Triberg, Deutschland. Thursday, 16th May 2019
Travelling from Lindau to Triberg. Change of trains at Friedrichshafen and Singen(a town we had passed on our journey from Stuttgart to Zurich, in May, 2016). At Singen we had to go from platform no. 4 to platform no. 1 and had just five minutes to do so. This was done very comfortably because it did not involve walking the length of a dirty platform, dodging a mass of humanity that includes hawkers with carts, climbing a long flight of stairs, then rushing down another and finally catching your train, sweating and panting for breath.
The train to Triberg(last stop Karlsruhe) was a red coloured Reggio double decker. It was, as expected, virtually empty. This ride revealed the true face of Schwarzwald (Black Forest) to us - thick, unrelenting forests of pine - light and dark green - on either side of the track and much nearer it, than was the case in the state of Bavaria.
The portion of the Black Forest in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg seems larger and thicker. It was an absolutely super journey, with neat villages popping up in the forest from time to time, with an occasional stream running parallel to the track. I had expected Triberg station to have three or four platforms, with a neat, old-world charm building. When we alighted at Triberg, we found that there were just two platforms without a roof and a small rectangular building that formed the concourse and opened out onto an open area of the outside. The two, long but thin platforms were dwarfed by enormous, thick and stately pines on three sides! It was a magnificent setting and took me a while for the fact to sink in that Triberg was like a hill-station - a village similar to Dalhousie or Manali, back home. Exited the small building that had a restaurant and an information counter. There were just two other passengers with us. The station was obviously away from the main village and we could see the narrow road leading away from the station, to our right. A bus stop just outside the station ensured us that a bus would certainly arrive to take us into Triberg village, but we did not know when. The passengers were not of any help either, so I enquired of the lady at the restaurant, who directed me to the enquiry. The enquiry 'counter' was just a panel that blended with the wall, with a green button at its side! Surprised, I just pressed the button and within
seconds, the panel came to life - it was a video screen and the counter was a virtual one! Imagine such a facility in a village!! The gentleman on the screen informed me that there was indeed a bus into Triberg and that it would depart from the bus stop at 13:50. I was relieved to know that the wait would not be too long, as it was already 13:30. Spent the 20 minutes admiring the Black Forest. Bus no. 7270 did arrive on time and took us from the wilderness into civilisation. Triberg was essentially a sloping road, not more than 2 kms. long, with the main market and residences on it. Beyond the road on either side, at varying heights among the pines, were located more homes. It was a typical Indian hill-station setting, but this one was far more organised and cleaner. The bus dropped us at Marktplatz, bang opposite our hotel Garni Central. The hotel was situated on the third floor of a building that housed other establishments too. A small, claustrophobic lift took us to the third floor and we were inside the hotel. An elderly lady met us at the reception and showed
us to our room no. 310 - a compact room with a big balcony that overlooked the Marktplatz and afforded an excellent view of Triberg with its majestic backdrop!
Refreshed ourselves and set off to explore. Ate a wonderful lunch - Pizza with salami, grilled Chicken with mixed vegetables, Rum with soda; and cappuccino, at Skyline Sports bar, a cosy restaurant just across the road. The cosiness was somewhat marred by the odour of tobacco - smoking was permitted here. Ventured into every lane and by-lane that seemed inviting, ascending and descending; and being aware of the presence of the forest surrounding us, at every moment.
The sky being cloudy, we could not get the best of photographs. Retracing our steps to the main road, we entered the famous 'HOUSE of 1000 CLOCKS' which had a glittering façade on which were erected cartoon characters that came out of a cuckoo clock at the chimes of the hour. One character kept going up and down a pole! The shop itself was charming and boasted a huge variety of cuckoo clocks - all insanely priced - among other stuff. We purchased two cloth purses that had the picture of an owl. Continued the exploration of the petite gem of a village by straying into lanes and their offshoots. Returned to the hotel and rested, as we were rather tired and the heater in the room was preferable to the cold outside.
At night, the twinkling street lights dotting the pine forest on the opposite hillside presented an unforgettable spectacle !
