“When they came closer, they saw that the house was made of bread, and the roof was made of cake and the windows of sparkling sugar.” – The Brothers Grimm, Hansel and Gretel.
Our goal today was to take a scenic route via train through the Black Forest. Our final destination was Fussen, so we had to get a little creative.
We took an ICE train to Offenberg, which was the “start” of one of the suggested scenic routes through the Black Forest. We purchased some pretzels with cheese while waiting for our connection. There were a few sights to see here, but we decided to only take an extended stop in Triberg, since getting to Fussen was going to take quite a bit of time.
The scenic route was everything it was supposed to be. The landscape was so picturesque. The valleys were lush and green with these old-world style villages nestled throughout. The Black Forest is the setting for most of the fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm including Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Sleeping Beauty, just to name a few.
Train Ride to Triberg
Once we were in Triberg, we dropped our luggage off at a large locker at the train station. It was only 2€ and completely worth it since we did not have to tote our bags up and down the hilly terrain. It wasn’t as crowed as I anticipated. We were actually the one people at the train station when we arrived.
We made our way down the road, and then up the road. There is a bus that runs to take you up the hill to the center of town, but it wasn’t running since it was Sunday. It was quite a hike. We continued up the road, until we reached the National Park (Wasserfalle), where the trails for visiting the waterfall were located. When researching the trip, there were mixed reviews. Some people were disappointed in the size of the falls, or that it wasn’t actually the largest in Germany. I was excited to discover that the waterfall was worth the hike. It was gorgeous.
Triberg Waterfall
Triberg Waterfall
It’s not the size of the waterfall that’s impressive, but the deep rich colors of the forest and the falls. The trees are rich greens and browns, the rocks are dark black and the water is crystal clear.
Triberg Waterfall
My dad has had this poster of Germany since college, with a stream running by a church, with the Alps in the background. Walking through the park was like walking through this picture I’ve had of Germany since my childhood. It was one of my favorite experiences of the trip.
The Top of the Triberg Waterfall
The View of Triberg from the Top of the Triberg Waterfall
Next we stopped at the House of 1,000 Clocks, one of the shops selling cuckoo clocks. Cuckoo clocks originated in the Black Forest and there are many shops throughout the village that sell them, so if you have the time, I recommend shopping around a bit. We stopped here, because we wanted to go there anyway to say we had been, and ended up finding the perfect clock, that was still in our price range. I love collecting souvenirs that I can use or decorate my home with. Cuckoo clocks range in price based on the size, or the complexity of the mechanisms.
House of 1,000 Clocks
Display of Cuckoo Clocks in House of 1,000 Clocks
The Cuckoo Clock We Bought
Lunch consisted of pork knuckle and spatzel (noodles) for me and more schnitzel for Justin. For dessert a trip to the Black Forest wouldn’t be complete without some Black Forest Cake.
Restaurant Where We Ate Lunch
After lunch, we walked down to the World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock. It was quite a hike from the area with the waterfall that we were in, but you’re only in Triberg once. We got there for the one o’clock hour. I recommend going there literally any other time. The cuckoo bird comes out the number of times that corresponds with the hour. So we saw one sad little “cuckoo” and it was over. You really want to be there between 10 and noon. There’s also a section on the backside were you can put a Euro coin in and something will happen. We skipped this (although I kept hoping someone else would do it so we could watch).
The World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock
To get back to the train station, we took a pedestrian trail through the woods, which was really pretty. The remaining trip to Fussen was quite long, but the views were breathtaking.
Pedestrian Trail Through the Woods Back to the Train Station
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