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
