The Traveling Twosome: 43 - 6/12/2015

Friday, June 12 (Day 43)

We spent the day meandering through Black Forest roads south of Baden-Baden, but first took a climbing drive to the "Old Castle" overlooking the city. Quite a majestic ruin with no one else visiting when we arrived at 10:30 AM. This is fortunate because there are seemingly endless sets of steep stairs that permitted us to climb to the tippy-top of the ruined walls and parapets. Things got winding and narrow as we went higher; they also got steeper and the steps became shallower. All of this would not have been conducive to happy meetings were someone coming in the opposite direction - at the least, a sword fight for the one hand rail. Any issues with vertigo would soon reveal themselves, as well. This castle is the perfect "before" site to go to before visiting Heidelberg Castle, the "after" site, particularly once the Heidelberg restoration is complete.

Driving the Black Forest was relaxing in part because we simply had to return to our hotel in Baden-Baden afterwards and not get to some new place and unpack. Very nice vistas all about and, while the forests are not "black", they are a healthy dark green. No yellowing or dying off from a shortage of water, or from timber destroying beetles as Californians have sadly come to know. In fact, as we were heading back the darkly clouded skies finally opened with a thunder and lightening downpour, the kind that has the more timid drivers pulling to the side of the road to wait it out. Will we ever see such a sight again in Sacramento? Before then though, we got our walking done by spending time, in particular, walking through the village of Schiltach. While we were there we also each relaxed with a beer and an oversized pretzel - just too native for words. Pam hasn't had a Starbucks Frappaccino since Munich, a record of sorts. At any rate, not too big of a beer for Norm, of course - vroom, vroom!

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A local guide who drove in with five tourists as we were leaving said there is an old harp in one of the upper rooms, by a window. When the wind blows against the strings it makes a sound that's a cross between a sigh and a moan. This ruin is spooky enough.

Not yet all of the way up.

Panorama shot - Norm probably would have jumped over if he heard sighing and moaning. Thanks for the (lack of a) warning sign.

Schiltach, deep in the forest - plus, a river runs through it.

Schiltach also has its tourist information office in attractive digs, but a way different style than those for the Baden-Baden TI.

Norm didn't buy lederhosen after all, but Pam really likes the low cut front of this authentic native dirndl - in which to serve Norm beer back in Gold River.