A Day in the Black Forest and not a Gateau in Sight

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June 20th 2007

Published: June 20th 2007

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Inspirado

Black Forest Hotel

Another typical Black Forest view :-)

When we woke up this morning, it was looking a bit gloomy outside and not at all like the kind of day you might want to go for a boat trip. This was what I had been hoping to do with everyone today and I was greatly cheered when the sun started breaking through the clouds after breakfast.

Despite visiting Neustadt and the nearby popular spa resort of Titisee on many occasions, I had never once taken a boat trip on the famous lake so I wasn't about to let the weather scupper my plans. We herded ourselves into the car in time to catch another downpour but by the time we had parked up, the skies had cleared again and we made it down to the pier early enough to take advantage of a low season 'happy hour'. We paid our 2.90 Euros each (about Â£2) and enjoyed a lovely 30 minute sailing on the calm waters.

Titisee lake is about 3 km long and 1.5 km wide. this I found amazing as I once swam right across it with my father when I was about 18 or 19 - not a bad feat, eh? While there

I Love Deutschland

Jish shows his love for all things German.

wasn't a lot of particularly interesting things to see on the way round (can you get excited about passing not 1 but 3 campsites?), the natural scenery around us was just lovely. It's easy to see why this place is such a favourite with Japanese tour groups.

After the boat ride, we ambled around the resort stopping to enjoy the tacky yet fascinating cuckoo clock shop with its top floor dedicated purely to traditional German Christmas decorations. I wanted to pick up a wooden spinning pyramid ornament which I have always loved but could never afford but the prices in resort were stupidly high. Insead, we headed to a specialist woodcarvers where we found a lovely pyramid for far less money and, being proper tourists, picked up a cuckoo whistle to boot! Incredibly, the lady behind the counter had once lived in England for a few years and a brief trip down memory lane endeared us to her so much that she popped a free calendar in the bag with our goodies. Cool!

In the afternoon, we made the most of the continuing sunshine by going for a walk in the hills to check out yet more of

Plain Sailing

All aboard. l-r: Jude's dad Hermann, Jude's sister Esther, Franziska and Glynn.

the pretty Black Forest landscape. Afterwards, we headed to a park in the centre of Neustadt where we introduced Glynn to the concept of treading water. Dotted all over the forest are these small pools of water which are designed to help improve your body's circulation. Basically, you walk around in a circle a few times, dipping your legs slowly in and out to vary the temperature. The water comes straight from mountain streams so it's icy cold and very refreshing on a sunny day. There was also a cold water bath to immerse your arms in but I have to admit it was just a bit too cold for me!!

Tonight was our last night with my sister before she heads back to Munich, so we sat up and played one of my favourite boards games together called Malefitz. It's a bit like playing Ludo but the real reason it's so much fun is because my sister gets quite worked up when she gets blocked or kicked off the board! A few bottles of beer and wine later and another fun-filled day came to an end. I like Germany!

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