After Kassel, we traveled south to Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany’s southernmost and warmest city. It’s located on the southwestern edge of the Black Forest, which is the main reason we decided to visit. It’s a vibrant city that’s a charming mix of the old and the new.
Here are a few photos from around town.
These gutters (called runnels), about a foot wide and several inches deep, can be seen throughout the downtown area. Originally, they were used to carry wastewater out of town. (Aromatic, no doubt.) When the city installed a modern sewer system, it decided to leave the runnels in place as a remnant of the past. Now, they carry fresh water from the Dreisam River – except this one, whose water was temporarily shut off due to a nearby construction project.
A local superstition is that if you step in a runnel, your future spouse will be someone who is standing nearby.
The journey from Kassel to Freiburg was supposed to take four hours. The train left the station a little late, but no big deal. But then, south of Frankfurt and in the middle of nowhere, the train ground to a halt. Soon, the conductor made an announcement only in German, but Jeff was able to get a translation from a fellow passenger.
Someone had committed suicide by jumping onto the track in front of the train.
The train couldn’t resume its journey until the police, an ambulance, a judge, and a coroner had arrived at the scene and completed their investigation. The train’s engineer also had to ensure that no body parts remained attached to the train, since that might inhibit its safe operation.
Finally, about three hours later, the train resumed its journey – but only to the next station. All remaining stops on the route had been cancelled. Everyone on board had to find another way to reach their destination. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait too long for another train that included Freiburg on its route. We were originally supposed to arrive in Freiburg at 3:00; we finally got there at around 7:00.
Thankfully, our apartment in Freiburg was nice and met all of our expectations. After the jaw-dropping fabulosity of our previous apartment in Kassel, it seemed a bit more down-to-earth, but it was fine. The location was perfect: an easy four-block walk from the train station, on the edge of downtown, and near several light-rail lines.
After the day’s complications, we wanted some comfort food (and comfort drinks!) somewhere close to the apartment. We found a Mexican restaurant that fit the bill nicely! Yes, we ate Mexican food in Germany. Whatever. It was delicious!
Yes, that’s fries served as a side with the Mexican food. Fries were served with everything at most restaurants throughout our trip. And yes, that’s a Mojito (a Cuban drink). It’s “fusion cuisine.” That’s our story, and we’re sticking with it. In any case, it was delicious.
To officially say we visited the Black Forest, we took Germany’s longest cable car ride, Schauinslandbahn, to an elevation of 1,284 meters (4,213 feet). The views during the ride and at the top were spectacular! It’s beautiful countryside.
It was here that Dave discovered his credit card was missing from his front pocket. He wasn’t pickpocketed; the bus we rode from Freiburg to Harben was nearly empty. The most likely scenario is that when Dave reached into his pocket to pull out his phone, the card inadvertently came out too. It was probably lying on the seat or the floor of the bus we had just exited.
He took a few moments to call Citibank to report the card lost and have it locked. Nothing had been charged to it since only a few minutes had passed since it was left on the bus.
As we do in almost all cities, we visited a couple of museums.
First, the Museum für Neue Kunst (Museum of New Art). It was okay. This was one curious room in that museum.
We enjoyed the Augustinermuseum more. Housed in a former monastery church, it featured mostly religious art and artifacts. While we’re not really into religious art (and we’ve seen tons of it by now), this place had some interesting pieces and was one of the more intriguing structures we’ve seen. Near the top of what was once the sanctuary, statues are mounted on the walls extending horizontally into the room. It was an unusual sight to stand on the floor and look up.
Dave just couldn’t resist taking this one.
The top floor contained an exhibit of female artists from the last few centuries. Art has always been a male-dominated discipline, and female artists have been denied equal access to education and exposure. This exhibit addressed that.
The bottom level contained a collection of impressionist paintings. These two exhibits were our favorite experiences in the Augustinermuseum.
We enjoyed our brief time in Freiburg. Next: Strasbourg, France.