Black Forest, Brauereis and Bathing

Way to start a two week holiday – with a hangover.

You certainly get your moneys worth on the Dusseldorf Brauerei tour. Don’t be fooled, it’s less about the brewing and more about the beer. Then what do you do when you’ve had a few beers, buy some souvenirs. Our choice was a crate (small) of Killepitsch. Apparently better than Jaegermeister. Still to be confirmed. I’ll take a squash.

Moving on from two days in Dusseldorf, Heidelberg was next up and we couldn’t have arrived on a better day to see the Old Bridge and Schloss Heidelberg in glorious sunshine.  I recommend travelling up to the Königsstuhl on the old funicular to get a amazing view of the town.  Spargel (white asparagus) is now in season and German certainly take this seriously, it’s on the menu everywhere. In the spirit of trying new things, now was the time to give it a go. And the verdict is…it’s not for me. I much prefer green asparagus. The white stuff seemed to lack flavour and be like a limp leek, the best bit was the accompanying Hollandaise sauce.

On to Baden Baden and as the name suggests – to bathe to bathe-, we couldn’t visit this spa town without taking a dip. Caracalla was the spa of choice and one I can recommend. Not too scary if you believe all the German spa myths, you can remain clothed! There are saunas, treatment areas and both indoor and outdoor pools – perfect when it is snowing! (Note to self; don’t expect to travel Germany during April and have good weather.) 

Next destination was a town just outside of Freiburg, called Glottertal. This was my favourite place of everywhere we stayed during the two weeks. Mountains to the front and a river running behind the hotel, we were really experiencing the great outdoors of the Black Forest. From Glottertal, we could travel to the many tourist destinations in the area. First on the agenda, and accompanied by more snow was Lake Titisee. The lake was the perfect backdrop for sampling some Schwarzwald Kirsch Torte aka Black Forest Gateaux. Not the first time I’ve had it but this one was certainly more authentic with a few drops of kirsch. Just what I needed to get the energy for Badesparadise, a water park in the middle of the mountains. I’m not a fan of waterparks and still not after conquering a surprise half pipe ride. Never. Again.

One of the things we were most looking forward to on the trip was Europa park. It’s a bit on the pricey side but worth it, a great fun day out that everyone can enjoy. It reminded me of Disney World with the midday parade and country themed areas. Pretty chuffed with myself after smashing out the top three scary rides within the first couple of hours. From then I could go on to enjoy everything else (and my lunch), phew. Only 2% of visitors are British, you’re missing out.

If walking around Europa park wasn’t enough, why not do a hike up a waterfall the following day. Triberg is known for being the home of the highest waterfall in Germany, as well as the House of a 1000 clocks. The waterfall is the highlight! It’s steep climb but worth the views, and helps to burn off a few of the roadtrip snacks. 

Across Germany (and beyond) you’ll find many Rodelbahns (outdoor mountain toboggan). The first time I saw one was from afar at Lake Bled in Slovenia and from then I’ve wanted to try it out. This 1000km ride was a nice warm up to one later in the trip. Basically you’re winched up a mountain then given control of your own acceleration and brakes of a go-kart, ensue hurtling down a mountain. Hold on tight!

Part 2…Schneeballs, castles and Konstanz