Black Forest: More than Cake

The Black Forest region of Germany is close to my heart. Not only do many of my family relatives come from this area, but it is also an unspoiled and beautiful part of the world. On our Rhine River Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam, our first stop was the Black Forest region. My niece, Sarah, looked forward to the Black Forest cake. I prefer a different type of German chocolate cake that my grandmother used to make. It is made with dark cocoa and chocolate pudding layered in the middle. It also had coffee in the icing. It was not as sweet as Black Forest cake, but it did have nuts on top. Too bad I don’t have the recipe, but nobody could make it like my Grandmother Luh anyway, so maybe it is just as well I don’t try. Miss you, Grandma, and not mostly for the cake.

My niece Sarah on the left

We felt the difference when entering the Black Forest region. It was less populated, the country roads meandered, and I could hear bird song and waterfalls. Leaves crunched under our feet as we walked along the creek bed and took photos.

We also enjoyed the giant cuckoo clocks found in the Black Forest. It was quite amusing to see one of the river cruisers, Peter, a travel writer from Australia – purchasing cuckoo clocks for his family down under. More information on these wonderful clocks can be found here.

Houses of the Black Forest region

Black Forest farm

The Black Forest region is like stepping back in time, from the houses made of local Black Forest timbers to the traditional costumes and food. And as usual, my favorite thing on any trip is to see the local animals. We went to an outdoor museum that was replicas of times past. I found it a bit dull but the site of the cow cheered me up!

My favorite Black Forest cow

Welcome: Door Knockers Around the World

Door knocker in Koblenz, Germany

Nothing says welcome like a cool door knocker. The one above was photographed in Germany, along the Rhine. It was in the town where the Rhine River meets the Moselle ... Koblenz. More information on this quaint town can be found here. 


My niece and I had an interesting conversation with a group in a local pub. We were having coffee. They were enjoying some beers. They spoke some English. I commented to them how much I liked their country, assuming they were locals. One of the women responded "You love Belgium?" I had to laugh. They were tourists too.

Door knocker at Vejer de la Frontera, Spain

In Vejer de la Frontera, Spain, the door knockers resemble little hands. I asked our tour guide why they looked like this, and she responded that the open fist signifies "welcome."

Door knockers by port area at Barcelona, Spain

In Barcelona, the door knockers are larger and sometimes there are two of them on a double set of doors. Double welcome!

Legal Graffiti in Germany

I just read the most amazing article linked from twitter. Graffiti is now legal in Germany, and they are offering courses for seniors to take up street art.


Seniors with Spray Cans, click:
here 

Berlin, Hamburg and Munich are three of the hotspots for graffiti art. 

Quote from the article:

"Seniors who take part in graffiti courses can benefit emotionally and physically, says Anders, though she cautions that they must also possess a certain level of fitness to start. The social setting of group courses can benefit retirees who lack daily personal contact through the workplace or those who have lost a partner, for instance. But the benefits don't end there.

Anders explains that there also physical advantages. "Graffiti is an activity that requires a lot of movement, like bending and stretching," she says. "It can also potentially strengthen hand-eye coordination." (end quote)

Legal graffiti ... what's next, right?

Another great link from Dusseldorf


 http://akheilshah.com/graffiti-art-in-dusseldorf-germany/


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