BLACK FOREST & BROTHERS GRIMM
BY BEATRICE K.
Once upon a time, two people were
stuck in Hamburg looking for a safe and
reasonable way to vacation in 2020.
One of them wanted to go trekking
in Norway, and the other wanted
to see the traditional 17th-century
towns of Germany described by the
Brothers Grimm in their fairy tales.
The compromise: camping in the Black
Forest.
Fast forward to the happy ending…
Peter and I spent seven days camping,
hiking, boating, and touring through the
enchanted woods and towns of the Black
Forest in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
We had no set plan, just the idea to
camp every night and a hope to stumble
upon a witch’s cottage in the dark forest.
Every morning we called ahead to a new
campsite to book that night’s sleeping
arrangement. Then we drove through
fresh mist, on winding mountain roads,
and across endless farm fields.
We began our journey near Calw and
Bad Wildebad, small northern towns
in Baden-Württemberg famous for
traditional Fachwerk architecture
(half-timbered style). But rather than
hike in the rain on day three, we spent
the afternoon at one of the many
famous thermal baths in Baden Baden.
Thereafter, we drove through the
twisting roads of the Schwarzwald
Hochstraße, made camp near
Freudenstadt, and enjoyed a long hike
through the mountains the following
day. We stayed two nights at Camp
Langenwald; we highly recommend this
site, as they offer modern and clean
facilities and are adjacent to many biking
and hiking trails. You can watch the sun
rise and set over the mountains as you
lie in your tent down in the valley.
Traveling south to the land of cuckoo
clocks, we wandered through charming
towns and stayed near the two largest
lakes in the Black Forest. The medieval
city of Schiltach, “town of half-timbered
houses, raftsmen, and tanners,” utterly
enchanted us! And our GoPro, too. The
ambiance feels like that of a Grimm fairy
tale, from the centuries-old Fachwerk
houses and cobblestone roads to the
gushing river. Continuing down south,
we spent two nights at the Titisee and
Schluchsee, renting a boat each day
and soaking up sun in the perfect 25 C
weather.
We ended our trip with an 11-hour haul
from the deepest, darkest part of the
Black Forest all the way to heatwaveblanketed
Berlin
in the north,
but with a few
more essential
stops for
sightseeing
along
the path back to
grandma’s house.
We swung
through
Freiburg,
where we saw
the Freiburger
Münster
Cathedral and
the famous
open market.
Next we drove
along the Badische
Weinstraße, where
car passengers
can gaze upon vineyards and ruins.
Switching to the A3 after Baden
Baden, we stopped for lunch in the old
town of Heidelberg, snapped the final
GoPro videos, and followed the trail of
breadcrumbs all the way home.
Back to living happily ever after…
Black Forest & Brothers Grimm
22 Special Theme: Venturing Forth