Freiburg, July 2007

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We spent a couple of nights in Freiburg as part of our road trip around southern Germany. We stayed at the Black Forest Hostel, which was great. It was kind of industrial feeling and had a really nice, functional kitchen that we used to make dinner one night. It was located just a couple of minutes from the town center, and the room we had the first night was on the side of the building that faced a small river, so we slept to the sound of rushing water. So nice.

Freiburg might go down as one of my favorite cities of the entire trip - maybe not the most exciting, but the sort of place that I could see living. The city was really clean and lots of people seemed to commute by bicycle, which was kind of cool. Much of the old town was actually destroyed during the war and then rebuilt, but it was still very interesting and pleasant to walk around. The sidewalks are tiled with small dark stones, and in front of every store is an icon that tells what the store sells - a diamond means a jewelry store, a shoe means a shoe store, etc. There are also little canals (maybe a foot wide and very shallow) that run through the city. They used to be the city's irrigation system and are now pretty much just a safety hazard for tourists. They're pretty, though.

From Freiburg we took a drive through the Black Forest. The highlight was Triberg falls, a big waterfall that drops about 500 feet in several different stages. You can hike down alongside the falls for some amazing views. We were also amused by a group of French tourists who were enthralled by the sight of a squirrel. Maybe there aren't so many squirrels in France? Who knows.

After a couple of nights in Freiburg, we packed up the car again and headed for Rothenberg, our final road trip stop before heading to Munich.

- Lindsay

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Photos

Shower Pod at Black Forest Hostel
The hostel was really cool and industrial feeling and the bathrooms had these cool shower "pods."