Black Forest (Cake) With a Cherry On Top

Ahh the Black Forest.  I had really been wanting to go to the Black Forest since we moved to Germany.  Orignally, I felt like a weekend would suffice, but after reaserach and talking to friends, I realized it needed much more attention than a weekend. 

You can break up the Black Forest or Schwarzwald into the northern and southern sections.  We stayed in Baden Baden since we had heard great things about the town and it was the home of the amazing Caracalla Baths that we wanted to experience. Most people have said that the real beauty lies in the Southern section, and well Baden Baden is the very Northern point of the Black Forest.  The main city in the Southern section is Freiberg, also a lovely University town with lots of things to offer.   I would say after seeing both, either location is a good home base to explore the large area.  If you want a taste of real German flair, you are better off staying in a smaller village close to Freiberg or Baden Baden. 

So for the March 4-day weekend we headed out early Friday morning to Triberg a kitchy type town full of cuckoo clocks, so see the famous Triberg Waterfall.  This is Germany’s largest waterfall and while its nothing like others we have seen, it is still beautiful and worth a look.  There are lots of trails that you can explore from the falls, but they were all blocked off due to snowy conditions.  We needed fuel, so we stopped at Café Schafer for some Black Forest Cake, soup, and quiche for lunch.  It was pretty tasty and dog friendly.  We headed from there to Lake Titisee about 40 minutes away through beautiful wooded green scenery.  We decided to walk through the town and make the circle around the lake for a nice little scenic hike.  The lake was frozen, but it was still beautiful.  After a long day we made our way back to Baden Baden to check into our hotel.  We stayed at Hotel Athos just a 5 minute walk from the city center.  It was small, cute, clean, had free parking, and dog friendly.  The restaurant below also served stellar greek food! I would definitely recommend this hotel if you are wanting something quiet and less expensive than the fancy hotels downtown.  

 Triberg Falls 

BF Cake at Cafe Schafer 

The next day we wanted to go to the spa so we stayed in the Baden Baden area to explore.  We hiked about 2 miles from our hotel to the Cable Car up to Mount Merkur.  This was Molly’s first train ride!!!  Of course she had to let out some loud barks and embarrass us, but otherwise she did great.  It was a short 2 minute ride up to the top and there was a cute restaurant at the top.  Usually the restaurants at the top of mountains can be questionable, but we were quite impressed.  After filling up on some lunch, we hiked about a mile around on the top of the mountain.  From there we began making our way over to another hill where the Altes Schloss (Old Castle) was.  We hiked about 10 miles or more that day and were very deserving of a spa day.  We dropped an exhausted puppy off at the hotel and headed to Caracalla. 

Our hotel gave us a savings card for the Baden Baden area that gave us a few dollars off each ticket at all the spas.  We opted for the 3-hour package for 15 Euro, which is definitely enough time, but we really wanted to stay longer as our time was ending.  The downstairs pools require a swimsuit, however, upstairs is completely nude and this is where the saunas are located. 

We started upstairs to get the shock over with.  After the first sauna, we were pretty comfortable with the way things flowed and ended up having a blast! Ryan was actually the first to let his towel down, and I gained confidence as we went from sauna to sauna.  It is so different from how we are modestly raised in the states, but I can attest that it was in no way creepy, or weird, it just takes a little getting used to for us Americans.  If that isn’t for you, the pools downstairs are awesome and some steam rooms are also available. Ryan and I will definitely be back to the spa! It was so relaxing and fun except for this really young couple that had to be like 17 who were in full makeout mode while sitting next to us in a hot tub.  Really? Seven people are in a hot tub trying to relax and these kids were making it seriously awkward.  It was like they were filming some steamy romance novel, no inhibition or holding back.  They were in all over each other.  

After that long day, we wanted to hit up Rizzis, a wine bar/restaurant, but we didn’t have a reservation.  So, I guess my tip is for that place, make a reservation! We opted for yummy pizza and it hit the spot. 

On Sunday, we wanted to either hike Mount Feldberg or Schauinsland, but I was worried about the snow and the Schauinsland cable car wasn’t running that weekend.  I wasn’t sure if poor Molly would make that kind of hike, so we decided for an alternate plan.  We drove to a small village outside of Freiberg called Sankt Peter.  Sankt Peter has an old Monastery that is worth a look while you are there as well.  We parked for free and found some yummy lunch to gear up for the hike.  We hiked one route to Sankt Margen and then took another route back to St. Peter.  After about 5 miles to St. Margen we stopped at Café Schuler for some yummy Black Forest Cake and a rest break for Molly and us.  I wasn’t super pumped about this hike initially, but it ended up being beautiful and a good bit of exercise.  There are shorter routes to get there and back if you prefer shorter hikes.  You can also park in one village, hike, and then take the local bus back to your car.  All in all, we hiked over 11 miles that day! We were certainly tired and so was our little goose.  I will say, she made it the whole way with me only carrying her for about 5 minutes total! We stopped at the same café in Sankt Peter where we had lunch for a quick ice cream break before we went to Freiberg for dinner. 

Freiberg was only about 20 minutes away and we easily found parking.  We had heard good things about a Brewery called Fierling and it did not disappoint.  Molly was such a trooper and did so well in restaurants this whole trip.  I am going to guess a lot of that was due to her being exhausted for some much hiking! 

Ryan had a steak and I had some schnitzel with spaetzel.  The Beer was pretty tasty, so we picked up a growler for us and one for a friend upon request!  We made our way back to Baden Baden and had intended to hit up the Casino for a drink.  This did not happen.  We were so tired and did not have the desire to shower and get dressed up for a 1 hour excursion.  Next time Baden Baden, next time!

Our last day in the Black Forest, we found a cute Café Konig in Baden Baden for the BEST BF Cake that we had found yet!  We walked around the town and took in the beautiful 60 degree day before driving the hour and a half back home. 

We still want to hike Feldberg, Schauinsland, and go back to Baden Baden to hike more of the Panoramaweg and of course hit up the spa.  It was really such a gem and so close to home!  Don’t miss this easy and fun trip in Germany!

Hotel: Hotel Athos, Baden Baden
Transportation: Drove our car
Spa: Caracalla in Baden Baden