Is The Black Forest Really Black?

The Black Forest

One of the stops on our Rhine River Cruise offered the opportunity to take an excursion into the Black Forest, which is one of the many places on my bucket list.   First of all, where is the Black Forest?  It is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. We were docked in Kehl, which is about an hour by bus.  Once we reached the countryside area and started into the Black Forest, I could see where the name came from....the origin of the name is because the dense forest of fir and pine actually make it appear very dark.  It sounds sinister and dark, but it is actually very beautiful and the landscape surrounding the forest is beautiful countryside.  It is probably much darker looking in the height of spring and summer when all of the trees are full.

Vogtsbauernhof Farmhouse - 1612

Lots of sheep!

The first unique thing I noticed were the farmhouses.  They have very steep roofs that reach almost to the ground and the living, working spaces and animal stalls are under one roof, which essentially means the animals live under the same roof as the people!  Some of the houses have been updated with more modern amenities and now have detached animal stalls, but it appeared that some still operate the "old way."  We did visit the Vogtsbauernhof, which is an open-air museum where you can see an actual farmhouse that was built in 1612 and still standing!  It was amazing to see the way people lived and worked in these farmhouses during that time.  While we were stopped at the museum, we also got an unexpected treat when a sheep herder and his dog came through right in front of the museum.  There were hundreds of sheep!



House of Black Forest Clocks

Another stop and something to check off my bucket list...a visit to the House of Black Forest Clocks.  We were greeted at the door by Adolf Herr, the owner, who has been making unique clocks his entire life.  After a walkthrough of the House of Clocks, we were able to watch Adolf work on a carving of a clock.  It is amazing all of the workmanship that goes into making cuckoo clocks and we learned about the various types of clocks.  I have always wanted an authentic cuckoo clock made in the Black Forest.  It was so hard to choose from the hundred or so styles...different scenes, some with music, different sizes.  Luckily, they have shipped the clock to me...can't imagine trying to get it home in one piece.  For me, this was probably one of the highlights of the entire trip!

 Of course, we got to top off the visit with a piece of Black Forest Cake made by the family.  The famous chocolate layer cake is named for its signature ingredient, Schwarzwalder kirsch, which is a liquor distilled from the region's cherries.  I am not a huge cherry with chocolate fan, but this cake was amazingly delicious.  Rodney even went back for his own piece after declaring he just wanted "one bite" of mine!  I also came home with a bottle of Schwarzwalder kirsch and the recipe...will keep everyone posted if I ever tackle making the cake.

Between the forest, the countryside, the farmhouse, the clock, and the cake it was definitely an excursion worth taking and one I would do again!

 

Strasbourg - An Amazing Clock and Storks!

Strasbourg Canal Cruise

Known as the "Crossroads of Europe" because of its location halfway between Paris and Prague, Strasbourg is the capital and principal city in the Alsace region of France. We started our tour of Strasbourg with a canal cruise in a water taxi.  For about an hour, we cruised through the canals passing under several covered bridges linked by Medieval watchtowers.  We also saw some quaint neighborhoods with cobblestone streets and half-timbered houses...and lots of swans!

Cathedral Notre Dame - Astronomical Clock

After the canal cruise, our next stop was the Cathedral Notre Dame in Strasbourg, which was built between 1176 and 1439. It is an impressive 466 feet tall, which makes it the sixth tallest church in the world.  The interior has beautiful stained glass, tapestries and mural paintings.  It also houses one of the most unique things I have ever seen in a cathedral...an astronomical clock. The clock was invented by various artists, mathematicians, Swiss watchmakers, sculptors and painters.  The present clock dates from 1842 and stands almost 60 feet tall.  It shows official time, solar time, the day, week month and year, the zodiac signs, moon phases and position of the planets.  There is also a lot of automation, including two angels who ring a bell and tip the sands of time.  The clock also shows a view of different stages of life, which are shown through a a child, a teenager, an adult and an old man, who pass before Death. Above all of this are the apostles who walk before Christ, with their passage shown by the beatings of wings and the song of a large rooster. In front of the clock is the  Pillar of Angels, which represents the Last Judgment.  There is so much going on with this clock,  I could have studied it for hours! The whole "performance" of the clock begins at 12:30 p.m. and we were lucky enough to see it.  NOTE:  Originally, the scene began at the twelve strokes of noon, but in 1954, the priests became annoyed at people leaving mass early to view the clock  and changed the scene to 12:30!

 



Alsace Storks

Another thing I found interesting about the Alsace region is that their symbol is the stork.  We were told that the legend of storks delivering babies started here, but I can't confirm that.  Alsatian custom  used to have a child who wanted a little brother or sister place a piece of sugar on the window ledge to attract the stork, in the hope it would leave a baby in exchange for the sugar. There are lots of  storks and preserved stork nests. Years ago the storks were about to become an endangered species and "stork parks" were created.  Now many of the storks don't even leave in the winter, as they have become so comfortable in their new homes! Many of the local linens, pottery and tourist items include the stork and most tourists leave with at least a stuffed stork (yes...I'm one of them)!

 

 

Rhine River Cruise - Speyer

Speyer Cathedral

We docked early in the morning in  Germersheim, right near a public park.  One thing I like about river cruising...the ship often docks in pretty places rather than industrial areas.  Departed the ship in the morning by bus to head to Speyer (pronounced Shpyer...my German is getting better).  Speyer is one of German's oldest cities and was founded by the Romans. Our excursion was a walking tour of Speyer and it started at the beautiful Speyer Cathedral, which began construction in 1030 and is on

Domnaph at Speyer Cathedral

the UNESCO World Heritage List.  The cathedral is constructed of red sandstone and is Romanesque architecture and has maintained the overall form and dimensions of the 11th century structure. We were able to visit the inside of the cathedral, which has amazing 19th century frescoes.  One of the things I found unique about the cathedral is the large bowl (called a Domnapf) located in front of the cathedral, where each newly elected bishop had to fill the bowl with wine for the townspeople to drink to his health...it holds 400 gallons!  We were told that in recent years, they started charging townspeople for each glass of wine which created some unhappy townspeople...the compromise was that they got to at least keep the glass. That is something I would love to see!

Trinity Church - Painted Wood Panels

Trinity Church - Altar

Our next stop was The Trinity Church, which was built from 1701-1717 as a Lutheran church.  In our travels, we have seen many churches and this is by far one of my favorites.  In the interior of the church the two upper balconies are painted on wood with scenes from the Old Testament and New Testament.  The ceiling is also painted in Biblical scenes.  Behind the altar are the beautiful organ pipes, accented with gold angels.  The church is amazingly well preserved.

Next on our walking tour, we visited the Jewish Quarter, which dates back to 1084.  It was very interesting to see the pool of the medieval mikveh, dating back to 1128, which is still supplied with groundwater today. The ruins of the synagogue represent the oldest visible remnants of a mikveh in central Europe.



German Gelato

We ended the tour on the main street of Speyer and took advantage of our free time to have a bite of lunch in a café, enjoy a pretzel (brezel) from a street vendor and of course, Rodney had to sample some gelato in Germany. 

What a quaint and beautiful place!

Rhine River Cruise - Castle Vollrads Wine Tasting

The Tower at Schloss Vollrads

The Vineyards

Dining Room with Original Leather Wallpaper

Yet another unique excursion on the Rhine River Cruise...a wine tasting at Schloss Vollrads (Castle Vollrads). We left the ship by motorcoach for a ride into the countryside, passing beautiful farms and vineyards along the way. Though some of the smallest wine-growing regions of Germany, the Rheingau area is world famous for its Rieslings and Castle Vollrads is one of the world's top estates for Rieslings.

The original tower on the estate was built in 1330 on Roman ruins and housed the noble family Von Greiffenclau. The beautiful tower is still standing on the estate today. In 1684 the present manor house was built. We were able to tour several of the rooms during our wine tasting and I was amazed at how well the rooms were preserved.  I loved the chandeliers and the gold leaf leather wallpaper in one of the rooms.  The castle was in the Greiffenclau family for 27 generations (over 800 years) until 1997. The heir at that time had received the estate heavily in debt and was unsuccessful in his attempt to bring the estate out of debt. When the principal bank declared bankruptcy on the estate, Erwien Matuschka Greiffenclau tragically committed suicide in the vineyards of the estate. Today, the bank manages the castle and vineyards.

Wine sales have been documented from the estate beginning in 1211! The Riesling grape is the only variety used in the winery, which is over 200 acres. We were able to sample a few varieties of Castle Vollrads wine - Volratz 1573 (classic dry to off-dry), Kabinett feinherb (medium dry) and Kabinett (fruity/sweet). While I am certainly no connoisseur of wine, the tour of the castle did provide me with a great education on Rieslings and I really enjoyed tasting the different wines!

Scenic Sailing Castles on the Rhine

Rheinstein Castle

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle

Katz Castle

Schonburg Castle
 

With the many castles, palaces and fortresses dotted throughout the landscape, the middle Rhine valley between Koblenz and Bingen is listed a World Heritage Site.

One of the first castles you see in this stretch of the river is Sterrenberg Castle, which was founded in the 11th century as an Imperial castle. A little higher up on the bank is Liebenstein castle, built in the late 13th century. Together the two castles are called "the warring brothers"  due to 14th century history, when two brothers owned the neighboring castles and duped their sister out of her inheritance, then became enemies, then reconciled and finally one killed the other accidentally.

Around the next bend sits impressive Maus Castle (Mouse Castle), which was completed in the 14th century.  After years of slow decay, it was sold in 1806 for demolition, but restored in the early 1900s. The castle is currently under private ownership.

One of my favorites is Katz Castle (you got it...Cat Castle), presumably built by Count Wilhelm II by 1371. The castle was damages by artillery fire from French soldiers on 1692 and in 1806, Napoleon I ordered Katz castle to be blown up. The ruins were redeveloped in the early 1900s and today is is in private ownership.

Another favorite and very unique is Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, which sits on a rock cliff in the middle of the river and resembles a ship made of stone. The original tower was built in 1327 to collect shipping tolls. I love how the castle rises right out of the middle of the river!

 

Besides the ones I have mentioned here, there are so many other wonderful castles we passed, all in a stretch of a few hours.  Definitely a highlight of cruising the Rhine.  Also worth mentioning that during our "castle cruising"" we got to enjoy a fabulous feast prepared by the S.S. Antoinette culinary staff...Frühschoppen!  A brunch of delicious sausage, mustard, pretzels and German beer, complete with live German music.

Drink of the Day - Rudesheim Coffee

One of the nice things about river cruising is stopping at some of the quaint villages and often, we are docked in the heart of the town. On our port stop in Rudesheim, Germany  we all strolled along the river and wandered into some of the cobblestone alleys. When in Rudesheim, we decided to embrace the local culture and try some Rudesheim Coffee (Kaffee in German).  In one of the alleys, we found the Engel Eiscafe, which also served strudel, cakes and to Rodney's delight, gelato.

First of all, the main ingredient in the drink is Asbach Uralt, which is a German brandy made in Rudesheim.  Secondly, watching the drink being made is entertainment in itself, as the server came to our table with all of the ingredients and prepared it for us.

To make Rudesheim Coffee, place three sugar cubes in a coffee cup. Note that they use a special cup for this, and  of course, I had to have one! Add  2 ounces of well- warmed Asbach Uralt and set alight with a long match. Stir using a long coffee spoon to dissolve the sugar and allow to burn for about 1 minute (yes, it is flaming). Fill the cup with hot coffee and top with whipped cream sweetened with vanilla sugar and sprinkle with dark chocolate flakes. Delicious!

And just in case you are keeping score, Rodney loved the gelato at Engel Eiscafe and declared it one of the top 5 places he has ever tried! 

Rhine River Cruise - Koblenz & Boppard

Koblenz was our next stop on the Rhine River Cruise. The town lies at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. We took a stroll along the the promenade to where the rivers meet at German Corner, which also has a huge historic monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I.

We then took an aerial cable car ride across the river and up to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, which has guarded this stretch of the Rhine since the 11th century, when a castle was first built on the site. We also had a magnificent view from the top of the German Corner, the town of Koblenz and the Upper Middle  Rhine River Valley.

We retuned to the ship for a short lunch before heading out for a tour of Marksburg Castle (picture above). Marksburg Castle is the only hill castle that has never even damaged and it has been lived in for for than 700 years.  It still gives visitors a sense of what life was like in the Middle Ages..it was especially interesting to see the kitchen, the stables, the banquet hall and the torture chamber. We even got a glimpse of an early modern toilet located in the banquet hall, where our guide said the knights "made their necessary."  A great tour and Mark enjoyed seeing his "namesake" castle!

After the tour we met the ship in the town of Boppard and went for a stroll. Rodney and Jeff scoped out ice cream and found some delicious gelato. Maria and I were in a pretzel quest, which was unsuccessful, so we had to settle for chocolate! Meanwhile back on the ship, the rest of the gang lounged on the ship or took advantage of the spa.

Looking forward to passing lots of castles on our next stretch of cruising on the Rhine.