How Green is my Valley

Sonja: It has been raining for almost two days straight and I was getting cabin fever. So I dressed for the occasion (hiking rain gear) donned my headphones, turned on the music and walked up the hill behind our dwelling. There is an abundance of hiking trails up in the forest, and most trails are in good condition.

There was a constant drizzle and I was slowly getting wet, so I thought, why not getting wet(ter) in the pool?

Actually it was a wading pool. Off with shoes and socks, I went into the deep end. With outside temperatures of 13C (55F), and a felt water temperature around zero (32F), I was freezing in the beginning, but it got better after a few rounds.

You are supposed to walk around like a stork, and also dip your arms in it. The water therapy is meant to heal and keep you healthy... I for my part felt refreshed and warm, that is after I gave my feet a good rubbing.

Moving on I had to make sure I stayed on the right track, to avoid losing myself in the woods. There are many (sometimes confusing) signs pointing in various directions, and I was surprised to see what distance I had already made.

This time of the year the forest is rich with all kinds of mushrooms. As a (mostly) Vegan I love meals and salads that have white mushrooms, chanterelles or porcini in it.

I spotted a male version of lil' Red Riding Hood in the forest. A basket in his right he was walking slowly, and almost looked like in some kind of trance, so I went to see what that was about. Turned out that he was a mushroom gatherer (or however you call them), and he proudly showed me his treasures.

The one on the left is a Marone, and the one on the right is a Hexenröhrling, a mushroom that loses its toxic properties when properly prepared. He also had chanterelles in his basket (yum!). I wished him a good hunting and walked on.

It was time to turn around, I had already spent almost two hours in the forest, and was admittedly quite soaked through by then.

The apples are ripe for picking, and the corn is almost 'done', too. I am looking forward to harvest season and all the local produce showing up on farmer's market.

Straight ahead on the hill I could spot the castle ruin of Hohengeroldseck, but it was shrouded in clouds again when I made a second attempt to snap a picture.

It's hardhat season. There was a thump and some tock-tock behind me, and suddenly I found myself attacked by falling apples and acorns.

 Happy me in the canola fields.

About three hours later I came home dripping wet, and with a good reason to take a warm shower, don some comfy clothing and slurp a hot veggie broth. Life is good!

In the Claws of German Bureaucracy... a Happy Ending?!

It was about time to get our license plates replaced for our Audi and Sonja's Vespa Alonzo (changing the address always means changing plates in Germany, except if you stay in the same city), so we opened another chapter in our book of horrors through German Road Traffic License Departments. Or so we thought...

In fact it turned out that in the Ortenau District you can prepare everything using the Internet. First you are able to reserve a plate. Then you provide all necessary information in a website template. And finally they even allow you to book appointments to finalize the process at the department. 

We chose a 4:30 pm date which is pretty much the last one of the day and arrived just in time for our appointment (We were actually slightly early, but had to figure out the correct way of getting the old plates off our Audi). 

We were immediately asked to a twin desk where two friendly and competent ladies took care of our needs. Within minutes the procedure had been finalized, we paid our fees, had some new licence plates made in a nearby facility, had all paper work finished and were done! Pinch us! We can't believe it.

A big thanks to the Offenburg Licence Department for rebuilding some trust into German bureaucracy! There is hope!

We yet have to get Roland's Vespa Bella through TÜV. But that's another department and another story to be told...

Tourist Triathlon in Triberg and Roadside Oddities

The city of Triberg is a must-do for any Black Forest tourist. Only here you have the (first ever) biggest walk-in cuckoo clock. Another one close by claims to be the (current) largest...

The heart of the clock is made from wood.

There are cuckoo clock shops galore, cuckoo clocks on the walls, and one house is even sporting a bear clock.

We found some disturbing art, and have yet to understand why those wooden Easter Island Moai lookalikes would wear Bollen Hats.

With the next big tourist trap attraction in mind we followed the river Gutach upstream to the Triberg Waterfalls, which is at 163m (535ft) one of the highest waterfalls in Germany, and came across some further sights. This beautiful timber-frame building for example.

But the town had yet another oddity in store for us: In Europe we are familiar with designated parking space for families, women or Smart Cars. The Triberg authorities have decided to create the first designated parking spot for men. Bravo, men have come a long way in the equal rights issue  ;-)

Finally at the falls: After paying an entrance fee of 3.50 EUR per person (conservation of nature costs money!) we walked up the steep trail along the falls. Well, we have seen bigger and more spectacular waterfalls in North America (and for free), however, the Gutach river cascading down over seven steps admittedly looked mighty pretty, too.

And while Sonja was still looking for the best vantage point, Roland had already continued his hike up.

The Triberg Falls are in fact the main attraction in this region, and rightly so. We were impressed and glad that we didn't shy away from the tourist trap character the town seemed to reflect.

Another cascade, and a view from above.

Still breathless and in awe we began with the descent.

After this energy-sapping exercise Roland needed to be fed. The man chose a salami pizza while the lady went with roasted potatoes and salad.

On our way home we spotted a castle on a hill, one of many by the way. But this one called us, and we went up.

Again Sonja went where no normal people her age would go to get the above spectacular vista of Hornberger Castle and the city of Hornberg. Roland followed suit to snap a picture of her. Later we worried a bit about getting down again... lets just say it was not the most elegant way to descent.

Hornberg is also home of a major sanitary ware manufacturer. Their design center provides a huge (probably walkable) toilet as an peculiar eye catcher. The company doesn't beat around the bush. The message is clear: "We deal with your crap!" Not sure if that lack of subtlety in that specific matter would work in North America, though where a simple thing like a toilet becomes a washroom, restroom or powder room...

And last but not least we spotted a cowboy or maybe he was a shepherd using a public road.

Enough of the curios for today. It was another good day spent in the shoes of a tourist.

'Oliver' and other Vintage Vehicles

What a big surprise! When we toured through the village of Welschensteinach we were welcomed by a sign promising an "Oldtimer-Meeting" today! What is an "Oldtimer" you ask? In Germany this is a legal definition (using the English word!) for a vintage car or motorcycle. We Germans are not even aware that in the English language this would be a "vintage vehicle"!

Of course, we had to stop and check this out. We could not believe our eyes when we found all the beauties that were collected on a small parking lot next to a football field. There was a vintage Mercedes convertible, a Goggomobil, an MG, a "Tractor turned convertible", a BMW Isetta (the first 75mpg car ever made!), various fantastic Motorcycles and one of Roland's favorite cars, an Opel Kadett B from around 1970. How versatile and indestructible these Kadetts are has been proven in a Top Gear episode where Richard Hammond drove one named Oliver (albeit the A version) through the plains of Botswana.

We were in Classic car and bike heaven! Thanks to the organizers of this meeting for exhibiting these godesses!