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Published: September 19th 2006
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Black Forest Open Air Museum
Here's one of the centuries old homes, nestled among the trees and hills of the Black Forest. It was a gorgeous Saturday, a sunny 61°F / 16°C, a perfect day for traveling. So we hop into the Bimmer about 0830 and we’re off, heading south for the Schwarzwälder, or the Black Forest.
Sometimes long stretches of the Autobahns are thickly lined by large, green trees on either side, the lanes separated by a simple metal guardrail and sometimes plants, and I find myself mentally driving down the visually similar Florida Interstates, on which I’ve spent an immense amount of time. But then there’s a field to one side or a break in the trees and I see the mountains in the distance, and I remember where I am. Seth, on the other hand, often remarks that driving through the German countryside reminds him of driving through North Carolina. Others have mentioned Pennsylvania. It’s all a matter of perspective, I suppose.
We find the Black Forest Open Air Museum (Schwarzwälder Freilichtmuseum), about 1015, nestled within a valley. The museum consists of a collection of homes dating from 1599 to 1819, all except one transported from other locations in the Black Forest to this central locale. Luckily there was not only a brochure in English provided, but also
Black Forest Open Air Museum
A close-up of one of the homes. signs near the homes with floor plans and descriptions in English as well. There were amazing similarities between the houses, considering that they had been spread throughout the Forest and built during different eras. Not all of the similarities (like every master bedroom containing a baby’s crib) could be explained simply by the museum’s habit of decoration. Most of the upstairs master bedrooms had a private staircase leading down to the floor below, every home had some type of balcony (at least one), there were thatched roofs, stables within the homes, and no chimneys, though often at least two fireplaces. Also, for all the sun that shone upon the Forest, all of the homes were very dark inside. The ceilings of the main floors were all very low - even short, little me had to crouch to fit through some doorways and down some staircases. The attics, however, were gigantic. Many even had their own lofts. They were simply huge, and most were set up either with bench tables to host some sort of event or as a type of museum display containing multiple vehicles, such as farming wagons for working the fields or horse and buggy type chassis.
Black Forest Open Air Museum
Me in front of one of the homes. After a quick stop for some Eis (ice cream), we got back in the car about 1215 to search out the Haus der 1000 Uhren (House of a 1000 Clocks) a bit farther down the road in the Black Forest. It was now in the high 60’s with the sun beating down upon us as we drove along the Gutach River in the direction of Triberg.
We encounter the first two of the five stores in the famous retail chain in Gremmelsbach, a suburb of Triberg, and spend well over an hour looking at clocks. Do we want the hunting theme? The bird theme? A house clock? Do we want wind up or battery? The dancing people along with the cuckoo bird or just the cuckoo bird? So many beautiful clocks, and we get back in the car with only Christmas themed crystal tea light holders. Taking a break from the overwhelming decision of The Clock, we drive a bit further into the city of Triberg. Here we go right back to clock shopping. Our heads were whirling by this point, but we suddenly realized we’d been staring at the perfect clock all day, and since I decided to
Black Forest Open Air Museum
A broad view of multiple homes in the museum. give up the little dancing people, we purchased what we considered one of their absolutely most beautiful clocks (for under 6,000 Euro, that is).
We went with the hunting theme, which displays the head of a red deer above a pair of crossed rifles, a rabbit and a falcon on either side of the clock face, and other hunting paraphernalia. It’s a small to medium size, big enough to have enough detail not to look cheap and small enough not to overpower our living room.
So we pack the clock in the car and trudge up the nearby mountain path. This path leads us up the mountain along the banks of Germany’s highest waterfall. The Triberg Waterfall flows its course of 163 meters (535 feet) down a mountain forest of high spruces and through a bed of granite before it becomes the Gutach River threading through the towns of the Black Forest. It was very beautiful and certainly more crowded than either of us expected. We sat on a bench for awhile watching a couple of guys rappelling on the rocks in training for river rescue, and then moved to a bridge to stare down at the rushing
water beneath us for awhile.
We hiked back down along the falls and went straight to a table of an outdoor café along the riverbank. We each ordered half a chicken which was supposed to be grilled but was instead fried with the skin on… but we didn’t complain, it tasted great. Then we each had a piece of Schwartzwälderkuchen or Black Forest Cake, which we pretty much considered a requirement. It was delicious, but like many other German desserts, to include ice cream dishes, it was dripping with alcohol. It had layers of chocolate and white angel cake and a thick layer of rum soaked cherries, with an icing that tasted like thickened cream.
After a bit of digestion, it was back to highway 33 and we headed back whence we had come. The country road was a simply beautiful drive, weaving through the wooded mountains of the Black Forest. It was quite an eventful day: 500-year-old homes, the country’s highest waterfall, our very own cuckoo bird, and cake… oh, the cake. But as beautiful as the Black Forest was, I was comforted to see Heidelberg’s mountains again, and we were both tired after our 380 km
/ 236 mile voyage by the time we reached home, twelve hours after we had left.
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badflogdog
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Awesome Clock...
The clock you and Seth purchased is awesome! What was the largest clock?