Thursday 19 May 2022

Black Forest Holiday: May 9 - Part I

The 9th of May was our first full day here, and the weather was promising for the hike we had in mind - dry but not too hot.

We left soon after breakfast, not without saying hello to the resident cat, a senior named Findus with few teeth left and only one good eye, but competely un-shy and very affectionate, always up for a stroke.


Walking up the gravel and dirt road directly behind the hotel lead us past beautiful meadows with a beck running through it and further on into the woods until we reached Schluchsee (the name of both the small town and the lake it borders). If I remember correctly, on our way there we met just one other person.




I loved this old signpost. And look how the trees were still in bloom here!

Hummelhütte means bumblebee hut. It was locked, but well cared for, and we believe that it is open for drinks and snacks on weekends and in the summer holidays.


Sumpfdotterblume (Caltha palustris)

Our aim was the viewing tower above Schluchsee, on the mount called Riesenbühl. We had our first glimpse of the tower here:

Can you spot it on the ridge behind the town?

Schluchsee


Viewing spot in Schluchsee

Following the signposts to Riesenbühl took us out of the small town and up the hill through more meadows and back into the woods.
Sometimes the path was comfortable like this...
...sometimes it was like this:
Finally, the tower!
Views from the top in all directions:



View from the top down through the staircase:

We chose a different route back via a village called Faulenfürst, hoping to stop at a café there for coffee and maybe a snack or piece of cake, but the village was like a ghost town - there was nobody about, and a sign advertising a café lead to nothing. We did not even find a bakery or other shop there, and so decided to move on and walk to Rothaus instead. This, however, will be my next post, as this one is already a bit on the long side.

10 comments:

  1. What great views from the tower! I take it you're not afraid of heights. :) I've been enjoying reading about your holiday, but unable to comment most of the time when I'm reading on my phone. As always, your photos are beautiful!

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    1. You are right, I am not afraid of heights - but I do not feel at ease when there is only a very narrow path with a sheer drop on one or either side, with no railing or other means to hold fast.
      Thank you, Jennifer! Your eyesight must be superb - I usually wait until I can look at pictures on my ipad, even if I have received them first on my phone.

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    2. My eyesight is so far from superb you would laugh! I have to click on the pictures (and usually, the text, too) and then enlarge them quite a bit to see everything on my phone, and even then it isn't satisfying. I'm extremely nearsighted and have contacts and glasses, and sometimes I have to wear reading glasses these days on top of contacts! Or else if I'm wearing glasses I have to take them off completely to read something up close! It's so frustrating.

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    3. I know what you mean, Jennifer... having been extremely nearsighted for decades (we're talking -14 for my left eye and not much better for my right eye here), one of the features I used to like most about my Kindle was that I could make the font size as big as I needed it in order to read properly! Since my operations last summer, I am at -2.5, which is TONS better, but I still don't like to read longish text or look at pictures on my phone if I can help it :-)

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  2. Wonder why Faulenfurst was a ghost town? You certainly had a lovely hike and the views were worth the climb to the top of that tower! Thanks for sharing your holiday!

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    1. It was a Monday, no school holidays or other reason for them to expect wandering tourists at Faulenfürst :-) People were probably all away at work or at school.

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  3. You have such beautiful pictures! You saw a little bit of everything with the forests, mountains, water, and lovely sky. From what I have seen in your blog I have become a real fan of the Black Forest! It is certainly a perfect place to relax for a holiday!

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    1. It is, Bonnie, and it has always been a popular destination for tourists. During the last two years when trips abroad were difficult because of pandemic regulations, many more people have been flocking to the most popular spots, causing all kinds of problems. We were lucky to be there during the week and off the two peak seasons (high summer, obviously, and winter when people come for the skiing).

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