Triberg, Deutschland. Friday, 17th May 2019
Got out of bed by 06:00 and by 07:15 the village started receiving its first sun rays for the day. The sky was blue and clear; and by 07:45 the pretty village of Triberg was bathed in sunlight, with a lot of it gently entering our room through the closed, glass windows. It became so warm and comfortable that we drew the curtains to keep the direct beams away and switched off the room heater. We plan to visit the waterfall and the biggest cuckoo clock today. (I must mention that the chimes of the church bell every 15 minutes produce a sweet sound to break the morning stillness).
Set off after breakfast at 10:20 or so. It being bright and sunny unlike yesterday, I could click a few good photographs. A 5-minute walk brought us to the entrance to the woods where Triberg's famous waterfall was located. Showed our tickets at the entrance and then started ascending along a paved path, through the pine forest. It was quiet all around; a quiet only broken by the occasional sound of a dry leaf being crushed under our feet or the whistling of an invisible bird. Heavenly stuff! Soon we were at the beautiful falls, soaking in the atmosphere and enjoying the spray that is experienced at every waterfall or fountain. Climbed a little higher along the dust track in the woods, to get a better view but decided against going all the way up, to the source.
After a while, started the descent back towards Marktplatz via a different route. This route exposed us to more charms of Triberg. Finally back at Marktplatz, we continued the descent along the main road to Schafer's restaurant - reputed to bake the Black Forest gateau from the original recipe- only to find it closed! Walked back a few metres, crossed the road and entered Adler's restaurant to sample pieces of the world-famous cake. We were served two huge pieces. They looked different from what we get back home and the taste was awesome! The Schwartzwalder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Gateau) of Triberg, Germany, filled with lavish quantities of soft, fluffy cream; cherries; and a hint of cherry brandy, is simply delicious!
I also ordered Apricot brandy, which was smashing! After this heavy meal, we walked to the bus stop, having decided to just take a ride to nowhere in particular. When bus number 7269 arrived, it allowed only children to board. With difficulty, the driver explained that the bus was to carry only school children to their school. He also advised us that the bus to a lake called Bergsee(which we had located on a map and decided to visit, at that instant!) could be boarded on the opposite side of the road. We alighted in a hurry, to allow the school children who were patiently waiting, to board. Number 7270 duly arrived. It was filled to 75% of its capacity with laughing and talking school children; and many more boarded it along with us. A short ride, 2 stops away, brought us to Jagerhaus, where we disembarked. It was a beautiful part of Triberg village, situated higher than the main road and Marktplatz;
with a wide main road whose branches ascended into the hills on either side. After getting directions from a local, we started on a curvy ascent, a route that allowed us glimpses of the cuckoo clock house and Marktplatz, down below. Within minutes we were at Bergsee. Initially, I did not fathom that it was the lake we had come to see, because it seemed quite ordinary while I was expecting to see a big one, complete with boating facilities and crowds of revellers yelling and prancing around! Perhaps, my idea of a lake is now nothing smaller than Lake Thun(Switzerland), Lake Constance(The one which we had stayed at just before coming to Triberg), or the one at Tovaroskert in Hungary, visited two years ago.
We relaxed on a bench for awhile, then started to walk back towards Marktplatz. The descent was simply sublime, though the sun had disappeared and the weather a complete contrast to that of the morning. We paused from time to time, either to click photographs or to admire the scene/homes/shops/buildings. Beauty permeated every pore of Triberg ! Urmila was in the mood for some soup so we entered a cosy-looking restaurant housed in an impressive building, by the side of the road. The restaurant was named Lilie, reminding me of the Aussie great Dennis Lillee, the dreaded fast bowler who had successfully represented his country in international cricket, in the 70's and early 80's. The place was pretty crowded and there appeared to be no vacant seat, when a waitress appeared and asked us to go inside, indicating a passage. We followed her piece of advice and saw that the passage opened out into a wider, larger area of the restaurant, fully decorated with strange objects. Instantly, we were transported back into 2014 - t0 Prague, the restaurant Novomestsky Pivovar which was similarly decorated. Urmila had potato soup with croutons and before leaving the restaurant I shot an extensive video of the charming restaurant.
Trudged back to our hotel, with a brief halt at Rossman supermarket(just below the hotel) to purchase Pringles chips and Earl Grey tea bags. Entered the hotel's elevator but felt claustrophobic hence took the stairs. It was only 15:30 but we were in no mood to venture out again. Need to conserve energy for the journey to Baden-Baden, for further exploration of the mesmeric Deutsche Schwarzwald, tomorrow!
