Freiburg is the lively Black Forest alternative to Baden-Baden. And in a university town like Freiburg, if you hear music in the distance, you should grab the serendipity as it flutters by and follow it. It will likely lead you to great food, great prices, live music, and lots of people embracing life (like Europeans seem so expert at doing). That’s how I ended up here — and how I found a fun listing for my Germany guidebook. That’s my mission: To find places like this so you can be equipped with all the information you need for maximum travel fun.
Video: The Black Forest’s Lothar Trail — An Up-Close View at Nature’s Healing Process
Exploring the Black Forest High Road (just south of Baden-Baden), we came to a section of that venerable forest that’s healing from a devastating hurricane. In 1999, Hurricane Lothar tore through here, bringing down 50,000 acres of the Black Forest in just two hours. Germany decided to let nature heal itself and built a family-friendly, half-mile-long boardwalk (Lotharpfad) through the park so people can connect with the slow-motion spectacle and cheer nature on. It’s a delightful 20-minute circular walk, easily accessible from a free parking lot.
This is the kind of fun I’ve been discovering all summer as I’ve been updating my various guidebooks with the help of local guides — like Simone Brixel (Black Forest Tours), who you see in this clip. Danke, Simone!
Video: Germany’s Black Forest — The Tourist Trap and the Bliss
This two-part clip from the Black Forest illustrates how, wherever you travel, you can have dramatically different experiences in the same destination. Most travelers, driven by “bucket lists,” get sucked into the highly promoted tourist trap version of a place. (In the Black Forest, they end up in Titisee — part one of this clip.) Some, however, step away from the commercial zone (so expert at bamboozling travelers and corrupting the industry) and manage to reach that “off the beaten path” dimension of the same sight (part two of this clip).
The sad reality is that the vast majority of visitors to Europe’s most-dreamed-about destinations have their romantic vision trampled by mobs of travelers on big bus tours and cruises. (Here in the Black Forest, it’s river cruises.) And the even sadder reality is that most don’t even realize the lost opportunity. The goal for us “Back Door travelers”: to turn our travel dreams into a pristine and unforgettable reality. In this clip, my guide, Simone Brixel (Black Forest Tours), shows us two very different sides of the Black Forest. The choice is yours.
Breakfast as Art
I love breakfast — especially when I’m on the road. When you’re traveling, sitting down for breakfast can be like kicking off your day with a plate of edible art. (A British “fry-up” can be an excellent study in shapes.)
Beans, mushrooms, and fried tomatoes became my new norm over the past month in Ireland, Scotland, and England. (I generally try to be adventurous, but the hot-dog-like sausage, blood sausage, square sausage, and haggis were just too extreme.) Each morning, I considered going lighter and sticking with fruit and cereal. But I just couldn’t. I guess I just need comfort food in the morning…bring on the beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon, and eggs.
I’ve just landed in Germany. Big change: yogurt with fruit, better bread, better cheese, liverwurst, and crunchy peppers. Bye-bye beans. Up next, I’ll be enjoying hearty continental breakfasts in the Black Forest, France’s Alsace, and the great Swiss cities.
What’s your take on the “full breakfast”? And what are your fondest European breakfast memories?
Berlin: A Rick Steves Guidebook is Born — The Backstory from Cameron Hewitt
Photo: Cameron Hewitt
I am so thankful to have talented people to collaborate with. My lead co-author and Content Manager, Cameron Hewitt, has dedicated lots of energy to spearheading the production of a guidebook to a city we are both really passionate about: Berlin. Cameron sets a high bar when it comes to quality. He’s amazingly prolific. And he’s just written a fascinating blog entry telling what goes into a new Rick Steves guidebook. Reading it, I’m reminded what a talented team of guides, writers, and editors we’ve assembled — both in our Seattle headquarters and in Europe. I’m also reminded that we couldn’t lavish all this talent on these guidebooks without the support of you, our loyal traveling public. Thanks for buying our guidebooks, enjoying our work, and making it all possible. And enjoy Cameron’s behind-the-scenes peek at creating a new guidebook.