Quaint towns and Black Forest : Germany Part 1

Let’s play the word association game. Basically, I will give you a word and you tell me the first three things that come to your head. Ready? I’ll start. Germany: Machines, Oktoberfest and unfortunately, Hitler.

For anyone who hasn’t been to Germany, the words that came to mind were probably along the same lines. So I’m going to change that. I’m here to tell you that Germany is so much more than that. The idea that Germans are cold and military-like is a tired and frankly, wrong, stereotype.

Now from the title you might have guessed that this is going to be part of a series. This is because if I would have tried to compile everything we did in Germany into one long post, we’d all be here for hours. So in this post I will cover: Heidelberg and Baden – Baden. The next post will be: Bingen and Koblenz while the last post will be: Berlin and Munich.

Okay, first stop – Heidelberg. It’s a quaint little town in Germany, famous for the Heidelberg Castle. We reached Heidelberg in the late afternoon and spent the evening exploring the town. We stayed at the Heidelberg Exzellenz Hotel. The hotel has a very colonial feel to it. What we loved most was the location. It was very close to the city centre and we were able to explore Heidelberg on foot. The stone buildings and cobblestone sidewalks were straight out of a postcard. Everywhere we walked, we got a view of the beautiful castle and when the town clock chimed, it almost felt as if we were thrown back in time. We walked across a bridge over the Neckar river where we happened upon a rowing competition. People cheered for their respective teams from the bridge and everyone looked like they were having so much fun that even we got caught up in the excitement. After spending some time on the bridge we decided to get dinner. One thing to remember about small towns in Europe – everything shuts around 7pm. So don’t decide to go shopping late in the evening and early dinners are best. We found a small café on a quiet street where you can eat peacefully and watch the people go by. It was the perfect start to our holiday.

The next day we went to the Heidelberg Castle. I mean, you can’t go to Heidelberg and not visit the castle right? Since the castle perches atop a hill, there are two ways to get there: you can either walk up the 315 steps leading to the castle or, if you’re lazy like us, take the funicular train.

Once you’re up, the scene changes drastically. You will suddenly find yourself surrounded by trees, flowers and of course, the red ruins of the castle. It’s truly right out of a fairytale. I can almost imagine myself as a warrior princess ready to fight the enemies who tried to destroy my town. Anyway *embarrassed cough* moving on – the castle is surrounded by gardens with lush green grass and pretty flowers. It makes you want to just sit in the garden and stare at the castle forever. Oh, and the view. Let’s not forget the view people. The castle and the gardens overlook the town and you get the most amazing view of brick rooftops and the winding river. Now as I said earlier, we took the train up. But we chose to take the steps back down. You know why? Because, 1) It’s less exercise and 2) The views change as you go down giving you a 360 degree look at Heidelberg.

After walking down we decided to visit the town square. It was bustling with life. Cafes, ice cream parlours, boutiques and pubs scattered along the tiny streets and people were milling about, enjoying the end of a work day. We did a little shopping and then sat down at one of the pubs which had put tables and chairs right onto the street so that people could enjoy the warm summer breeze. True to Germany, we drank a couple beers, ate some good food and had an all round brilliant day.

There are a few others things to do and see in Heidelberg (which I have referenced at the end of this post) but it was time for us to say goodbye to this historically rich town. Before we left, however, we rented a car from one of the many car rental places available (referenced that too) because the next part of our journey is *drumroll* a road trip!!!!

So we got in our car, switched on the GPS, changed the language from German to English and finally took off. We were super excited to drive on the famous autobahns of Germany. And let me tell you, it exceeded all expectations. The highways are like butter and once you reach a certain speed, you don’t feel like the car is even moving anymore. Sort of like an airplane. Whaaaatttt?

were super excited to drive on the famous autobahns of Germany. And let me tell you, it exceeded all expectations. The highways are like butter and once you reach a certain speed, you don’t feel like the car is even moving anymore. Sort of like an airplane. Whaaaatttt?

Moving on, we pretty much reached Baden – Baden without any trouble and as soon as we entered the town, we were completely taken with it. Baden – Baden is well known for its spas, retreats and luxury shops. That being said, it is totally worth visiting. Not only for the spas and all, but because the town itself feels like a fairytale. We dropped our bags off at the Quellenhof hotel and walked around for a while just admiring the town. It’s the same drill as most towns in Europe, cobblestone streets and town squares filled with cafes and pubs. But later in the evening, we decided to go visit the gardens. One of my favourite things to do whenever we go to Europe is just sit in the pretty gardens and watch people going about their day.

These gardens, however, were a little bit different. It was more like walking around the private estate of a rich bachelor with a dark past. You know what I mean right? Straight out of Beauty and the Beast. There were tennis courts and ducks and private spas in the garden itself. You know what? Words cannot even describe it. Just take a look for yourself.

That’s right. This, ladies and gentlemen is a public park. It was drizzling which made the whole thing more magical if that was even possible. Completely in awe over the whole experience, I tumbled into bed that night, my dreams full of ballrooms and dancing teacups age from German to English and finally took off.

We were super excited to drive on the famous autobahns of Germany. And let me tell you, it exceeded all expectations. The highways are like butter and once you reach a certain speed, you don’t feel like the car is even moving anymore. Sort of like an airplane. Whaaaatttt?

Another reason to visit Baden – Baden, is that it is the perfect location to visit the Black Forest. It’s the best place to take a day trip to the forest and back. So the next morning we took the car and headed out to see the Black Forest. We had also planned on visiting a few villages that fall along the Black Forest route.

The first village, Gengenbach, marked the start of our Black Forest tour. We stopped for a while to take a stroll around the village and eat the most amazing black forest cake. The only downer was that it was a gloomy day and the rain was making it difficult to explore much. I still have a bunch of pictures for you to enjoy:

Next we drove to Villingen – Schwenningen to take a break and have some lunch. It was like any other town in Germany, beautiful and rustic. However, the whole town square and marketplace was under construction so we didn’t get to check it out much and just stopped for a quick lunch before heading to Triberg to see the famous waterfall.

It was a truly amazing experience. Lush green trees surrounded us as we trekked through the forest-y area where we could see views of the Triberg town below us. Tiny creeks and brooks babbled along the way as we got closer to the waterfall. The air was misty and the as we got closer, the sounds of the waterfall grew louder. It was enchanting and mysterious, everything that the Black Forest promises to be.

Our last stop of the day was to marvel at the World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock, which was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Just a short drive from Triberg, this cuckoo clock is in Schonach im Schwarzwald and is humongous. You might need to time it so that you reach just as the clock chimes to reveal the little wooden people dancing. Otherwise, you might have to wait a while. It was a great end to a great day and I couldn’t help but feel happy on the drive back to Baden – Baden.

The next day was our last day in Baden – Baden so took the morning off to explore a little bit more. We discovered the rose gardens and a spa that overlooks the town. We then ate a quick bite and drove off to visit our last village of our Black Forest tour. Calw is a picturesque village that has a river flowing through it. We pretty much spent the whole day walking in the open marketplace trying different food and shopping for some souvenirs.

This marked the end of our time in the Black Forest and so, it also marks the end of this post. If you’re looking to explore a little and take some time away from the city, Heidelberg and the Black Forest provide the perfect escape.