28^th April 2009

Although we didn’t ride today we did cover some miles. It had rained during the night and this continued this morning. We were worried about the sidestands on the bikes sinking in to the ground and them falling over.I checked them (and got very wet doing so) at about 3 am and they were, thankfully, OK. Once again we had breakfast in the tent. When the rain let up for a bit we went to the main block of the campsite to wash and check the weather forecast on the internet- it was for more rain!. Whilst there we also got some wooden blocks to put under the sidestands to spread the load.

Since we didn’t feel like riding in the rain we wondered what we should do. We decided to try the German public transport system and visit Freiburg. Due to our exceptional and finely-honed planning skills we missed the bus into Titisee. Since it wasn’t far we decided to walk into town despite the drizzle. When we got there we headed for the train station (“Bahnhof”) to wait for the train. Much to Isabel’s delight it was a double decker and we found an empty seat on the top deck (She is such a child sometimes – unlike me, of course- I am a child all of the time!).

Anyway the train arrived and left on time. Luckily we survived the shock of that and we were soon wending our way through beautiful mountains and valleys. I wish I were a good enough photographer to convey the beauty of this place. After 38 minutes we arrived at Freiburg station as per the timetable (when will these people learn that this not the proper way to run a railway? 🙂 ). We then headed for the old part of the city which is beautiful.

We wandered around looking for the cafe (for Black forest Gateau) we had found on the internet the other day. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear to exist any more. Bummer! In the cathedral square there was a market on. The quality of the produce was unbelievable. We decided to leave purchasing of fruit and vegetables from the market until later. We did, however, buy a sausage in a roll. Very nice and just what we needed as it had just started raining again. Of course, due to our aforementioned, superior planning skills we didn’t have any waterproofs with us. Typical!

From there we wandered through the back streets looking at shops and the historic buildings. Eventually we came across the Cafe Schmidt and decided to see what their Schwarzwald Kirschkuchen was like – All I can say is that I am so glad we did! What a revelation that was!! (If it wasn’t over the top I would add another “!” there 🙂 ). It was light with a crisp thin base. Seven layers (yes I did count them). You could taste the Kirschwasser but not so much as to be overpowering. The cream was fresh, the cherries dark and tart. It was a typical German (read “big”) helping but it didn’t feel it – wonderful – even Isabel, who doesn’t like cherries in any form said she could eat it. She had already opted for a cheesecake though.

From there we did some more wandering and then back to the market to purchase food for this evenings meal. Whoops! The market had closed! There was one vegetable stall still open where we bought some tomatoes and two pears which they wrapped in a cone shaped bag. We saw a greengrocers in the corner of the square so we went there for some potatoes. Once again the quality and choice of the goods available was amazing. They even had some small artichokes which I was almost tempted into buying but was not sure how we would cook them back at the campsite. On leaving I counted (because I am actually a very sad person 🙂 ) the number of different type of tomatoes they had – nine (including green ones – great for making chutney) and this was just a small shop! We also visited the North Face shop to look at tents and lightweight waterproofs. They had the most interesting small (Mr Teddy sized) tents which I can only assume are for demo purposes. They also had rainwear in 3XL (i.e. my size). Amazing – try finding that in the UK!

After making our purchases we headed to the cathedral to take a look around.It is currently being renovated in part and you can see the stonemasons at work. Inside it is an amazing place. Lit a candle for my parents and for others we miss. After that we did some more wandering around before ending up in an eiscafe (no shock or surprise on that one really 🙂 ) for a well deserved coffee and ice cream.

From there we walked back to the train station via a Tabak shop for some Montechristo cigars – my one weakness (well my one weakness I will admit in public) and a gentleman’s outfitter for some braces as I have been having errr “gravitational” problems with one set of trousers I have with me. We then got on the train which, depressingly, once again left on time for the journey back. When we arrived back at Titisee the bus pulled up outside the station and we boarded. After a journey of about 10 minutes we got off at the campsite stop for the short walk to the site. we then had a coffee and Kirschwasser before going back to the tent for dinner and bed.

Lessons Learnt:

• German public transport is very efficient
• Buy food whenever you can – do not wait until later
• A very good Black Forest Gateau is a wonder

Adrian & Isabel

& Mr Teddy

© 2010 – 2016, fatman-overland. All rights reserved.

27^th April 2009

Woke to grey clouds and light rain so we decided to go back to sleep – we are on holiday after all :). The rain put a slight dent in our plans to ride around but nothing serious. We had breakfast of rye rolls, cheese and some very nice smoked Black Forest ham in the tent. We then played cards to while away the time (together with some real coffee from the camp shop which was most welcome). There is, for me, something very soothing about the sound of rain on a tent (well about rain on the outside of a tent anyway!).

Eventually the rain eased up although the sky remained grey and cold. We decided to use the internet terminal at the campsite reception (2 Euros/hour) to update this blog and search for the best Black Forest gateau around here – apparently there is a cafe in Freiburg that does a good one. Since it is on our way to France we decided to visit on Wednesday. After that we took our stuff back to the tent and went for a walk in the woods. Initially we went down to the lakeside via some very boggy ground but then we headed up the side of a nice mountain on a path that wandered its way up and to the side of the campsite.

At first we walked through pines but then we entered an area of deciduous trees which gave a completely different feel to the path. Not better but definitely different. It was all very beautiful but, of course,neither of us had taken our cameras with us :(. Oh well, it will have to remain a private memory for us both. We wandered as far as the path kept rising and then turned back towards the camp now far below us and seemingly hard up against the Titisee. As we made our way slowly back we looked at the mosses and ferns and fallen trees around us,all of which made a magnificent accompaniment to the tall tall trees of the Schwarzwald.

On arriving back at camp we decided to take the bikes and go and look for something to eat this evening. On leaving the site we turned left and headed for the town of Feldburg. We rode through some nice roads and then started climbing. We negotiated a hairpin at the entrance to the town of Bärenthal and turned onto more of a main road climbing all the time through more pine trees. It started getting noticably colder and there were patches of snow alongside the road. These increased in density until we reached the ski town of Feldburg at an elevation of 4093 ft (a record again for us).

Since we didn’t see any shops we decided to keep going. We were then confronted by about 5 miles of steep (10% gradient) descents along sweeping roads. We both did this very slowly because neither of us felt completely confident and because the scenery was too stunning to miss.

Eventually we came to the town of Todtnau where we turned off and parked the bikes up in front of a very pretty church. We went to the local bakery to get some bread and then had a wander around town before stopping for coffee and ice cream at the local Eiscafe (I may have said this before but I think they are such a civilised idea 🙂 ).

After that we headed the local Penny Markt (directed by a very nice waitress at the eiscafe) to get something to eat for this evening. We purchased some pork with onions ready to stir fry and some fresh white asparagus (which, while not as good as fresh English asparagus is quite superb in its own right). We then headed back to the campsite (OK we actually headed in exactly the opposite direction – sometimes the GPS is correct!) up into the mountains again. Going up a 10% gradient is much easier than going down. Upon our return we parked up on the grass again and I had a shower – mainly because animals downwind of me were beginning to die in unacceptable numbers. After that we put our tarp up, moved the kitchen under it and went and did some much needed washing of clothes. Whilst waiting we had a coffee then tumble dried what needed to be tumble dried, made food and went to bed.

Lessons Learnt:

• If the weather is against you stay in bed – it is your holiday after all
• Be adaptable
• Staying for a couple of days in one place actually increases your freedom
• Kriega US-10 bags make very good shopping bags

Adrian & Isabel

& Mr Teddy

© 2010 – 2016, fatman-overland. All rights reserved.