Spielland Freiburg - Megapark Casino in Freiburg im
Casino Freiburg - Fribourg Tourisme
City Casino (Freiburg im Breisgau) kontaktieren - dialo.de
city casino freiburg
city casino freiburg - win
Just completed an awesome 2 month road trip in EU and wanted to share my experience.
My wife and I are both retired, low-budget seniors. We have been in Europe several times before, but this trip we decided to extend to two months, much longer than previous trips. Since we are somewhat budget travelers, we wanted to keep costs as low as possible, however, we are too old to want to travel as backpackers. We decided on a road trip since the cost of renting a car is dirt cheap, way cheaper than trains and it gave us the opportunity to stop when we want, explore the smaller centres and just generally be more flexible. We are not huge fans of big cities and have seen a lot of the major attractions before, so we wanted to travel at a slower pace and experience more of the backroads. Our Itinerary: Flew Vancouver to Gatwick via WestJet return, then Easyjet to Edinburgh. We rented a car in Edinburgh and after a couple of days touring Edinburgh, road tripped the Highlands for a week then returned to Edinburgh. We flew Edinburgh to Basel, Switzerland by EasyJet, took the train to Freiburg and rented our long-term car there. We drove through the Alsace area of France 4 days, then drove into Switzerland 3 days, back into Germany about 10 days touring Rhine Valley, east into Bavaria, then 5 days Czech Republic and Prague, then 3 days in Slovakia, 5 days in Hungary and Budapest, 4 days in Austria, 3 in Slovenia, 7 days in Italy, back into Austria, Switzerland, Lichtenstein and returned the car in Freiburg. We flew out Basel to Gatwick and home. Total trip cost was $220Can/day for 55 days. Ways we economized:
We saved on all luggage fees by having only cabin baggage. We packed very light. Once we had the long term car, we provisioned up with a cooler bag, utensils, some cooking supplies at a dollar store in France, bought used clothes at a couple of thrift stores.
We bought a cheap Sim card in Freiburg at an internet cafe when we arrived. We used a Lebara Sim card which gave us 30 days / 5 gigs, 3G coverage for 20 euro. We renewed the 30 days once. Our primary usage was Google Maps and the Airbnb app.
For driving, we set GMaps to avoid all toll roads and it did an excellent job doing that. I can't tell you how great that option is. Avoiding toll roads slowed our pace substantially, it gave us the opportunity to see the small towns and villages, and we paid zero toll charges - except the time the dumbass driver decided not to listen to GMaps and drove into a toll zone. The car was a very economical Skoda and gas costs were not a significant part of our overall costs. In mainland EU, we rented through Europcar and the rate was 8 euros/day throughout the trip. I insured the car through our Visa Platinum.
Airbnb was excellent. We set the filter as low as possible to get bookings in areas we were traveling through. Rates are much lower in fall and we had no problems booking the same day, but we tried to book at least a day or two ahead once we decided on the general route.
If traveling to large cities, we tried to book on the fringes, then rode transit into town, that way we kept our accommodation cost lower, we were more likely to find places to ourselves with a private bath, we didn't have to drive in the large cities and less noise.
Most places we stayed had at least a microwave oven and fridge so about 80% of the time we ate meals from supermarkets like Lidl, Tesco (our favourite) and Coop. We bought wine in the supermarkets in 3L boxes (we would also splurge on the good stuff), bought beer there as well - super cheap. Some accommodations had a full kitchen so we would buy ingredients to actually cook a nice meal.
Total cost was $220Can/day for 55 days. Areas we traveled that were a pleasant surprise:
Alsace region. Beautiful architecture, rolling hills, the FOOOOD.
Switzerland was actually very reasonable cost-wise as a road trip. The Airbnb was in the country, we traveled through the area around Bern and brought our own food, we had to pay a $40euro highway pass, but that was about our only significant cost.
Rhine valley, Germany
Spa region of western Czechia. Wow! Cheb, Karlovy Vary, Pilsen. This region was my favourite.
Rural Slovakia, particularly the area around Martin
The drive from Linz, Austria into Slovenia.
Lake Bled region has been mentioned here many times, but is really worth visiting. We splurged here and got a 100 Euro room at a new casino in Kranjska Gora. Beautiful spa there.
Mountainous region of Tuscany.
Naples and the Amalfi Coast region.
For major cities, I'd say Budapest was number one, although Prague, Edinburgh, Vienna, Rome, Naples were all phenomenal. Bern and Luzern were also very beautiful. As I said though, major cities were not really a big part of the overall trip.
I could go on, but really, there were very few disappointments, perhaps the farming regions of Germany and northeast Italy and maybe the beach zones along the coasts of Italy.
[Not Switzerland] My overview/tips for the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) in Germany.
Schwarz – Black, and Wald – Forest. Simple. The official tourist website is very extensive - https://www.blackforest-tourism.com/ as is - https://www.black-forest-travel.com/ . Each end also has it’s own regional tourism website: the northern Black Forest National Park (Nationalpark Schwarzwald), and the southern High Black Forest (Hochschwarzwald). Those should cover just about everything you could want. The Black Forest is a roughly 60% forested mountain/hill range in south western Germany stretching down from Karlsruhe to the Swiss border. It never gets THAT high: at 1493m Feldberg is only just above the local tree-line. Generally speaking the northern part tends to be more touristy, and the southern end is the higher (and can offer some good Alpine views in the right weather conditions). What the actual area covered by it can be hard to define; some definitions go all the way down to the Rhein, others stop with the trees. Something about it seems to give people romanticised ideas (and many others sell it hard on that), making it sound like a magical location (indeed many people seem to – falsely - think that all the Grimm’s fairy tales originate from here). Maybe just the name itself does that. I certainly had such feelings that it was an exotic and exciting place when I went there the first time. However having been back many times I would say it is not a truly unique place (you can find comparable landscapes all over Germany and central Europe) and it isn’t any more dark or sinister than any other forest. but is still very nice and you do get scenes like this painting. I think it works better if you think of it as an outdoor activity area for those from northern/central Europe, rather than as a must-see for someone coming from the USA or Australia. Mark Twain wrote about it in “A Tramp Abroad”, which is free to read but that bit is much weaker than his accounts of Switzerland. Including the quote about the spas "Here . . . you lose track of time in ten minutes and the world in twenty" which is used by apparently everybody who writes about the area.
There are three clichés which are usually beaten to death: Cuckoo clocks, cakes, and ham. These are covered in more detail further down.
The other cliché thing is the hat with big red balls, the Bollenhut. Though oddly it was just a thing in a few protestant villages, but has now been taken to represent the mostly catholic Black Forest as a whole.
Tourism is a major source of income (originally tourism kicked off due to the spas which are still open). But tourism tends to be heavy in some areas and almost non-existent in others. It is very easy to find a quiet bit of woodland or hilltop. It is far enough from most standard European destinations to be more of a “passing-through” spot for people from further away so mass tourism mostly isn’t a problem outside of a few focal points like Triberg.
Towns/villages are best seen as starting points or easy places to reach, rather than the main focus (other than bigger places like Freiburg). Some are pretty, but none are very big and are just a nice place to grab some food or supplies. The most interesting sight is the giant wooden farmhouse which are very indicative of the area. Though most modern buildings are a fairly standard concrete design which keeps the overall aesthetics, but just isn’t the same.
Being mountainous the weather is a little more extreme than the surrounding areas, but only a little (this is not the high Alps). It still pays to check ahead and prepare of course. During summer weather is warm and sunny enough to grow wine, but there is also a very high rainfall and there can be cold snaps. It can be very snowy in winter, though in recent years this has been drastically reduced. The main problem in winter is the fog, so plan to go to the higher parts (if possible over 1000m) to avoid that.
Being a widely populated and touristy area you are never that far from food and shelter. But there can still be danger if you are caught out by the weather.
Clearly German is the default language. Getting by in other languages should be easy enough in the tourist hotspots. Though it might be a bit more hit and miss in the quieter and more remote areas. There is a local Alemannische dialect but that won’t be anything to worry about unless you want to eavesdrop on the locals.
Just to ruin a few magical things…..
The cake was probably not invented in the Black Forest. More on that later.
It isn’t especially linked to any fairy tales. There are some local myths and tales like any region has. But the Brothers Grimm were never known to even visit the area (plus they collected/recorded/edited as an academic exercise into culture, rather than wrote the tales), they lived further north - hence the Fairy Tale Road is up around Marburg and Kassel. So most of their works are more local to Hesse/Westphalia (though they would have existed in various forms all over the region of modern Germany, and some were told to them by French Huguenots). By all means read their tales (though ideally in the first edition version) take in the atmosphere and imagine the places that could be just like the stories, just don’t think that the itself Black Forest inspired those exact stories.c
It isn’t much of an ancient forest – the region was heavily deforested by 1850 with a monoculture of fast growing Spruce planted to replace the missing woods. Efforts have been made to fix this and it is looking much better, but it can still be very apparent in some parts.
Dark on Netflix is filmed in the Brandenburg/Berlin area – totally the wrong side of the country. The landscape is far too flat, and the brick houses are a rare sight in the south of Germany.
Gummy bears come from Germany but were invented in Bonn. The Black Forest Gummy bears that Americans go on about are made in the USA and unknown elsewhere. Showing the advert to my Black Forest native girlfriend produced something of a confused reaction.
You probably didn’t play here in Age of Empires 2. With the language set to German you are instead playing in “Dunkelwald” (dark forest). The Black Forest map is the right sort of region, but far too flat.
Getting around Realistically you need a car to explore the area properly. You can still see some parts easily enough without a car, but you will be a little limited and much slower (figure 2x the travel time).
The main scenic drive is the Schwarzwald-Hochstrasse, but there is also apparently: the Valley Road, the Spa Road, the Baden Wine Road, the Asparagus Road, and the Clock Road. Though most driving in the area will be scenic, especially on the quieter backroads.
Driving is mostly easy, but can be a little round-about with so many hills requiring diversions around them. Smaller roads might be narrow without markings down the centre, and single lane roads going up to or connecting smaller villages are not uncommon. Cyclists can be a surprise and then hard to overtake on the windy roads, then from behind you have motorbikes who are often suicidal and will try and overtake you on blind corners.
There are forest car parks that offer free parking. So it is very easy to park at the start of a hike or by a scenic lookout.
There are a few train lines, but the coverage is really far from total. There are also a few with historic trains running: Waldenburg-Liestal, Ettlingen-Bad Herrenalb (the Albtalbahn) and the Dampfzug Chanderli, between Kandern and Basel.
Bus routes from Freiburg to the bigger tourist spots tend to be slow but will do the job. Those covering smaller villages in quieter areas tend to be the “once or twice a day and stop everywhere” sort.
If you are using public transport then the Baden-Württemberg-Ticket offers a cheap day pass for local transport in the region, and it gets cheaper for each extra person in your group.
The white and green routes that are well signposted do a good job of keeping you away from traffic: either on quieter backroads, or on gravel roads through the forest. In places where you have to follow a major road there will at least be a safe side path.
The yellow signs are the mountain bike cross routes. This is distance and height gain on gravel-paths rather than single trails and technical downhills. I plan to do the Schwarzwald-cross route at some point in the future, though maybe cutting the length of some of the harder sectons….
Ebikes are becoming very popular. In more touristy spots you might see more groups on ebikes than hikers.
There are vast amounts of double or single trail paths that go through the forest which you can use. Often the marked footpaths follow gravel-roads rather than single trail, so it is easy to follow them. But this can be a little hit and miss with making the distances and climbs longer and harder.
Winter sports When there is enough snow there are lots of cross-country skiing options. Downhill skiing is mostly bunny slopes, though some areas like around the Feldberg are more extensive. However the snow in recent years has been so poor that you are more likely to need a mountain bike than a pair of skis. View points Too many to list. Castles and ruins There are not many castles in the Black Forest, mostly you will find the odd ruin.
Erberstein
Schloss Hohenbaden. A ruin.
You have some impressive castles and fortresses in the region. Like Hohenzollern Castle, Lichtenstein Castle, Heidelberg, Neuf-Brisach, Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg. But these are very much not in the Black Forest.
Klosterruine Hirsau.
Where to go I have mapped out the places listed below. In general if you pick a random point you will probably find something nice around it. In December many of these places have Christmas Markets, especially Freiburg. Main tourist spots Triberg, Titisee, Feldberg, and Baden-Baden are arguably the biggest tourist focal points inside the Black Forest. Anywhere within a short hop of the bigger urban areas like Freiburg will also likely be quite busy on nice days.
Freiburg (im Breisgau). Not really Black Forest (depending on who you ask), but a nice city and a good entry point.
Titisee (yes that is Titi-lake). REALLY TOURISTY. The historical home of tourism in the area, also home to a slightly comical number of boats.
Feldberg. The highest point in the Black Forest. See also the Feldsee just below it.
Schluchsee. A slightly quieter lake than the Titisee. It is a dammed lake so the changing water level leaves the sides a bit barren, and the north side is dominated by a busy road that gives you the roar of motorbikes anywhere in the area. By far the nicest part of the lake is the restaurant/café at Unterkrummenhof-Schluchsee.
Rothaus Braueri. The makers of the beer that dominates much of the region. They have a barestaurant/shop/exhibition/hotel at their brewing site.
Mummelsee.
Baden Baden. The classic spa/casino town. Like Freiburg it isn’t really the Black Forest, but makes a good starting point.
Triberg. REALLY TOURSITY. See also the local waterfall which is apparently the highest in Germany.
Food and drink Separating truly Black Forest and anything from that region is a little hard. Being a rural area there are plenty of local jams/honey/etc on sale
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest gâteau/cake). Quite why it got the name is unclear and there are various stories, it might be the flavouring with Kirsch (hence the name in German). The origin of the cake itself is also seemingly uncertain, with there being no absolute proof that it originated in the Black Forest. More likely it seems to have come from Bonn. You can certainly find it easily and enjoy it in the Black Forest though.
Schwarzwälder schinken (Black Forest Ham). A smoke-cured raw ham. In Europe this has regional protection, so it has to be produced in the region to a certain standard to have the name. The name seems to resonate strongly with people from the USA - where it is not under any protection and seems to be a common exotic sounding description slapped on the name of any old pork product (this can vary from something respectable looking, to a level of “DEAR GOD WHAT THE IN NAME OF FUCK IS THAT”). Whatever it is that Subway sells has certainly never been anywhere near the Black Forest. There is apparently a museum about the meat in Musbach bei Freudenstadt, and certainly one at the Feldberg. There is even a ham themed hiking route.
Other Alcohol. The cherry brandy Kirsch(wasser) is the most famous and traditional. There are various other fruit based Schnapps. There are also more modern drinks like Whiskey such as the Marder Whiskey or Black Forest (from Rothaus) and gin such as the Monkey 47 (to name just a few).
Wine is made in the area – especially in the Rhein valley around Freiburg.
Other bits There are endless little museums.
Cuckoo clocks (Kuckucksuhr). That other Black Forest thing. They might not have originated in the Black Forest, but they became very popular there. There is a museum, and Triberg and Schonach both claim to have the world's largest cuckoo clock, among other clock based touristy-things scattered around. You will never be short of the chance to buy one.
There is a long running and apparently popular German TV series set in the area - Die Schwarzwaldklinik.
Likewise if you can read German then you can read some local Krimis by the publisher Eamon.
Other points
For similar areas the Swiss Jura mountains are very close. Likewise the Emmental (especially around Napf) and Appenzell. The latter have the advantage that in addition to deeply folded wooded valleys, the landscape then rises up to the Alps.
There have been a few suspected wolf sightings but nothing to worry you – motorbikes present a far bigger danger.
A far realer danger than wolfs is hunters during the autumn – it is best not to go off of the paths then. You will see their high perches all over the Black Forest and Germany.
I don’t care how much I have been inconsistent with the ordering of English (German) and German (English).
My overview/tips for the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) in Germany.
Schwarz – Black, and Wald – Forest. Simple. Though the real origin of the name seems unclear. There are various myths but non seem to be true for certain. The official tourist website is very extensive - https://www.blackforest-tourism.com/ as is - https://www.black-forest-travel.com/ . Each end also has it’s own regional tourism website: the northern Black Forest National Park (Nationalpark Schwarzwald), and the southern High Black Forest (Hochschwarzwald). Those should cover just about everything you could want. The Black Forest is a roughly 60% forested mountain/hill range in south western Germany stretching down from Karlsruhe to the Swiss border. It never gets THAT high: at 1493m Feldberg is only just above the local tree-line. Generally speaking the northern part tends to be more touristy, and the southern end is the higher (and can offer some good Alpine views in the right weather conditions). What the actual area covered by it can be hard to define; some definitions go all the way down to the Rhein, others stop with the trees. Something about it seems to give people romanticised ideas (and many others sell it hard on that), making it sound like a magical location (indeed many people seem to – falsely - think that all the Grimm’s fairy tales originate from here). Maybe just the name itself does that. I certainly had such feelings that it was an exotic and exciting place when I went there the first time. Having been back many times I would say it is not a truly unique place (you can find comparable landscapes all over central Europe) and it isn’t any more dark or sinister than any other forest. but is still very very nice and you do get scenes like this painting. I also think it works better as an outdoor activity area for those from northern/central Europe, rather than as a must-see for someone coming from the USA or Australia and who only has a short time to work with. Mark Twain wrote about it in “A Tramp Abroad”, which is free to read but that bit is much weaker than his accounts of Switzerland. Including the quote about the spas "Here . . . you lose track of time in ten minutes and the world in twenty" which is used by apparently everybody who writes about the area.
There are three clichés which are usually beaten to death: Cuckoo clocks, cakes, and ham. These are covered in more detail further down.
The other cliché thing is the hat with big red balls, the Bollenhut. Though oddly it was just a thing in a few protestant villages, but has now been taken to represent the mostly catholic Black Forest as a whole.
Tourism is a major source of income (originally tourism kicked off due to the spas which are still open). But tourism tends to be heavy in some areas and almost non-existent in others. It is very easy to find a quiet bit of woodland or hilltop. It is far enough from most standard European destinations to be more of a “passing-through” spot for people from further away so mass tourism mostly isn’t a problem outside of a few focal points like Triberg.
Towns/villages are best seen as starting points or easy targets than rather than the main focus (other than bigger places like Freiburg). Some are pretty pretty, but none are very big. The most interesting sight is the giant wooden farmhouses which are very indicative of the area (and also Bern region in Switzerland).
Being mountainous the weather is a little more extreme than the surrounded area, but only a little (this is not the high Alps). It still pays to check ahead and prepare of course. During summer weather is warm and sunny enough to grow wine, but there is also a very high rainfall and there can be cold snaps. It can be very snowy in winter, though in recent years this has drastically been reduced. The main problem in winter is the fog, so plan to go to the higher parts if possible (over 1000m) to avoid that.
Being a widely populated and touristy area you are never that far from food and shelter. But there can still be danger if you are caught out by the weather.
Clearly German is the default language. Getting by in other languages should be easy enough in the tourist hotspots. Though it might be a bit more hit and miss in the quieter and more remote areas. There is a local Alemannische dialect but that won’t be anything to worry about unless you want to eavesdrop on the locals.
Just to ruin a few magical things…..
The cake was probably not invented in the Black Forest. More on that later.
It isn’t especially linked to any fairy tales. There are some local myths and tales like any region has. But the Brothers Grimm were never based around there (and they collected/recorded/edited rather than wrote the tales), they were further north hence the fairy tale road is up around Marburg and Kassel and so most of their works are more local to Hesse/Westphalia (though they would have existed in various forms all over the region of modern Germany, and some were told to them by French Huguenots). By all means read their tales (though ideally in the first edition version) take in the atmosphere and imagine the places that could be just like the stories, just don’t think that the itself Black Forest inspired those exact stories.
It isn’t much of an ancient forest – the region was heavily deforested by 1850 with a monoculture of fast growing Spruce planted to replace the missing woods. Efforts have been made to fix this and it is looking muc better, but it can still be very apparent in some parts.
Dark on Netflix is filmed in Brandenburg/Berlin area – totally the wrong side of the country. The landscape is far too flat, and the brick houses are a rare sight in the south of Germany.
Gummy bears come from Germany but were invented in Bonn. The Black Forest Gummy bears that Americans go on about are made in the USA and unknown elsewhere. Showing the advert to my Black Forest native girlfriend produced something of a confused reaction.
You probably didn’t play here in Age of Empires 2. With the language set to German you are instead playing in “Dunkelwald” (dark forest). The Black Forest map is the right sort of region, but far too flat.
Getting around Realistically you need a car to explore the area properly. You can still see some parts easily enough without a car, but you will be a little limited and much slower (figure 2x the travel time).
The main scenic drive is the Schwarzwald-Hochstrasse, but there is also apparently: the Valley Road, the Spa Road, the Baden Wine Road, the Asparagus Road, and the Clock Road. Though most driving in the area will be scenic, especially on the quieter backroads.
There are a few train lines, but the coverage is really far from total. There are also a few with historic trains running: Waldenburg-Liestal, Ettlingen-Bad Herrenalb (the Albtalbahn) and the Dampfzug Chanderli, between Kandern and Basel.
Bus routes from Freiburg to the bigger tourist spots tend to be slow but will do the job. Those covering smaller villages in quieter areas tend to be the “once or twice a day and stop everywhere” sort.
If you are using public transport then the Baden-Württemberg-Ticket offers a cheap day pass for local transport in the region, and it gets cheaper for each extra person in your group.
Sports Outdoor activities are pretty much the main reason to go. The winters are getting increasingly less snowy. So the area is starting to focus more on hiking and biking that can increasingly be done year round. hiking There are well marked paths everywhere covering everything from short and easy to multi-day long distance routes. A quick google of the area you plan to be in should bring up plenty of ideas. Eg: https://www.komoot.com/guide/37/hiking-in-the-black-forest https://www.outdooractive.com/en/hikes/loerrach/hiking-in-loerrach/1453476/ https://monkeysandmountains.com/tips-for-hiking-in-the-black-forest-germany/ Biking Likewise there are lots of biking routes of various types that are covered by the tourist websites. I plan to do the Schwarzwald-cross route at some point in the future. Though maybe cutting the length of some of the harder sectons…. Snow When there is enough snow there are lots of cross-country skiing options. Downhill skiing is mostly bunny slopes, though some areas like around the Feldberg are more extensive. However the snow in recent years has been so poor that your are more likely to need a mountain bike than a pair of skis. Where to go I have mapped out the places listed below. In general if you pick a random point you will probably find something nice around it. In December many of these places have Christmas Markets, especially Freiburg. Main tourist spots Triberg and Titisee are arguably the two biggest tourist focal points inside the Black Forest. Anywhere within a short hop of the bigger urban areas like Freiburg will also likely be quite busy on nice days.
Freiburg (im Breisgau). Not really Black Forest (depending on who you ask), but a nice city and a good entry point.
Titisee (yes that is Titi-lake). REALLY TOURISTY. The historical home of tourism in the area, also home to a slightly comical number of boats.
Feldberg. See also the Feldsee just below it.
Schluchsee. A slightly quieter lake than the Titisee.
Mummelsee.
Baden Baden. The classic spa/casino town. Like Freiburg it isn’t really the Black Forest, but makes a good starting point.
Triberg. REALLY TOURSITY. See also the local waterfall which is apparently the highest in Germany.
Food and drink Separating truly Black Forest and anything from that region is a little hard. Being a rural area there are plenty of local jams/honey/etc on sale
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest gâteau/cake). Quite why it got the name is unclear and there are various stories, it might be the flavouring with Kirsch (hence the name in German). The origin of the cake itself is also seemingly uncertain, with there being no absolute proof that it originated in the Black Forest. More likely it seems to have come from Bonn. You can certainly find it easily and enjoy it in the Black Forest though.
Schwarzwälder schinken (Black Forest Ham). A smoke-cured raw ham. In Europe this has regional protection, so it has to be produced in the region to a certain standard to have the name. The name seems to resonate strongly with people from the USA - where it is not under any protection and seems to be a common exotic sounding description slapped on the name of any old pork product (this can vary from something respectable looking, to a level of “DEAR GOD WHAT THE IN NAME OF FUCK IS THAT”). Whatever it is that Subway sells has certainly never been anywhere near the Black Forest. There is apparently a museum about the meat in Musbach bei Freudenstadt, and certainly one at the Feldberg. There is even a ham themed hiking route.
Wine is made in the area – especially in the Rhein valley around Freiburg.
Other Alcohol. The cherry brandy Kirsch(wasser) is the most famous. There are various other fruit based Schnapps. There are also Whiskey and gin producers (to name just a few).
Other bits There are endless little museums.
Cuckoo clocks (Kuckucksuhr). That other Black Forest thing. They might not have originated in the Black Forest, but they became very popular there. There is a museum, and Triberg and Schonach both claim to have the world's largest cuckoo clock, among other clock based touristy-things scattered around. You will never be short of the chance to buy one.
For a rather unique spot read this article and then visit the Engländerdenkmal.
Other points
For similar areas the Swiss Jura mountains are very close. Likewise the Emmental (especially around Napf) and Appenzell. The latter have the advantage that in addition to deeply folded wooded valleys the landscape then rises up to the Alps.
There have been a few suspected wolf sightings but nothing to worry you – motorbikes present a far bigger danger.
A far realer danger than wolfs is hunters during the autumn – best not to go off of the paths then. You will see their high perches all over the Black Forest and Germany.
My overview/tips for the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) in Germany.
Schwarz – Black, and Wald – Forest. Simple. Though the real origin of the name seems unclear. There are various myths but non seem to be true for certain. The official tourist website is very extensive - https://www.blackforest-tourism.com/ as is - https://www.black-forest-travel.com/ . Each end also has it’s own regional tourism website: the northern Black Forest National Park (Nationalpark Schwarzwald), and the southern High Black Forest (Hochschwarzwald). Those should cover just about everything you could want. The Black Forest is a roughly 60% forested mountain/hill range in south western Germany stretching down from Karlsruhe to the Swiss border. It never gets THAT high: at 1493m Feldberg is only just above the local tree-line. Generally speaking the northern part tends to be more touristy, and the southern end is the higher (and can offer some good Alpine views in the right weather conditions). What the actual area covered by it can be hard to define; some definitions go all the way down to the Rhein, others stop with the trees. Something about it seems to give people romanticised ideas (and many others sell it hard on that), making it sound like a magical location (indeed many people seem to – falsely - think that all the Grimm’s fairy tales originate from here). Maybe just the name itself does that. I certainly had such feelings that it was an exotic and exciting place when I went there the first time. Having been back many times I would say it is not a truly unique place (you can find comparable landscapes all over central Europe) and it isn’t any more dark or sinister than any other forest. but is still very very nice and you do get scenes like this painting. I also think it works better as an outdoor activity area for those from northern/central Europe, rather than as a must-see for someone coming from the USA or Australia and who only has a short time to work with. Mark Twain wrote about it in “A Tramp Abroad”, which is free to read but that bit is much weaker than his accounts of Switzerland. Including the quote about the spas "Here . . . you lose track of time in ten minutes and the world in twenty" which is used by apparently everybody who writes about the area.
There are three clichés which are usually beaten to death: Cuckoo clocks, cakes, and ham. These are covered in more detail further down.
The other cliché thing is the hat with big red balls, the Bollenhut. Though oddly it was just a thing in a few protestant villages, but has now been taken to represent the mostly catholic Black Forest as a whole.
Tourism is a major source of income (originally tourism kicked off due to the spas which are still open). But tourism tends to be heavy in some areas and almost non-existent in others. It is very easy to find a quiet bit of woodland or hilltop. It is far enough from most standard European destinations to be more of a “passing-through” spot for people from further away so mass tourism mostly isn’t a problem outside of a few focal points like Triberg.
Towns/villages are best seen as starting points or easy targets than rather than the main focus (other than bigger places like Freiburg). Some are pretty pretty, but none are very big. The most interesting sight is the giant wooden farmhouses which are very indicative of the area (and also Bern region in Switzerland).
Being mountainous the weather is a little more extreme than the surrounded area, but only a little (this is not the high Alps). It still pays to check ahead and prepare of course. During summer weather is warm and sunny enough to grow wine, but there is also a very high rainfall and there can be cold snaps. It can be very snowy in winter, though in recent years this has drastically been reduced. The main problem in winter is the fog, so plan to go to the higher parts if possible (over 1000m) to avoid that.
Being a widely populated and touristy area you are never that far from food and shelter. But there can still be danger if you are caught out by the weather.
Clearly German is the default language. Getting by in other languages should be easy enough in the tourist hotspots. Though it might be a bit more hit and miss in the quieter and more remote areas. There is a local Alemannische dialect but that won’t be anything to worry about unless you want to eavesdrop on the locals.
Just to ruin a few magical things…..
The cake was probably not invented in the Black Forest. More on that later.
It isn’t especially linked to any fairy tales. There are some local myths and tales like any region has. But the Brothers Grimm were never based around there (and they collected/recorded/edited rather than wrote the tales), they were further north hence the fairy tale road is up around Marburg and Kassel and so most of their works are more local to Hesse/Westphalia (though they would have existed in various forms all over the region of modern Germany, and some were told to them by French Huguenots). By all means read their tales (though ideally in the first edition version) take in the atmosphere and imagine the places that could be just like the stories, just don’t think that the itself Black Forest inspired those exact stories.
It isn’t much of an ancient forest – the region was heavily deforested by 1850 with a monoculture of fast growing Spruce planted to replace the missing woods. Efforts have been made to fix this and it is looking muc better, but it can still be very apparent in some parts.
Dark on Netflix is filmed in Brandenburg/Berlin area – totally the wrong side of the country. The landscape is far too flat, and the brick houses are a rare sight in the south of Germany.
Gummy bears come from Germany but were invented in Bonn. The Black Forest Gummy bears that Americans go on about are made in the USA and unknown elsewhere. Showing the advert to my Black Forest native girlfriend produced something of a confused reaction.
You probably didn’t play here in Age of Empires 2. With the language set to German you are instead playing in “Dunkelwald” (dark forest). The Black Forest map is the right sort of region, but far too flat.
Getting around Realistically you need a car to explore the area properly. You can still see some parts easily enough without a car, but you will be a little limited and much slower (figure 2x the travel time).
The main scenic drive is the Schwarzwald-Hochstrasse, but there is also apparently: the Valley Road, the Spa Road, the Baden Wine Road, the Asparagus Road, and the Clock Road. Though most driving in the area will be scenic, especially on the quieter backroads.
There are a few train lines, but the coverage is really far from total. There are also a few with historic trains running: Waldenburg-Liestal, Ettlingen-Bad Herrenalb (the Albtalbahn) and the Dampfzug Chanderli, between Kandern and Basel.
Bus routes from Freiburg to the bigger tourist spots tend to be slow but will do the job. Those covering smaller villages in quieter areas tend to be the “once or twice a day and stop everywhere” sort.
If you are using public transport then the Baden-Württemberg-Ticket offers a cheap day pass for local transport in the region, and it gets cheaper for each extra person in your group.
Sports Outdoor activities are pretty much the main reason to go. The winters are getting increasingly less snowy. So the area is starting to focus more on hiking and biking that can increasingly be done year round. hiking There are well marked paths everywhere covering everything from short and easy to multi-day long distance routes. A quick google of the area you plan to be in should bring up plenty of ideas. Eg: https://www.komoot.com/guide/37/hiking-in-the-black-forest https://www.outdooractive.com/en/hikes/loerrach/hiking-in-loerrach/1453476/ https://monkeysandmountains.com/tips-for-hiking-in-the-black-forest-germany/ Biking Likewise there are lots of biking routes of various types that are covered by the tourist websites. I plan to do the Schwarzwald-cross route at some point in the future. Though maybe cutting the length of some of the harder sectons…. Snow When there is enough snow there are lots of cross-country skiing options. Downhill skiing is mostly bunny slopes, though some areas like around the Feldberg are more extensive. However the snow in recent years has been so poor that your are more likely to need a mountain bike than a pair of skis. Where to go I have mapped out the places listed below. In general if you pick a random point you will probably find something nice around it. In December many of these places have Christmas Markets, especially Freiburg. Main tourist spots Triberg and Titisee are arguably the two biggest tourist focal points inside the Black Forest. Anywhere within a short hop of the bigger urban areas like Freiburg will also likely be quite busy on nice days.
Freiburg (im Breisgau). Not really Black Forest (depending on who you ask), but a nice city and a good entry point.
Titisee (yes that is Titi-lake). REALLY TOURISTY. The historical home of tourism in the area, also home to a slightly comical number of boats.
Feldberg. See also the Feldsee just below it.
Schluchsee. A slightly quieter lake than the Titisee.
Mummelsee.
Baden Baden. The classic spa/casino town. Like Freiburg it isn’t really the Black Forest, but makes a good starting point.
Triberg. REALLY TOURSITY. See also the local waterfall which is apparently the highest in Germany.
Food and drink Separating truly Black Forest and anything from that region is a little hard. Being a rural area there are plenty of local jams/honey/etc on sale
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest gâteau/cake). Quite why it got the name is unclear and there are various stories, it might be the flavouring with Kirsch (hence the name in German). The origin of the cake itself is also seemingly uncertain, with there being no absolute proof that it originated in the Black Forest. More likely it seems to have come from Bonn. You can certainly find it easily and enjoy it in the Black Forest though.
Schwarzwälder schinken (Black Forest Ham). A smoke-cured raw ham. In Europe this has regional protection, so it has to be produced in the region to a certain standard to have the name. The name seems to resonate strongly with people from the USA - where it is not under any protection and seems to be a common exotic sounding description slapped on the name of any old pork product (this can vary from something respectable looking, to a level of “DEAR GOD WHAT THE IN NAME OF FUCK IS THAT”). Whatever it is that Subway sells has certainly never been anywhere near the Black Forest. There is apparently a museum about the meat in Musbach bei Freudenstadt, and certainly one at the Feldberg. There is even a ham themed hiking route.
Wine is made in the area – especially in the Rhein valley around Freiburg.
Other Alcohol. The cherry brandy Kirsch(wasser) is the most famous. There are various other fruit based Schnapps. There are also Whiskey and gin producers (to name just a few).
Other bits There are endless little museums.
Cuckoo clocks (Kuckucksuhr). That other Black Forest thing. They might not have originated in the Black Forest, but they became very popular there. There is a museum, and Triberg and Schonach both claim to have the world's largest cuckoo clock, among other clock based touristy-things scattered around. You will never be short of the chance to buy one.
For a rather unique spot read this article and then visit the Engländerdenkmal.
Other points
For similar areas the Swiss Jura mountains are very close. Likewise the Emmental (especially around Napf) and Appenzell. The latter have the advantage that in addition to deeply folded wooded valleys the landscape then rises up to the Alps.
There have been a few suspected wolf sightings but nothing to worry you – motorbikes present a far bigger danger.
A far realer danger than wolfs is hunters during the autumn – best not to go off of the paths then. You will see their high perches all over the Black Forest and Germany.
Spielland Freiburg - Megapark Casino, Freiburg im Breisgau Altstadt, Spiel, Spaß und Leidenschaft purSpielen gehört zum Menschen wie das Atmen. Wir haben es uns zur Aufgabe gemacht, diesen natürlichen Spieltrieb zu unterstützen. Mit unseren Klassikern „Spielland“ und „City Casino“ sowie unserem Newcomer „Megapark Casino“ bieten wir nun eine Bandbreite, die jeden anspricht: Jung City Casino Schiffstr. 9 79098 Freiburg Tel. +49 761 2088569 Fax +49 761 1562768 Our Super 8 by Wyndham Freiburg hotel is conveniently located off Bundesstraße 3, near the Okenstraße bus stop that takes you directly to the Historic City Center. The Old Town of Freiburg, home to the Freiburg Minster and Münsterplatz, is also close by. ☎ City Casino in Freiburg im Breisgau auf dialo.de - Empfehlungen Öffnungszeiten Erfahrungen Mit unseren Klassikern „Spielland“ und „City Casino“ sowie unserem Newcomer „Megapark Casino“ bieten wir nun eine Bandbreite, die jeden anspricht: Jung und Alt, Frau und Mann, Singles, Pärchen oder ganze Gruppen. Casino Freiburg im Breisgau. Casino in Freiburg im Breisgau (Treffer 1 - 20 von 38) Kartenansicht. 47.9941531,7.810269900000001. Mit unseren Klassikern „Spielland“ und „City Casino“ sowie unserem Newcomer „Megapark Casino“ bieten wir nun eine Bandbreite, die jeden anspricht: Jung und Alt, Frau und öffnungszeiten Slot machines: Son- Don: 10.00 - 2.00 Uhr, Fre-Sam bis 4.00 Uhr. Spieltisch : Mon-Don 16.30 - 2.00 Uhr, Fre-Sam: 17.00 - 4.00 Uhr, Son 16.00 - 2.00 Uhr
JAMES BOND 007: Keine Zeit Zu Sterben Trailer German ...
Fußball-Challenge gegen die Torwart-Legende Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern München)Check out soccerships: https://soccerships.com Join #teamfk / Komm ins #teamfk: ... Milla kommt endlich aus der Untersuchungshaft raus, weil sich Leon bei der Polizei gemeldet hat. Er lebt!! Leon lebt!!! Milla ist keine Mörderin! Die gescrip... Das City Casino Freiburg befindet sich in der Schwarzwaldcity im unteren Geschoss. Weitere Spielhallen findest Du auf 77777.NET Offizieller "James Bond: Keine Zeit Zu Sterben" Trailer Deutsch German 2021 Abonnieren http://abo.yt/kc (OT: James Bond 007: No Time To Die) Movie Trai... Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. World Record Tower Demolition: An engineering marvel gone horribly wrong deals CDI their strangest challenge yet: demolish a brand new hurricane-proof tower.... Ausschnitt aus "Mein Name ist Nobody" (1973):Der gealterte Revolverheld Jack Beauregard (Henry Fonda) möchte sich zur Ruhe setzen und nach Europa übersiedeln... Das Mailänder Publikum würdigt Franck Ribery bei seiner Auswechslung mit Standing Ovations. Der Franzose lieferte beim 3:1-Sieg gegen den AC Mailand eine Gal... Der Brecher mit dem Babyface zerschießt die Liga. Höchste Zeit für seinen Song! Folgt unserem Zweitkanalhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuYS... Tanz mit u... Share your videos with friends, family, and the world