The Second Lake

With the first of two lakes visited (see previous post), we planned our walk to be around the second one on the next day. And so after a sumptuous breakfast, on Thursday (9 May) we were back to Bärental's little train station. This time, we were travelling maybe five minutes longer and in the opposite direction from the day before.

Just like with Titisee, Schluchsee ("See" meaning lake in German) is both the name of the lake itself and of the small town at one of its ends. But unlike the first one, the latter in its current form is not a natural lake but a reservoir. There was a natural, much smaller, lake there before, but with the building of a dam between 1929 and 1932, it became what you see now. Also, Schluchsee is much larger and about three times as deep as Titisee. It has a somewhat "wilder" atmosphere and is a tad less touristy than Titisee.

You can read about Schluchsee here on wikipedia (and of course there is also an entry for Titisee on wikipedia, linked in my previous post).

My trusted little booklet was consulted once more, and we followed a circuit called Jägersteig ("Hunter's Climb") around the lake and through the woods, with some rather spectacular views from the path's highest point. And again, don't be fooled by the tame looking pictures - the views really WERE great, and the air so fresh one wanted to fill it in jars and put a lid on to pull them out on a hot stuffy day in town.

The weather was similar to the day before; a mix of sun and clouds, but it was a little warmer, and I needed my white-orange windbreaker/rain jacked only for the very first part of the trip. 

Many other walkers were about, a good number of them with dogs. It is always fun to watch how excited and focused a dog can get in an environment such as the woods, where I am sure a dog's nose and ears come close to sensory overload. Fortunately, most dog owners appeared responsible and kept their dogs on leads; it is not advisable to let even the best behaved dog run free where woodland animals are around, many of them raising their young this time of year.

We often seem to come across the nicest resting places when we really don't need a rest at all!

The kind of path I find almost irresistible - but it wasn't part of our circuit.

Flowers growing so close to a little beck they are almost in the water.

Back down from the highest point and close to the lake, we stopped at a beer garden for - you knew it! - a shandy and a little rest before walking along the shore of the lake into Schluchsee town. This time, we waited for the train and did not walk back to Bärental; by that point, we had walked around 14.5 km and that was fine.

At the hotel and after our usual coffee, sauna and dinner, we went out once more for a brief walk to the end of the village to watch the sun set over Feldberg - a beautiful and, to me, touching experience.

There was only one day left now, and we were going to mark it by walking on the highest mountain around, Feldberg.

The First of Two Lakes

In my previous post, I showed you the (admittedly not very impressive) view of the two lakes near Bärental, the small community where we were based for our week away. In fact, Bärental is ideally located with almost exactly 6 km distance to each of the two lakes as well as Feldberg, the highest mountain in the federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

On Wednesday (8 May), we walked round the first of the two lakes: Titisee. The name is a little odd to German ears and eyes, and there are various theories about its origin. One says that the Roman emperor Titus once camped in the area, giving the lake its name. Another one is based on an old dialect word for little children, claiming that people believed babies came from the lake, just like in other parts of the world people told the tale of the stork bringing babies.

In any case, it is a beautiful lake, and thankfully, lined with a small town by the same name only on one side - most of the land around it is meadows and woods.

You can read more about it on Wikipedia.

The day was a mix of sun and clouds, and it was rather warm in the sun but as soon as we were in the shade or the wind picked up, we were glad of our jackets.

We took the train from Bärental to Titisee, the fare being included in our Guest Card (everyone who stays at least three nights in the area receives such a card), and the ride only taking about 10 minutes.

Bärental train station (not really a station anymore)

From one of the booklets I keep with suggestions for walks and hikes, we had chosen the Titisee Round Tour, which sounded (and was) rather undemanding at only 7.4 km with only a few uphill bits, none of them too steep or rocky.

The small town was busy, but once we were past it, only small groups of other walkers were left, and further on even these thinned out.

The small lake here is an ice pond just off Titisee - always the first to freeze over in winter, and in former times, its ice was harvested and stored in deep underground cellars to keep the beer from nearby breweries and other goods cool. Also, it was here that the very first ice hockey championship in Germany took place some time in the 1920s, according to an information board next to the lake. I hope you are duly impressed!

This one is for Kay! I found this rock embedded in the path; it was about the size of my hand, and I just left it where it was.

As usual, the views from the highest parts of our walk were much more beautiful than my pictures make believe.

Back at the starting/finishing point of the circuit, we attempted to find a place in town to sit down for a shandy. But it was so busy that squeezing in at a tiny table in a crowded street café didn't really appeal to us, and so we walked back to the camping grounds at the other end of the lake that we had passed on our way in. There, we found a relaxed place for food and drinks with a large lake-facing patio, good service and lower prices than in the tourist traps in town.

After we'd had our shandies, we decided not to return into town a second time for the train home. Instead, we walked back to Bärental, which was surprisingly easy and quick - altogether, we had about 17 km under our belts by the time we arrived at the hotel for (you guessed it) coffees, the sauna and then dinner.

Two Rainy Days

Last week started off chilly and rainy, but that did not deter us. As experienced walkers/hikers, we almost always carry some form or other of rain protection, and of course our sturdy hiking boots are as good as waterproof.

Therefore, on the Monday (6 May), we used part of the day when the rain was letting up a bit for a walk from "our" village (Bärental) to the next, somewhat larger one (Altglashütten). First, though, we both had massages after breakfast - I had opted for a foot massage (utterly relaxing, especially as I was given soothing pads to cover my eyes with) while O.K.'s massage was called "Clear Head" (not that he wasn't clear-headed before!).

Signpost in Altglashütten, showing the direction of Bärental ("Bear Valley") where we were based.

We chose a different route for the way home; by then, the rain really had stopped, and the sun put in a tentative appearance. The roughly 8.6 km altogether did us good, with or without sprinkles of rain.

It stopped raining...

...and the sun came through!

Tuesday (7 May) was grey, and at only 11C/51F relatively chilly. We had back massages booked for the afternoon and therefore did not want to venture too far away from the hotel so that we would not have to rush back.

On our first evening, we had spotted "Zweiseenblick" on the sign post near our hotel (see my previous post for that). It literally means "Two Lakes View", and naturally, we knew which two lakes they were - but was there really a place from where one could see them both at the same time?

Yes, there was! The path through the woods was unremarkable (not helped by the dripping grey clouds), but I love the woods in all seasons and all kinds of weather. The fresh air and quiet are good for the soul, I find, and it is healthy to look at it all and realise that nothing of what I spend most of my working days with has any significance here. Are the trees and the birds interested in what this or that article of the GDPR says? Do the sun and the clouds care whether we do everything to the letter when it comes to handling personal data?

Anyway, the views show the two lakes, and to the naked eye, they were both visible at the same time AND appeared much larger than what my pictures can convey.

New house in Bärental, built in the old, typical Blackforest style.

Spot the lake! (This was still in the village.)

Leaving Bärental behind...

...past green pastures...

...with disinterested cows.

The tiny white speck in the distance is a patch of remnant snow on the Feldberg.

Another view of the Feldberg in the distance.

 The damp moss on these trees was like a soft, lacey dress.

This rock is Zweiseenblick, the spot from where one can see two lakes.

This one is Titisee...

...and the other one is Schluchsee.

In less wet weather, this would make a great spot for a rest and a snack.

Old house in Neuglashütten with an equally old kitchen stove out front.

Back at the hotel after about 8 km, we had not only time for our massages, but also for coffee and cake, the sauna, some reading and resting before dinner.