Schwarzwälder

Saturday 6th July

What a perfect day to be journeying through the Schwarzwälder  (Black Forest)!

Sad also to be departing Hansjorg and Marhilde's wonderful hospitality and friendship. Had a final German breakfast, packed up the van and set off for Furtwangen - the starting point of the mighty Danube River.

The full sunny sky provided the perfect presentation to an already stunning landscape. The light and dark as we drive through forest, and then the tapestry of the summer harvest season, was spectacular. 

Called in on Freudenstadt  mid-morning before stopping at Wolfach for lunch and the afternoon. Wolfach was a delight - lunch by the Kinzg River before wandering the village with its 15th century Schloss - now a museum. 

We continued on down to Triberg, the undisputed capital of cuckoo clocks, Triberg is also known for air so pure that it is now a health resort. It was in the 1730s that cuckoo clocks began to be made in the Black Forest area, with Triberg hous ing most of the early workshops. The quality of the craftsmanship quickly captured the imagination of the European market, as did the quirky designs, which included rooster clocks and moving automata of angry wives beating lazy husbands, as well as the traditional cuckoo popping out of a trapdoor. 

Getting a little late so we headed for our overnight at Saint Georgen near Furtwangen, and here we were in for another pleasant surprise. The town was holding it's two day annual festival - so our evenings entertainment was take provided. The town used a number of squares for different purposes - the main square seemed to for the 35+ group with a band singing (all in English) cover songs of the seventies - and they were great  too! Other squares given over to a you get group with young local artists strutting their stuff as well - and they were very good. The bikie group had a section with heavy metal music playing. It was all good fun and even though there was an abundance of alcohol being served there was no evidence of any outright drunkardness  - even the young guys drinking out of the grog stash in the boots of their cars. 

Back to the van late for a good nights sleep.