When we realized there was a four day weekend and it fell on our anniversary we knew we had to take advantage of the time and go somewhere. It was between Luxembourg and the Black Forest. I'd love to see Luxembourg but my heart was set on the Black Forest. I just thought it would be so relaxing to do some hiking in the Black Forest. We'd have to save Luxembourg for another time. Being that everyone was on holiday finding a place to stay was a bit of a challenge but I got lucky and found a room at a hotel with a pool. C loves it when we stay at hotels that have a pool. If it were up to him he'd stay at the pool the entire time! lol!
After doing a little research on the Black Forest I decided to stay in a little village called Gengenbach. Everything I read about it sounded wonderful... traditional, historical, charming town. Perfect. And it didn't appear too be too touristy like some of its neighboring towns.
We arrived in the evening and the centre was a complete ghost town. There was no one. Granted it rained earlier so that may explain the lack of people. Luckily, the following 3 days were gorgeous. As we walked around looking for a German restaurant we realized it was Spargel season. Spargel is the German word for asparagus. Most of the asparagus in Germany is white, as it is grown covered in soil in order to prevent photosynthesis. This process prevents the asparagus from turning green and results in a sweeter and more tender taste. It is generally harvested from late April to early June. During this season restaurants create special menus which feature Spargel as the star ingredient. That night S ordered from the set menu and had enough Spargel to last him the whole year! lol! I tried the Spargel soup and it was quite delicious but I thought my potato soup was better. ;)
The following day we drove to Triberg and stopped along the way to visit the Clock Museum. Our visit was very interesting and while I knew the area was known for its cuckoo clocks I didn't realize the range of styles. So often I think of the traditional chalet looking cuckoo clocks which I find very pretty but it was so nice to see some other styles. Here are two of my favorites in an Art Nouveau style.
This clock was beautiful as well. It did a whole lot more than just tell the time. lol!
Afterwards went shopping in Triberg to see if we could find a clock that we liked.
The variety of cuckoo clocks at these shops was just incredible. If I had wanted a chalet looking cuckoo clock I could have spent hours trying to find the right one.
There were hundreds and hundreds of them or as this store claimed 1,000 clocks. Some had couples dancing, men drinking beer, children playing, you name it and they had it. After looking at so many unique clocks at the museum I decided I didn't want a chalet. Not that I don't think they're beautiful because they are but I was hoping for something a bit different. And we found one that I thought was perfect. It's a reproduction from a clock in 1870. The clock has the little bird that comes out each hour which may drive me a bit crazy I'm not sure yet. lol! I was hoping to find a clock that played "Edelweiss" but I was ok without the music. We haven't had a chance to hang the clock yet since we have to wait for our landlord to drill a hole into our walls. But as soon as it's up I'll post a photo.
After we were done shopping we took a walk to see the waterfalls which are among the tallest in Germany with a total vertical drop of 496 feet. The area was really pretty. Lil' C had fun playing along the trail.
After our walk we went back to the hotel to swim. Lil' C had so much fun. When you have kids staying at a hotel with a pool is ideal. We had the pool all to ourselves which was great!
The following day we took it real easy and walked around Gengenbach. It was market day so there were a handful of vendors selling breads, cheese, fresh fruits & vegetables as well as a brat stand. Perfect for lunch. We also bought some sweet strawberries which were so good we couldn't resist and ate them all at the park.
During Christmas this building in the centre of town turns into an advent calendar. I'm sure it must look quite magical. These traditional timber homes were so incredibly pretty.
After we walked around the town we let Lil' C play at the park. Here is the view from the park. I love the wine vineyards in the background.
And of course we couldn't let the day go by without having some ice cream. I love how serious they take ice cream here. It's like a mini meal. Lil' C & I couldn't resist ordering the strawberry delight. Fresh, local sweet strawberries are the best. And yes, Lil' C ate every last bit of that ice cream.
Later in the day we went hiking in the Black Forest.
We had lots of fun being explorers and discovering various things. Here are some of the things we found that day. And yes, that first photo is a baby snake.
That night we chose a restaurant near the walking trails and ate a wonderful German dinner while enjoying the warm weather. It was perfect evening. Before we turned in we went swimming and wrestled S for the water noodle and played fun water games like Marco Polo.
The following morning while I was getting ready I noticed something black on my leg. I tried to brush it off with the back of my hand but when it didn't come off I became a little curious. As I looked closer I realized I had a tick on my leg! Surprisingly I didn't freak out. And I HATE Bugs! I quickly took it out with a pair of tweezers and THEN I started to freak out about all the possible diseases I could get from this tick bite. I've never been bite by a tick so I wasn't sure if I got the tick out completely. Ugh... makes me sick to think I have a tick's head embedded in my leg. So gross. After thinking about it for a while I don't think the bite occurred after our hike since I spent a good 15 mins in the sauna that night. The temperature in the sauna was so hot I almost passed out. Could a tick really survive those hot temperatures? What I think may have happened is that while I was folding the jeans or perhaps the jeans Lil' C wore it jumped onto my leg. It's the only explanation I can come up with.
As soon as we got home I started to research tick bites and learned what signs to look out for. I made an appt. with the doctor just in case because I could have sworn I saw a little black dot. Was this the tick's head? Well, the doctor didn't do much except make it worst by trying to get this little black dot out. When I saw the doctor's tweezers were much bigger than mine I knew it wasn't looking good for me. The doctor told me most of the ticks in this area don't carry diseases and that my chances of getting anything were extremely low. Of course I don't believe him. My friend's husband developed Lyme disease when he was bit by a tick here in Belgium. I think the doctor could see I was having doubts about his advise because at one point he said, "I can tell you are skeptical about what I'm telling you." He's right I AM skeptical. On the positive side it's been over a week and I haven't experienced any of the symptoms associated with diseases much more serious than Lyme. Since it can take months for me to show symptoms of Lyme disease all I can do is watch the area and hope for the best.
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