Black Forest Highlands

Easily accessible by train or car from other parts of Europe is the Black Forest Highlands consisting of a range of low mountains with beautiful countryside around 13 tranquil villages with sloped-roof wooden houses, local cuisine, crafts and costumes that make them romantic. These are good for adventure, nature, or just relaxation.

The forest itself is pine-green and has a thick spread of trees that creates a continuous dark shadow.

One very special experience is a ride on a mountain gondola to Feldberg Tower, or a hike through the nature preserve. The unique panorama of the Alps is scenic over the pristine Black Forest all the way to the Vosges from the summit of the highest peak ( 1,448 meters) of Feldberg.

The Feldberg experience lasts a few hours. It is one of more than 70 such activities that come complimentary with a Red Pass that can be earned after staying for two nights at any of the hotels, resorts, or apartments in the Black Forest.

Hofgut Sternen at Hells Valley in a Black Forest village is a historic hotel with cuckoo clocks and glass blowing workshops. The complex is situated close to the highway and is set in the beautiful Ravenna Valley with an impressive high stone arch railway bridge as a backdrop. A red train that passes through the green ravine every 15 minutes is a delight to watch.

This 600-year-old place is proud to have served Princess Marie Antoinette’s marriage entourage. The lady was supposedly on her way to marry the prince of France. It is not known if the lady tasted the pastry from here, but we have the opportunity to savor the rich and tasty Black Forest cake and also learn how to make it. Coffee with cake at 3 o'clock is an afternoon tradition in the Black Forest.

Titisee, the lake formed from the Feldberg Glacier, is a high-altitude lake. The opulence and eventual waste created by people angered the gods, who sank a town in it.

The Titisee appeared above the city. A 25-minute cruise on a big electric boat, or on a fun donut boat, or a small paddle boat is good enough to learn about the surrounding area from the captain as you relax and inhale fresh air.

On the banks of the Titisee is a typical tourist district with shopping, eating and stay options. You can buy a bollen hut hat consisting of 14 woolen pom-poms that is typical of the Black Forest. Leave the red ones for spinsters behind and pick the black pom-poms to flaunt your married status.

The Europa Park amusement park was a good introduction to Europe – its architecture, lifestyle and cuisine. The park owners’ original business was to tour roller-coasters to various venues around the world.

Naturally, Europa Park is the first place to experience the latest roller coaster introduced by its owners. You only need to have a brave heart and be headstrong (we banged our heads in ecstasy) for the thrills. You can always brim with pride while showing your picture (they have installed automatic cameras) to others later.

Those young at heart can take the monorail ride for an aerial view of the entire theme park. The park on 85 hectares of land has manicured lawns and gardens where one can have a picnic with home-packed food.

Baden Baden

The small spa town bustles with locals and tourists along the Oos River during summer. All attractions (mostly spas) are within walking distance.

Bright yellow and blue lights highlight the 2,000-year-old brick remains of the Roman bath. The sauna of the time showed Baden Baden’s popularity as a spa town as early as the first century.

Europe’s first thermal waters were discovered in the region in the 19th century. Since then, the city has attracted health and fitness enthusiasts for relaxation.

Baden Baden was among the top spa destinations in Europe. Its proximity to France (a 50-minute drive to the border) and to Switzerland (a two-hour drive) must have added to its popularity.

Friedrichsbad Spa is a palatial building next to the Roman bath remains. Seventeen sessions in its elegant interiors that included dipping into alternate cold and warm water and a soap and scrub massage took three and a half hours. It is so relaxing that some fall asleep during the sessions.

Alternatively, one could take (in swim costumes) a Caracalla spa thermal water dip in the beautifully laid-out outdoor pool. It also has an indoor sauna. Thermal water fountains throughout the city helped us quench thirst – for good health!

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee from the street-side cafes was inviting while walking along pedestrian-friendly streets. It was time for some gambling after dinner. Curiously, the other major attraction of the city, the casino, is housed in the Kurhaus (cure house). The casino certainly cured our temptation in an hour. We had played enough to enjoy the game and left with our initial capital.

Hohenzollern Castle

The castle located on top of Mount Hohenzollern at an elevation of 855 meters in the Swabian Alb looked majestic from our bus. We stopped at a level below the mountain from where the private bus belonging to the castle took us to the top. The imposing architecture of the neo-Gothic-style castle was visible as we made our way up the steep climb through its huge gate.

Our guide Derick said that the castle was rebuilt for the third time from 1846 to 1867 after it was destroyed twice earlier. It was not regularly occupied, but rather it was used mostly as a show castle.

Hohenzollern Castle was the ancestral seat of the Prussian kings and German emperors as well as the Swabian branch of the princes of Hohenzollern. The castle has been filled with art and historic artifacts from the collection of the Hohenzollern family. The crown of Wilhelm II studded with precious diamonds and pearls is housed along with other rare personal objects.

We climbed the 200-odd spiraling steps to the tip for a stunning panorama of the picturesque landscape of the Swabian Alps.

Stuttgart

After the natural retreat of the Black Forest, we arrived at Baden Wurttemberg’s capital Stuttgart. The city seemed a continuation of its natural surroundings. It is spread across a variety of hills, valleys and parks – in conflict with our preconception of it as a typical industrial city because of its reputation as the ‘cradle of the automobile’.

One can see vineyards on the small hill close to the city square, from the main railway station. The main train station is an imposing redstone structure with a rotating logo of Mercedes Benz on its main tower. One can’t miss Mercedes in Stuttgurt, whether it is a logo, a stadium, the factory, museum or a bus, car, tractor or even a fire engine.

The station tower looks into King Street, the buzzing main street that leads to most of Stuttgart’s architectural attractions. A walk on a stone pathway led us to Schlossplatz, the Castle Square.

It‘s common to hear pre- and post-war references in explanations of the building architecture. Stuttgart, a military headquarters during the World War II, was heavily bombarded and damaged. Many historic buildings have been reconstructed and the city has some interesting modern architecture.

The ‘New Castle’ of 18th century is built in baroque style and houses state administrative offices. The opera theater is another beautiful structure across the pond. Castle Square a happening place for locals.

Mercedes Benz Museum

The vast, interestingly modeled Mercedes Benz Museum makes for a fascinating visit with a narration about the industrial revolution along the lines of automobile growth. The motorbike and four-wheel automobile were invented in Stuttgart by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz. Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Maybach are all produced in Stuttgart and nearby towns.

The Mercedes-Benz Museum shows about 160 vehicles on permanent display, from the earliest models to the latest series of production vehicles. Two hours had passed by without our notice, but we did see that the new two-seater Smart car is sleek, trendy and enivironmentally friendly.

Metzingen

Metzingen, another suburb of Stuttgart, is a shopper’s paradise. It has about 70 factory outlets of popular international brands including Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and Swatch, all within a walking distance.

It was interesting to learn that pretzels (a popular German bread shaped in the form of folded arms) were first made by a prisoner in Stuttgart.

Visit Germany’s popular Ritter Sport chocolate factory on Stuttgart’s outskirts to take home a variety chocolates. Ritter Sport is credited with inventing handy squares of chocolate.

The audio-visual presentation in its theater shows the process of making chocolate. The use of beet sugar here gives a special taste to chocolates. Wholesale prices at the factory outlet shop will tempt you to buy in kilos.

Take care to store those chocolates in cool temperatures to prevent them from melting. You can get back home refreshed and with beautiful memories to reminisce about through your life.

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Anand & Madhura Katti (husband & wife team) are award winning travel journalists based in Mumbai, India. They travel across the country and the world, attending many travel trade, hotel industry summits, and conferences. They also have contributed to many Indian newspapers and some overseas publications for 26 years.

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