Our kind porter drove us with our bags into town on his trusty electric shuttle. We bought a couple souvenirs before purchasing our train tickets, then we shopped for snacks to eat on the train.
Our journey to Schiltach, Germany, took four trains. The first got us from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen, another from there to Interlaken, a third over the German border to Offenburg, & finally the fourth to Schiltach. We didn't think a little village like postcard-perfect Schiltach would be difficult to navigate, but I managed to steer us the wrong way from the train station--an extra frustrating realization with 40+ pounds of crap on your shoulders.
When we turned the corner into a central plaza of the village, all our frustration melted away. We saw two streets of half-timbered homes (I think we just call them Tudor homes in America), with a quiet little stream running between them.
ABOVE: Is this not picture-perfect?!
Halfway down, we found our lodging: Zur Alten Brücke.
The gasthof's ("guest house," that is) first floor is a restaurant, and we were directly introduced to owner/chef Michael Mogler, who greeted us warmly and showed us to our room.
Michael and his American wife Lisa run Zur Alten Brücke as every B&B or inn should be run. They were overly kind and helpful during our entire stay. An example of their generosity was revealed in our first hour:
Upon our arrival on what was the hottest day of the German summer, I mistakenly thought our AC was broken. Asking assistance from our hosts, I was informed that there was no AC; the weather rarely got hot enough in the Black Forest to warrant it. After I returned to our room and broke the news to Annie, we decided to vacate the room with the windows open in hopes of cooling it down. When we opened our room door, a brand new fan was sitting in the hall, compliments of Lisa.
After a walk through town, we returned home just before an early evening storm to dine on our first of many delicious meals at the Gasthof: dumpling soup for Annie, bratwurst and sauerkraut with potatoes for me. And big beers! We tried the local hefeweissen, which was quite good--and stronger than beers back home.
After dinner, we drank a couple more beers with an army couple on a weekend getaway from the nearby U.S. base. They were planning a journey to nearby Europa Park, which sounded like a cheaper, more laid back Disney World. When we retired later that night, we were buzzing from the beers and enjoying our first night in Germany.
The only downside was a night spent sweating in 80-degree heat with the windows open, but thank goodness we had a new fan!
Schiltach July 12 Album:
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| Schiltach: July 12, 2011 |
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Location:Switzerland to Schiltach, Germany
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