Dimitris’ Diary: The Black Forest

Hello, I’m Dimitris! I live in Berlin and I always had curiosity to know what life is like outside the capital, so I decided to hit the road. For ten days I’ll be traveling through Germany to explore and get to know this so amazing country. I will give valuable tips and tell all the details about my adventure in “Sauerkraut” land.

My adventure begins in southwestern Germany, where the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) is located, famous for its dense vegetation and picturesque villages that belong to the state of Baden-Württemberg.

I began to travel around the city of Freiburg, in which I was charmed from the first moment and that is considered the sunniest of Germany. The first thing that caught my attention were the sidewalks, made with small colored stones, which in some places they form mosaics with drawings of arms or symbols of the region.

The population has enough youth, that due to the presence of the University of Freiburg. In this region, there are also specific courses for foreign doctors who want to prepare for work in Germany. It is no doubt a great city to live and study.

The central market of the city operates from Monday to Saturday, surrounding the Freiburg’s Cathedral, built from the thirteenth century in Romanesque style. At the fair you can find fresh local produce such as fruit, sausages, cheeses, spices, flowers, crafts, and more. The market building is one of the postcards of the city and deserves your attention.

The city is also famous for its sweets and of course, the traditional Black Forest Cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte), prepared primarily with mass chocolate, cherries preserved in a kind of brandy and whipped cream. I got to prove it in two traditional pastry shops of the city, “Gmeiner” and “Kolben Kaffee”, which I recommend to all visitors.

My main interest was to know the famous Black Forest. For this, I left the city and walked toward Schwarzwald, reference to practice walking and hiking trails between locations. The Association of Black Forest has maintained a network of trails for more than 140 years, in order to make the beauties of nature accessible to locals and tourists.

As I was not prepared for a long walk away, I opted for a trail about 4 km to St. Ottilien, although there are longer and complete tracks that may have distances of up to 200 km.

The trail is easily accessible and at the beginning already offers a privileged panoramic view of Freiburg. I was surprised by the sight and fascinated by such beauty. Among the tall trees covering the road, they passed many locals who kindly greeted me. “Hallo!”, “Guten Morgen!” 🙂

This feeling of being inside pleased me because the nature enchants me. After about 50 minutes of walking, I saw a beautiful house on top of a hill. I went to check what it was and realized it was a restaurant: St. Ottilien.

I decided to stop for a beer and enjoy the view. The place was taken by local and family atmosphere made me very comfortable. They offer a brunch option with affordable prices and great quality, I recommend this place enough.

I also recommend a visit to Titisee, the largest natural lake in the region. A beautiful and quiet area, far only 30 min from city train, perfect for walking. The region has several villages around the lake, which delight the eye of visitors.

Near Freiburg there is also the cable car (Schauinsland) that takes you to the highest point of the Schwarzwald. The path to the Schauinsland is easy: take the train 2 with the direction Günterstal to the terminal station and then take bus No. 21 that will take you directly to the lower deck. In Bertoldsbrunnen, in the city center of Freiburg, you take about 20 minutes.

In this period also I went through Colmar, French town which borders Germany. Another time I will tell my experiences in the great border cities!

What about Freiburg? I definitely recommend it. One of the most beautiful cities in Germany, traditional and brings together many attractions that you will surely conquer.

Dimitris.