Tag Archives: Germany

This Black Forest university town is as lovely as promised. Lots of narrow cobblestoned streets with an added quaint touch — narrow water canals/channels running along most of them past buildings with timbered beams, decorative stenciled coat of arms and flowers design on stucco. I watched little kids running with little boats they pulled through the water channel on strings and splashing each other.

The main square is paved with narrow cobbled stones and has a very imposing (and gloomy inside) sandstone cathedral surrounded by more pretty old stucco buildings with timbered bits.

Rick Steves: still feels medieval although it was heavily bombed during WW2. The little channels are calledBächle: tiny “stream-lets” that have been running down nearly every Freiburg street since the 13th century. They were originally designed to keep fires from spreading, as they could be quickly dammed to flood a street. Careful observers may notice how Freiburg’s streets were built at a slight incline, so as to keep the water trickling throughout the town.

Back to me: There’s a great market in the square every morning and I had a fantastic brat — grilled, which I prefer to Isa’s boiled one yesterday at the market in Frankfurt (was that only a day ago?) Tomorrow I may have to try the super long hotdog, now that I’ve gotten the hang of the condiment machine (operated with foot pedals!)

I walked around the narrow lanes, popping into one interesting craft store after another, especially when the rain blew in and through. Some very high end clothing stores too. Money in these parts. Later I climbed up and up and up a brick path on the hillside for a stupendous view of the city and the valley beyond, with clouds rolling in. At the top, I was rewarded with some rain. But nothing too intense. Just made the scenery more dramatic.

I could have gone to a brewery but opted instead for coffee and Black Forest cake…when in Rome! Not sure I’ve had that before. Or will have again but enjoyed. I am staying at an old fashioned hotel, the Oberkirch, for a little variety. It’s on the square but my room looks out on the one modern building on the opposite side. (Yes, it’s the cheaper room.) it has heavy curtains and a big dark wood sleigh bed, a little writing table and an Oberkirch notepad and pen.

Dinner was at a very traditional southern German restaurant, zum Rauhen Mann (rough man in English) that a college student from upstate Ny recommended. (She was working at one of the produce stands on the square. She is going to college here.) It had a Rathskeller vibe, with cobbled stonewalls, thick dark wood beams on the stuccoed ceiling. very heavy food. I had fresh asparagus soup that looked like a cappuccino. The server even sprayed fresh cream on top. (Not sweet cream.) the thick slices of roasted pork tasted/looked more like ham. not my thing but when in Freiburg. And it was fun to have the meal interrupted a few times by the cuckoo clock behind me on the wall. (This is cuckoo clock land.) The guesthaus above the restaurant looked lovely. This is a pretty corner of the city, the oldest bit, I gather where two wider streams rush into each other and there’s an unusual landmark: A stone crocodile popping out of the water. Several nearby micro breweries were hopping. Uh oh, my German food stomach ache may have finally arrived.