Day 5: Drive to Munich

Today we leave the Black Forest and drive to Munich. After our late night adventure the previous day, we slept in and enjoyed a breakfast of cured ham, soft cooked eggs, cheeses, melon, bread and jams. When we checked out of the hotel they gave us a break on the rate and a bottle of the local red wine. Their consideration was appreciated.

At 10:00 we set out for Munich and had to drive straight there in order to return the car by 1:00. The traffic gods smiled on us and we made it just in time but didn't have time to stop for gas.  Richard was an amazing driver for both days.

After meeting Cheryl and Warren, who had just flown in from Toronto, we took a shuttle to Unterhaching to check into our hotel. Pascal the driver was very professional meeting us at Munich airport. He held a sign with my name at arrivals. I felt like a someone when I walked up to him.

The whole group in Hotel Demas Garni in Unterhaching

The Unterhaching pole that showing Bavarian colours

Dinner at Wirsthaus Kammerloher

Creek next to Wirsthaus

Village poles show all the trades in the village since many people did not read and write

It took a 40 minute drive to get to Hotel Demi Garni. After unpacking, we explored the area near our hotel and had a fine German meal at a local Gasthaus. The waitress spoke no English and the menu was only in German. Using Google Translate we were able to decipher the menu and order. Outside the Gasthaus was a May pole in the local Bavarian blue and white.

Finally, after some catching up with Cheryl and Warren, they faded and crashed so Marilyn, Carl, Richard and I played cribbage and turned in early to be ready for Oktoberfest the next day!

Day 4: Black Forest

It's up early to catch our flight from Berlin Tegel to Stuttgart.  We thanked Detlev and said our goodbyes.  We flew Eurowings which is a discount airline that offers cheap ($89 CAD) but you get nothing.  Not even a glass of water!

After picking up our rental van, we set off for our tour of Schwarzwald (Black Forest) in the south-west of Germany.  Richard was our driver today through the twisty and hilly roads. We started the Black Forest Road and entered the hills at Freudenstadt while continuing to admire the breathtaking scenery.  We stopped at Mumulsee (elev. 1036m) where a hilltop lake has become a tourist destination. You can buy fruit flavoured schnapps, cuckoo clocks, fresh bread baked in an outdoor oven and, of course, Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte (Black Forest cake). Check out the views:

Hillside village in the Black Forest

Every village has a church on a hill.

View along the Black Forest Road

Mummelsee is a tourist hot spot for middle aged tourists

The lake at Mummelsee

Marilyn enjoys the late summer sun while admiring the lake

Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte

A view east towards France

We took a side trip off the Black Forest Road to Sashbachwalden which offers Schnappsbrunnen (Schnapps trails) where hikers come across small streams with Schnapps bottles you can sample and pay a small fee. After a short hike due to fading daylight, we finished the Black Forest Road at Baden Baden. We enjoyed another German meal at Gasthaus Sur Zeg. When the server and owner realized we were from Canada we received a free schnapps after dinner and we left some Canadian coins as souvenirs. The adventure concluded with a search for a hotel for the night. The only place we could find was the Waldhotel Post in Bad Liebenzell. The drive over dark hilly twisty roads included a section down a closed road that needed a barrier to be moved to complete the trip. Despite a mix up in the reservation we finally got rooms at 11:00 and fell into bed exhausted.

Houses in the alpine style with window boxes

Some are half-timbered

Hillsides are filled with fruit tree orchards or grapes

Even Sashbachwalden's community center has an alpine look

A Black Forest Road view

Gasthaus Sur Veg in Baden Baden

The view from my balcony in the morning was worth the trip the night before.  

Morning view of Bad Liebenzell

Morning fog in the valley

The Waldhotel Post

Day 3: Berlin

After walking 15 km on day 2, we decided that we need to be more selective when choosing how much to do each day. We focused on learning more about the Prussian royalty by visiting Schloss Charlottenburg. This castle was home to Frederick the Great who is responsible for unifying the various German kingdoms in the late 1800s. The castle has a colourful history including Napoleon sleeping in the Queen's bedroom after he invaded Prussia on his way to Russia. It was also heavily damaged by Allied bombing in WWII. The grounds include large gardens, a belvedere and a mausoleum. Check out the beauty that is being restored:

The group arrives at Charlottenburg

The main ballroom

The ceilings were art

Queen Charlotte's bedroom

Drawing Room

The grounds behind

Gardens showing late summer flowers

The pond in the gardens

Belvedere that displayed porcelain collection

Royal Mausoleum

Tomb of Queen Luise

Detlev and Marilyn discuss the Prussian royal history

We enjoyed a late lunch of traditional German fare. I had a tasty Goulash soup and a flight of 6 beers brewed on the site. After a rest at the apartment, we enjoyed more German fare at Schnitzel Koenig (King). Check out the tasty photos:

A flight of beers brewed on premises

Richard and Marilyn outside the Brauhaus Lemke

My schnitzel at Schnitzel Koenig

Richard's schnitzel at Schnitzel Koenig

Afterwards, we returned to the apartment to pack since we leave Berlin early in the morning.  Having Detlev who is a native Berliner as host, we experienced a true Berlin visit that most tourists do not receive.  Many thanks to Detlev and Maya.

Day 2: Berlin

We started later today as we needed sleep to recover from the jet lag.  Detlev arrived at 11:00 and off we set to see one of the last sections of the Berlin wall.  Detlev, who was 17 when the wall was built in 1961, was a wealth of information about how East Germans viewed the wall and the West.  He was present also on the night of November 3rd, 1989 when the first East Germans could visit West Berlin. Here are some views of The Wall:

Mural showing the night in 1989 when the wall fell

The Trabant was the small cr ost East Germans drove.

Mural shows the years that people died trying to cross the wall

Map shows the island of West Berlin in the sea of East Germany

After returning to Alexanderplatz for a coffee break, it was off to see old Berlin along the Unter den Linden.  The best way is from the river Spree.  Here are some pictures from the cruise:

One of the Berlin train stations that survived World War II

Richard embraces the  German liberal views about beer in public

Marilyn impersonates the Walk symbol from East Berlin crossings

A view of the buildings along the River Spree

Berlin Cathedral Church

View of Reichstag's glass dome

German Chancellory (Parliment)

Berliners "beaching" along the river

Ornate 19th century bridge

Bode Museum at the end of Museum Island

Next we walked along the Unter den Linden to Checkpoint Charlie which allowed access to East Germany from the American sector.  For the pictures of Frederick the Great you will notice how people have thrown potatoes at the base of the statue.  This is not disrespect, but rather to thank him for importing potatoes to Germany to help with a famine.

Zeughaus (17th century German Historical Museum)

Statue of Frederick the Great

Potatoes at the plinth of statue

Panorama showing square with with 3 churches

Photo of Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie today

Trabants are just art now

Photo showing Brandenburg Tor in 1945 and restored

Brandenburg Tor today

Marilyn was off to see some theater while the guys continued sight seeing and got lost on the train ride home.  After some checking of maps and the GPS on my phone, we figured it out.

Rick and Carl under Brandenburg Tor

A stroll through the Tiergarten

The Reichstag viewed from the Tiergarten

Monument to Soviet soldiers who died in World War II

A Soviet T34 tank next to the monument

Plaque commemorating the spot where Reagan asked Gorbashev to "tear down this wall"