Hello friends and family,
It's been a while since we last posted and we have much to share with all of you, however I don't want to make this blog entry too long so we'll stick with this weekend and then do a catch-up blog in the coming week.
So, where to start? Let's begin with our exciting Thursday evening. I say exciting because Monday and Friday are both holidays and what could possibly fill one with a greater sense of ecstasy than the prospect of four consecutive days of free time?
We spent the evening with a couple of wonderful friends we've found in Germany....and actually the rest of the weekend was spent with them as well. Fortunately this particular couple, Baddy (or Bastian if you're his mother) and Amanda, are very easy going and wonderful to adventure around with, mostly because the "I want to slap you" temptation we sometimes experience after spending too much time with friends or family never arises when we are together. That is to say, I haven't awoken with any hand prints on my cheeks.
Friday we met at the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) in Freiburg and decided to take advantage of the regional transportation system by using our regional public transit passes to take a train as far as possible into the high elevation regions of the Black Forest. The train ride was quite pretty despite the somewhat rickety nature of the ride. Not to worry though, nobody lost any of their morning meal during the 75 minute train ride from Freiburg to the small village named Schlucksee (Sh-louk-zay). Upon arrival the weather was overcast creating a rather remarkable effect on the landscape. Large clouds laden with moisture would glide over the peaks of the evergreen covered mountains. A large lake lay at the foot of the village and small villages could sometimes be spotted several kilometers away. We began our journey through the town admiring the quaint feel and learning a little of the geologic history, the previous ice-age whose remnants could still be witnessed. Having not planned any sort of route we simply decided to follow signs leading toward one of the most renowned breweries in southwestern Germany which was located some 6.5km away. We hiked uphill through a forest of coniferous trees, singing and joking along the way. After pausing for a midday meal we continued along, following a trail through the woods and eventually finding a road which led to a tiny village surrounded by farm fields. The journey continued without incidence, aside from discovering the gravestone of a Polish woman from 1945 and finding a giant snail local to the region.
We finally managed to get to the brewery which we learned was the brewery at the highest elevation in all of Europe. Of course, being Good Friday it wasn't open, so we snacked on breads, cheeses, chocolate, tea, apples, nuts and whatever else we could fit into our knapsacks earlier in the day. Still, the brewery did have a rather enjoyable playground. The child inside each of us was released and we spent some time monkeying around (quite literally with the rope tower). Eventually the cool air and setting sun demanded we find a bus stop and make our way home. The return trip was peaceful and the scenery once again proved quite enjoyable. Small villages dotted the valleys as we gazed down from the window of our train. Although, that peace only lasted part of the way. Music and hand-slapping games (I said hand, not face) occupied the rest of our journey.
Once more Amanda and Baddy joined Erin and I for dinner and drinks. We invited a couple more friends over for the evening and proceeded to laugh, chat and finally make our way out for some dancing. We met a few of Baddy's friends and followed them to a local hangout. Unfortunately laws in Germany are not like those in Canada and many nightclubs and pubs still permit people to smoke inside. Being of a strong anti-smoking nature we all left shortly after arriving, feeling disappointed with German smoking laws. Soon after we returned home and decided to get some rest before our travels began the following day.
Saturday's plans took us in a different direction. On this day we went West into France. Our destination was a scenic town known as Colmar in the Alsace province which our friends suggested as opposed to the more touristy city of Straßbourg farther north.
The bus ride took us over the Rhine and through the now vacant border security into France. We traveled through a small town surrounded by massive walls and large ditches which had served as defensive fortifications a few centuries ago. From there our bus continued on towards Colmar where we said "Adieu" to our bus driver. Colmar was quite stunning and gave me the distinct feel of being a character in a Dr. Seuss book. Many of the buildings were slanted or leaning and no two looked identical. The Saturday markets were in full swing and the four of us had a very difficult time not succumbing to the many tantalizing treats that stood in many shop windows or under recently erected tents. The smells of chocolate, buttery baked treats, jams, and cheeses were just a few of the scents we experienced. As a lover of all things chocolate it was difficult to resist the urge to purchase something unique and authentic however, the price tag attached to most items usually dulled my senses to some degree (100g of chocolate for 5 Euros/7 Canadian).
Shopkeepers and customers conducted business in German and French, which I found surprising until I was informed that the region has been contested for centuries. In fact many older persons still speak German or a version of it. We all tested our abilities in French, which took a little practice, but we still managed to order a crepe and Erin was able to find a lovely handmade red coat from a local. The real test came when trying to ask locals for directions to a nearby supermarche. We may have butchered the language a little, but we got our message across and found what we were looking for. There, we stocked up on as many different cheeses we could find before making our way to the bus stop for the return journey.
Why did we need 9 blocks of various cheeses you ask? Well, for one the price was quite reasonable. Second, how often do you go to France for cheese? But the real answer is a little simpler. Erin and I were both invited to Baddy's family's for Easter and the cheese was a very important part of the gorging process. Also, I wanted to bring more to the table than just cookies (although my cookies are pretty good and I had made a total of 91).
Sunday morning we were back at the Hauptbahnhof on our way to the Lörrach region south of Freiburg and very close to Basel, Switzerland. The air was chilly, but the four of us were all in high spirits. A few twists and turns through small streets finally led us to Baddy's sister's home. We were greeted very warmly and made our introductions. Erin and Amanda spent a little time occupying the small children while Baddy and I tried to help prepare the brunch, although I was probably more in the way than anything. The doorbell rang and new arrivals came and greetings were made once more. In total the table was set for about 14 people, decorated colourfully with Easter eggs, small cutlery and rice crispy nests with tiny eggs, courtesy of Amanda. The food was wonderful, a wide variety of breads, buns and rolls were served as well as a large meat platter, smoked salmon, 9 types of cheese, jams, shrimp and other things which I'm probably forgetting. We began with a toast and a little champagne before digging in to our excellent meal.
Afterwards a number of gifts were hidden in the yard for the children while they played with Erin and Amanda in one of the bedrooms. Upon release they quickly scoured the yard for all traces of the Easter bunny "Osterhase" and any gifts left behind. A large amount of chocolate and small gifts were found and one even contained our names. We were happily surprised by the thoughtfulness of the Osterhase and have been enjoying the gift ever since.
After several hours of chatting and goofing around we began coffee/tea and dessert. We had a chocolate cake, a raspberry-quark filled cake of sorts... picture an oreo ice-cream sandwich. Now instead of ice-cream in the middle it's a pink strawberry filling that's light and tasty and on the top and bottom is a soft thin cake layer and you'll understand the dessert. There were also rice crispy eggs and my own oatmeal chocolate walnut cookies. We had plenty to eat and spent some time discussing topics ranging from weddings to travel to baking. All the while we (Erin and I) got to practice our German. I think Erin found speaking with the children to be a good learning experience, not to mention kids don't exactly discuss the finer details of politics or home decorating.
Overall we had a wonderful weekend with friends doing many different things. We have a great many photos that we took as well, a few (but not all) of which Erin has posted on facebook. We'll be sure to keep you up to date on things in the future and of course give you a quick 50 page summary of the past few months here.
Happy Passover and Easter!
Manrin
