in the Black Forest in Germany

we rented a car to drive from Munich to the Black Forest and the autobahn was well worth it, but I also highly disliked driving outside of the autobahn. speed limits are taken seriously in Germany and outside of the autobahn, speed limits can vary greatly and it changes very frequently and it was really annoying trying to keep up with the changes and making sure you don’t get caught by the speed radar. we ended up getting a speeding ticket in Freiburg, so you’ve got to be careful when driving through Germany.

all that aside, we still enjoyed having the car and the freedom it gave us to be able to see what we wanted at our own pace as well as the scenery you wouldn’t normally see riding on a train. I will, however, take the train next time I visit the Black Forest : )

Triberg was on our itinerary to see the waterfalls, and though half of the hike was closed due to weather, we still enjoyed our short time there. we also visited the Black Forest Museum as the waterfall ticket includes admission to the museum. Triberg is a quaint, cute little town.

we also drove out to see the remains of Klosterruine Allerheiligen (All Saints’ Abbey), a church that caught fire twice and then struck by lightning, leaving it to its ruins. we also did a short hike through the Allerheiligen waterfalls.

stuub Hinterzarten

just a quick note to add that we stayed at stuub Hinterzarten in the Black Forest. it’s pretty central to the places we wanted to get to and the train stop is about 20 mins walking distance away. it does help to have your own car to maximize time, but taking the train wouldn’t be bad either.

I have to give props to stuub Hinterzarten because they treated us really well. breakfast is included with your stay and there is a laundry facility, a sauna, and other rooms you can hang out in to take phone calls or have meetings. there were not a lot of occupants and on our last day there, Gordon and I were the only ones left and the caretaker, Yvonne, treated us like royalty. she prepared breakfast for us and made sure we felt comfortable. she set up the table with the best view and it was the best ending to our stay in the Black Forest. I would 100% stay with stuub again! they have several locations in the Black Forest and you can find their site here. no, this is not a paid ad. we genuinely had a great time staying with them!

Riquewihr

are you sick of looking at half-timbered houses yet? well, hold on to your butts because it doesn’t end here.

Riquewihr was our last visit in Alsace. another charming medieval town that we loved. we walked around the village wall, as we did in Eguisheim, and it brings you back to how life was like back in the day. it was starting to get really cold and had been sprinkling off and on and the sun had disappeared so we tried to take advantage of the time we had left. we enjoyed the lack of tourists here, but it did feel a bit melancholy.

Colmar

we visited Colmar next. it was quite bigger than Eguisheim, kind of like Strasbourg. the first Christmas Market we went to was Strasbourg and from then on, we were hooked and planned on going to one every year. we didn’t go to one this year because of unforeseen reasons, but we plan on continuing our streak next year. the vin chaud/gluhwein has us on a chokehold, I tell ya.

at Colmar, there is the St. Martin Church. now, whenever we see a church, we always try to go inside if we’re permitted. I love churches and though I’m not particularly religious, there is something about it that is very intriguing to me, especially Gothic churches that have existed for many, many years.

this time last year...

we went back to Europe to partake in the Christmas Markets, mostly in Germany, but with a stop in Prague. we also crossed the border into Alsace and walked around a few medieval towns. the one we loved the most was Eguisheim, the inspiration for the village setting in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Gordon and I woke up really early, around 4am, and made the spur of the moment decision to drive out to the Alsace region. I have become obsessed with small medieval towns now. all I want to do is visit all of them and read the history of how they all came to be.

here is Eguisheim. photos don’t give the real thing any justice.

paris + chantilly

we ventured to France for the second time November 2022. we finally made it to Le Louvre and yes, we had Chantilly cream dessert with our chicken and gravy lunch, which was probably the best meal we had in France this time around. we also had snails which contrasted the ones we had in Belgium (soup style-wasn’t very good) a few years back. we both agree we prefer Paris snails more (they cook them in a buttery garlic sauce). advice: DO NOT order andouillette ever. if you see it on the menu, just pretend it’s not there. it’s not like an andouille sausage. it’s basically tastes like the last phases of digestion in the intestine. in other words, it literally tastes like what you’d think shit tastes like. heed my advice.