During my summer holiday, I spent more than a month in Freiburg, Germany. Freiburg is the capital of the Black Forest, a fascinating and beautiful world.
During all this time, I got to know some secrets about the mysterious Black Forest...
Before starting, I want you to know that there are three “Black Forests”, one in Germany and the other two in France and in Switzerland, but only the one in Germany is the most famous (Mom even tells, as she tasted the famous Black Forest cakes in all these three countries, that the best one was in Germany...).
There are many legends and myths about this forest. Many people from these parts are usually saying: “Beware of the ghosts if you are going in the adventurous woods!” I was curious, more than ever, to find out the secrets of the Black Forest Mountains...
If you ever get in Freiburg, you will observe that in every shop or store there are witches, elves, dwarfs, unicorns and other mythical creatures... Well, those mythical creatures are waddling through the Black Forest Mountains and, with them, a new interesting legend or story starts...
So I can give you an example... On a rainy Sunday in July (rainy weather seems to be the normal weather in the area), I went to have lunch at a traditional restaurant, right in the middle of the Black Forest Mountains. The first thing that appeared right in the front of my eyes was... a witch! Yes, there are many witches in the Black Forest Mountains... :)
The Black Forest also has many famous specialities like smoked bacon and ham, the “Schwarzwalder Kirschwasser” (schnapps), the fir-tree honey, wine, beer, “Frischkase” (cottage cheese – I loved this thing! :) ), milk (straight from the cows) etc. Let’s not forget, of course, of the Black Forest Cake. It’s traditional in these parts... That Sunday, at the Waldcafe Faller, in the Black Forest, we had a perfectly traditional lunch with a Schinkensteak,
a Black Forest cake and a Kasekuchen:
Another thing that impressed me about the Black Forest was the nature itself. Everywhere you look, you see forests of different types of trees. There are also many farms with lots of domestic animals, like cows or horses. There are even some sheep. The shepherds are usually roaming through the Black Forest with their flocks of sheep...
The nature is quite adventurous! Walking or cycling – nature is close at hand! You will always have a wonderful view, wherever you are; through the Black Forest, rivers flow, such as Danube or Rhine...
Nature isn’t the only thing that makes the Black Forest very interesting... The Black Forest itself is culture; there are many monasteries and churches (like the Munster),
old and new castles,
magnificent farmsteads and half-timbered towns. Each of them has their own story...
Many things from the Black Forest are made out from wood. As an example, we have the cuckoo clocks. In 1700, people who were clever with their hands and used to work with wood, could easily build a clock case. The cuckoo clock has now become one of the most important souvenirs.
The people from the Black Forest have their own traditional costumes. The bulb hat became the symbol of the Black Forest.
Well, there are many things to tell about the Black Forest Mountains... Why don’t start a journey to those wonderful woods? You can discover all by yourself all these attractions... Spring, summer, autumn or winter, day or night... The Black Forest will always be the same: adventurous and interesting with its own secrets, ready to be found out... :)
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