Day 16: Black Forest Road Trip – Schiltach, Triberg & Haslach im Kinzigtal

Where and what is the Black Forest of Germany? Briefly, it’s the mountainous region in Southwest Germany that borders France, known for its thick, dense evergreen forests with picturesque villages throughout. It is also famously associated with the Brothers Grimm fairytales, such as Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel.

Schiltach

We headed off at 9:30 a.m., with no hurry to get underway today. Our first stop was Schiltach, which is around a 45-minute drive from Gengenbach. Schiltach used to be part of an old trading route that the Romans used to pass through, connecting nearby towns to the occupied Strasbourg in France. Only sixty years ago, they uncovered a 12th-century castle hidden within the overgrown forest.

Schiltach also has a creek that runs through and joins the Kinzig River, which itself is about 80 km long. The town isn’t that big, though; it has everything needed to support the locals without them needing to head to larger towns. What makes this town are the thick surrounding forests and green fields, along with being very picturesque.

We started with a coffee, then spent the morning walking the streets, window shopping, and taking numerous photos, all while absorbing the town's atmosphere.

If going to Schiltach, continue up the main street and cross the bridge into the "local" area; from there, take the road to your right and it's a nice walk back along the creek through some quirky pieces of artwork by some of the locals.

Triberg: Waterfalls and Cuckoo Clocks

Up next was Triberg, located just south of Schiltach and known for its cuckoo clocks and waterfalls. It's a hilly little place, and the weather had warmed up into the high 20s. With thirst kicking in, it was time for a drink, so we found a nice pub, elevated on a timber deck with a great outlook over the street.

Leanne settled in with a "Desperados"—a beer in a bottle with tequila. At 5.9% alcohol, just a few of those would knock your socks off. I went for a more local Pilsner, which was good too. The price of beer over here is amazing: my schooner cost just $5.74 AUD and Leanne's was $7.17 AUD. Germany really does have cheap beer. I'm moving here!

We both agreed that Triberg isn’t as pretty as Schiltach or Gengenbach, but it does have a great cuckoo clock shop. The clocks start at around $300 AUD for a small one, with the most expensive I found costing a whopping $25,100 AUD! I didn’t touch a thing. After some window shopping for our granddaughter (and all clothes here are so much cheaper, too), we went to see the waterfalls.

There were three levels of walks for the falls, and we took the intermediate one as it was the shortest—only forty-five minutes return. So, up we went, and as the path got steeper, we kept going, taking photos of the cascading water from different platforms. It provided a very nice backdrop against the fir, pine, and spruce trees of the forest. We spent about the recommended time there but then had to make our way back because we only had a two-hour parking limit. Finding a park was almost on par with Grindelwald.

Haslach im Kinzigtal

On the way back to Gengenbach, we passed through another town called Haslach im Kinzigtal. This was a lovely town, too; we rate it right up there with Schiltach. While Leanne was out shopping for the grandchild again, I followed and took in the amazing architecture of the buildings. We didn’t spend too long here, but we had planned on having a charcuterie board for dinner tonight and needed to find a supermarket.

Well, we found one called REWE, and it leaves Coles and Woolworths in the dark ages—even their newest stores. This place has everything, and there’s certainly no shortage of stock.

They offer freshly made salads, sliced fruits, and ready-to-go meat and salad rolls. Alternatively, you can serve yourself from a full buffet where you select your own salads or fruits, weigh it up, and off you go. From crates of beer to entire aisles of spirits and rows upon rows of wine, it’s impressive. It even has a full-scale bakery and one of the best delis I’ve ever seen.

This place was unbelievably clean—a far cry from the supermarkets at home where you find pallets blocking the aisles, food spilled on the floors, feral kids running through and bare shelves full of overpriced goods.

We stocked up on a few goodies, and as soon as we stepped outside, we spotted a large van with two racks of rotisserie chickens dripping in goodness. You could grab half a hot chicken and chips for about $12. I’m really loving the German countryside!

It was a long day, but a great one. Leanne cut up all the cheese, meat etc. and we sat out on the balcony with a few drinks, just picking at the food until sunset.

In our travels, you hear so much about the Roman Empire and its conquests, but not nearly as much about Germania, as it was once called. Back in 9 AD, Germania wiped out three Roman Legions, effectively halting Roman expansion. (Bit more useless information)

Tomorrow, "Hoppy" stays at home, and we hit the train to Baden-Baden.

Gengenbach - Schiltach - Triberg - Haslach Im Kinzigtal