister-in-law, we also met with my cousin and my aunt, whose 90th birthday I would unfortunately miss this upcoming fall. So, we allowed ourselves to take more time and saw my aunt on several days. We enjoyed an outstanding lunch with her in the local restaurant Sternenpost in a small village near-by her place, Oberried, that I discovered the last time I was here.
A delicious dessert!
We had booked online a first-year chalet, which had beautiful vistas and lots of space for Randy and me. Here we enjoyed spending a week of peace and quiet and our first hikes in the Black Forest.
The chalet was nestled in a peaceful and beautiful valley
An amazing location on a peaceful mountainside overlooking a sleepy valley. We can really recommend it should you come into this area: https://chalet-foret.de
The view from of our patio where we had breakfast every morning….
….and relaxed to watch a carpet of stars with the milky way on full display at night
We had to start somewhere with our motto of walking and hiking, so our first trip included a gondola up the Feldberg, the most well-known mountain of the Black Forest (more a hill actually).
View of the paths from Feldberg Tower
The Feldberg is the highest mountain in the German state of Baden-Württemberg which is located in the South-West of Germany.
We also walked on the hill Schauinsland. This Southern part of the Black Forest is a walking and hiking paradise, as there are so so many paths through nature, for all levels of fitness and interest, with very good sign posts everywhere.
The Black Forest Line bridge in Todtnau opened this year and was only a short 20 minute walk from where we stayed. Randy naturally had to challenge his fear of heights by crossing it; I could not care less.
Randy doing his thing
The Black Forest has many snaking valleys, this one viewed from a suspension bridge in Todtnauberg
Fields of wild flowers color the roads all over the Black Forest – here in Furtwangen
When in the Black Forest, one would be remiss when not enjoying one of its classic desserts
After spending a week in the area of the Black Forest, we knew we will return. It is a wonderful place to hike, eat, and be at peace.
