The Black Forest
The Black Forest was our last excursion on our Viking Rhine River cruise. When I first looked at our stops for the trip, I thought this might be one of the best. However, it was actually my least favorite stop. We had an earlier excursion and were perhaps tired. Also, it involved a somewhat long bus ride. Lastly, my phone battery was dying, so not many photos.
Breitnau Cuckoo Clock Village
Our destination was Breitnau, Germany’s Cuckoo Clock Village. We took a long scenic route in getting there with some information along the way about the area. It was lovely, but it seemed to go on forever.
The World’s Second Largest Cuckoo Clock is there. It places music and has figures representing dancers go across the second level. It was quite a novelty to see.
We had time allotted for either a glass blowing or cuckoo clock making demonstration. Several years ago, we saw glass being blown in Venice. So, we decided to go to the clock making demonstration. Also, the German Black Forest is famous for cuckoo clocks. They have been making them for hundreds of years.
Cuckoo Clock Shop
If you have an interest in cuckoo clocks, this would be a very cool place to visit. The demo was interesting. We enjoyed looking at all the clocks, but it was not something we were really excited about.
The figure below was huge and colorful. I looked up “Jagerstube” and learned it means hunting parlor.
There were lots of cuckoo clocks there. I thought the steins in the photo below were also interesting.
Black Forest Cake
Lastly, there is a restaurant on the lower level of the building and it sponsored a demonstration on how the Black Forest Cake is made. We certainly had to try a piece of it! I’m thinking the cake doesn’t get more authentic than while you’re actually in the Black Forest.
Freiburg Germany
We returned to our Viking ship via a shorter route through the beautiful city of Freiburg. It is considered the capital of the Black Forest. Freiburg is the warmest city in Germany and is in southern Germany next to both Switzerland and France. The city has a high number of students, which represent almost ten percent of the population.
I did a little research and learned that Freiburg is a very green city. There was a major shift in the later 1900s to walking, cycling, and the use of mass transportation. Freiburg is a very focused leader in sustainable development.
Scenes from the Bus
The citizens are quite outdoorsy and spend a good bit of time in the summer enjoying the Dreisam River.
We only saw the city from the windows of the bus, but I would have loved to see it on a walking tour.
In Conclusion
The Black Forest brings thoughts of heavy forests, cuckoo clocks, Black Forest cake, and fairy tales. It’s an enchanting place.
While not my favorite stop on our cruise, I am glad we were able to experience it first hand. It is certainly a beautiful area! I have strong German roots on my father’s side, but I don’t know from what area they came. As we have traveled through Germany, I often wondered if my ancestors lived there.
Our previous excursion was The Colmar Pocket. Check it out for some little-known information about the fighting that occurred nearby at the end of WWII.
