Followers of this blog might have come across the names Griet and Wim in the past. My cousin and her husband are more than just family; they are friends and fellow travelers who have visited us on many occasions. Every year or two, they joined us on our sailing catamaran Irie in the tropics (once with their then teenage children), they stayed at a house sit in California, and, last fall, they traveled with us in Peru for three weeks. Whenever we are in Belgium, we spend a lot of time with them (two weekends this summer, involving beer brewing) and – when time permits – we go on trips together.
Since Mark, Maya, and I dedicated two full months in Belgium, we decided on a ten-day vacation in Germany and Liechtenstein with them. If you know us, traveling the world is our lifestyle; we combine chores, work, driving, visiting, and leisure. Vacation time – strangely enough – is rare. To be honest, this trip with Griet and Wim was my first real holiday in 21 years and Mark’s first week off, since he started his current job two years ago. So, it was a special occasion!
Hexenlochmühle in the Black Forest
Being from Belgium, it is hard to believe that I’d never set foot in the Black Forest! And, even my cousin and her husband had never vacationed in Germany before. Mainly because none of us speaks the language, although we did just fine and knew enough German to get by. Other than Mark. 😊
We broke up the 7-hour drive to the Black Forest with a walk and sandwich lunch stop at the popular and crowded Geierlay suspension bridge. It is the second-longest one in Germany.
(As always hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)
Our group spent four nights in the northern part of the region, in an apartment in Enzklösterle, which was surrounded by woods. Ideal for walks with Maya.
The Airbnb was well equipped and we especially liked the outdoor space. The weather was good enough to have happy hours on the balcony. We cooked some meals at home, often packed sandwich lunches. and ate out every other day or so. This routine kept the trip affordable.
From Enzklösterle, we made daytrips to the surrounding villages and natural sites. Our rough schedule during those ten days was to leave around 9:30am and return by 5pm; quite busy for Mark and me.
Day one:
- A viewpoint over the region
First view over the Black Forest
- Well-known Baden Baden
- A nearby waterfall
Geroldsau Waterfall near Baden Baden
- Touristy Mummelsee
Mummelsee
- Baiersbronn, where there was nothing to see, so we moved on to Kloster Reichenbach
Old cloister
Day two:
- Karlsruhe, which was touted but not that special
- The cute, pretty, and romantic village of Ettlingen – my favorite town and where we tried the local dish Flammekueche.
On day three, Mark and Maya took a long hike in the woods, while the Belgians drove a loop of three towns:
- Calw with its striking timbered houses
- Nagold with its attractive castle ruins
- Altensteig with its cool facades and fort
On moving day, Wim brought us to Furtwangen with stops and more grocery shopping along the way. It was another full day!
- Viewpoint
- Allerheiligen Waterfalls and hike
- Bad Peterstal-Griesbach, where I took a little break and the others went on another hike
View over – Bad Peterstal-Griesbach
(Photo courtesy of Griet Collaert)
We stayed three nights at a less attractive apartment in Furtwangen to explore the southern part of the Black Forest, offering us two full days of exploration.
Day one:
- Triberg, where its waterfalls were the highlight
- The famous Cuckoo clocks
Day two:
- Ravenna Canyon, where we hiked a tough trail
- Titisee, which was extremely busy and not worth the stop
- Hexenlochmühle, where we finally tried the Black Forest cake
On the long drive to Austria, where we would stay three nights to visit Liechtenstein, we stopped by Wutach Gorge, still in the Black Forest, for another streneous hike. It was a popular destination for tourists. The season was not slowing down yet, towards the end of August.
We followed the northern edge of the Bodensee (Lake Constance) to avoid Switzerland, as we didn’t buy a highway tag for that country. The area was pretty, with views over the massive lake and vineyards. A vacation option for the future?
The five of us arrived at the next Airbnb in Koblach, Austria – a winner – around 5pm again. The excessive heat would play us parts, but it proved to be a decent base for the last two days of our vacation. Stay tuned for Liechtenstein!
More about Liechtenstein later
(I composed this post with our faithful follower and dear friend John O. in mind, who has precious memories of this area. We met – and revisited – him in Arizona with Zesty the Westy, after learning that he had the same unique Sprinter Westfalia campervan as us.)
Next up: Leisure in Liechtenstein
Curious about a previous ten-year chapter in our nomadic lives, which includes eight years aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics with dogs, check out my compelling, inspiring, and refreshingly honest travel memoir:
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October 11, 2024 at 16:01
What a beautiful part of Germany! Loved the photos of Ettlingen. And the clocks of Triberg… fun! Thanks for sharing! Jim
October 14, 2024 at 08:31
Hi Jim,
We enjoyed our visit to the Black Forest, but had forgotten how touristy and busy Western Europe is during the summer. That being said, we did spot a lot of wild camping options down forest roads in this area. 🙂
October 11, 2024 at 17:05
Good to catch up! Hope you’re happy and healthy and having fun.
October 14, 2024 at 08:32
Hello Carol!
I’m glad you are still following along! We are pretty happy and healthy at the moment, getting back into the groove of camper life in South America. 🙂
October 11, 2024 at 17:10
So wonderful to have a proper vacation, especially with great friends/family. Awesome photos!
October 14, 2024 at 08:33
Thanks, Donna! This was a nice, yet packed vacation away from it all – even work! 🙂
October 11, 2024 at 18:05
No vacations in 21 years? I guess you need to get away more. ???? Great you and Mark could enjoy some downtime with your cousin and her husband.
October 14, 2024 at 08:36
Hi Pete,
I know it sounds strange coming from my mouth, but to me, vacation is being able to relax and solely focus on excursions, comfort, and good times, without worries about work or where to sleep/eat/find essentials. So, yeah, that had been a while. Since I still lived in Belgium. But, then again, I don’t really remember any real vacations while I was teaching and right before I left in 2003 either, haha.
October 11, 2024 at 20:45
I think everyone who reads this post will want to move to one of those towns.
October 14, 2024 at 08:37
Those Black Forest towns do look mighty cute, Jacqui, but I wouldn’t want to live there. Others might, though. 🙂
October 12, 2024 at 01:57
Some of the scenes remind me of our visit to Germany and Switzerland using the EurRail pass years ago. Of course the scenery is gorgeous; I’m glad you could enjoy some R & R with Griet and Wim. 😀
October 14, 2024 at 08:39
Hi Marian,
We had a nice vacation. I do think there are similarities between the villages in that area, especially in the mountains. It sounds like you and Cliff had a nice time in Germany and Switzerland when you did your rail travel. I am looking forward to a vacation with Mark one of these years! 🙂
October 12, 2024 at 07:13
You guys were overdue for a nice vacation and I am so glad you got to share with your cousins. This region of Germany looks so beautiful, I hope to visit someday. Thank you for your wonderful photos and descriptions ????
October 14, 2024 at 08:41
Hi Gilda!
You’re very welcome! I’m sure you’ll get a chance to visit this area of Germany. It might be a good camper destination. Maybe on your way to Italy one year? 🙂
October 12, 2024 at 22:12
Beautiful photos! I love the waterfalls. I’m glad you’ve had a wonderful vacation with your cousin and her husband.
October 14, 2024 at 08:42
Hi Natalie,
The waterfalls were quite nice. We just had to get used to all the development and commercialism around it. But that’s what traveling in (most of) Western Europe means. It’s always nice to share good times and good food with friends and loved ones.
October 13, 2024 at 15:54
So, did it feel like a real vacation? How was the Airbnb life? Did you miss traveling in Thirsty Bella?
Looks like you visited some lovely places. So nice to spend time with your cousins!
I love the pic of the snail!
October 14, 2024 at 08:49
Hello Duwan,
Good question! It felt like vacation, because we didn’t have to worry about “anything.” We paused work, Wim did all the driving, the Airbnbs were booked ahead of time, there were Aldi stores everywhere, and we could focus on the sites and the company. So, from that perspective, yes.
From the perspective of rest and relaxation, no. We ran around constantly. But that was our choice! When you go to a new place, you “need” to visit things. And when you cook, that requires shopping, preparing meals, and dishes. One day, we will do something like an all inclusive or beach vacation, where there is nothing else to do but read, eat, and relax. One day! 🙂
We did NOT miss Thirsty Bella at all this past summer. Airbnb life was nice – better than in Peru. The only things we wished for were two bedrooms in each apartment and better cooking facilities in one of the three.
Funny you liked the photo of the snail. Because it didn’t fit well in the intended gallery at first, I almost deleted it! I’m glad now I kept it.
October 15, 2024 at 20:59
Thank you for what felt this grand mini tour of Black Forest and parts of Germany. Yes, I did enlarge the clock picture and I was stunned to see those smaller clocks, just over $2100 Canadian dollars. Ouch. Looks like a beautiful and scenic vacation. <3
October 17, 2024 at 08:38
Hi Debby!
When I grew up in Belgium, my grandfather had a cuckoo clock – it drove all of us crazy and it was a lot of work winding it up often. No way the price tag was high on that one! I’m glad you enjoyed this mini-tour of the Black Forest. The next mini-tour, of Liechtenstein, has just gone live! 🙂
October 17, 2024 at 09:35
Lol, I’d have to imagine the cuckoo clock would be as annoying as a rooster. I look forward to reading your tour through Lichtenstein! <3
October 18, 2024 at 11:10
I’m actually not sure what’s more annoying, Debby. The cuckoo clock giving one chirp every half an hour and the according amount of chirps on the hours or a rooster… 🙂
October 16, 2024 at 08:12
Liesbet, what a beautiful surprise to find as I reviewed my overlooked e-mails from the past month. My Son-In-Law has been requesting for years that we all travel the Black Forest together. I’ve seen pictures and videos, but after reading your post I am ready to plan a trip. We were in Bavaria in July and it was still pleasantly cool. I guess things change rapidly in August.
So nice to see you relaxing and enjoying a ‘vacation’! Woo Hoo! And, sharing it with your travel companions must have made it all the better. Thanks for sharing both your hits and misses regarding stops along the way. I’ll Pin this post for reference. Thanks.
October 17, 2024 at 08:40
Hi Suzanne,
What a lovely comment! I hope you and your family get to fit in a trip to the Black Forest one of these years. It is touristy, but there is a lot to see and do, on a historic level and a natural one. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. You’ll notice some similarities with Bavaria.
Europe seems to have these heatwaves… One week, it can be chilly, the next an oven. We happened to “pick” a hot week for our trip, but that was better than a rainy one!
October 20, 2024 at 06:23
I love all those cuckoo clocks, Liesbet. Years ago, I remember a friend trying to buy one but could not get one anywhere. If only we’d know about this place.
What did you think of the Black Forest cake? It tends to be a Black Forest Gateau in the UK, but I’m not too fond of it because of all the black cherries in it.
All those steps look exhausting, but I bet your daily step count was excellent. Did you look over that high suspended bridge or just keep your eyes focused on reaching the other side?
October 22, 2024 at 14:06
Hi Hugh,
It is very easy to get hold of a cuckoo clock in the southern part of the Black Forest. But, that’s quite a drive from Wales. 🙂
I wasn’t a fan of the Black Forest cake and probably won’t order it again. That splurge and the amount of calories are better spent on something else for me. I found the cake too dry and with too much whipped cream. And, like you, I’m not a fan of candied cherries.
I’m a bit of a daredevil, so I looked over the side of the suspension bridge a lot. Of course, I stumble easily as I’m clumsy, so I did have to find a healthy balance between watching my footing and the gorge. 🙂