2026-04-24 Freiburg Germany

 

To the Black Forest in Germany

Today started with the run for croissants. We’re not up super early, so boulangeries are sometimes out of croissants. This was the case today. We ended up with “grand pain” and Dale’s éclair. A mild tragedy, but not our preferred choice.

Oh, and they found our local strawberry stand on the route. Closed but promising.

Our goal today is “lange-rote” (long-red) for lunch, a specialty of Freiburg im Brisgau, Germany, 45 minutes east of us, across the Rhine River. While EU countries can cross borders to other countries without showing papers, we decided not to take a chance and carried our passports with us. But, alas! Neither the Germans nor the French took any interest in our rental car with its passengers.

Freiburg (literally Free City) was established in the 1100s as an “independent fortified city of free citizens”. Schwabentor and Martinstor gates remain from these medieval fortifications.

Freiburg today is a large, university city (population about 355,000) whose center city is vibrant and busy.  The center is a mix of very old buildings and very modern buildings. Situated on the Dreisam River, one unique characteristic of the city is its system of “bächle” -little streams of water that flow in canals along most streets. Small children can be seen sailing little wooden boats on string in these tiny canals. Shops offer a variety of models to choose from.

    

We made our way to the Rathaus (city hall) to find the Tourist Office, always our first stop.

In the “Neues Rathaus” (the New City Hall) next door, is space that can be used as a wedding venue. Many Germans are married in civil ceremonies rather than in the church. And this was the case here. A young couple was mingling inside with their guests following the ceremony. Their decorated wedding car – a Rolls Royce – awaited them outside.

Unlike most of the rest of Germany which became Protestant during the Reformation, Freiburg remained Catholic. Its Münster (cathedral) sits at the center of the city, on the largest square in the city.

 

Built from red sandstone between about 1200-about 1500, the cathedral escaped bombing damage in WWII, but is constantly under repair because of the deterioration of the soft sandstone. Luckily, Freiburg has its own school of stonemasons.

Surrounding the cathedral is the daily market where we expect to find the vendors of our lange-rote.

 We should not have worried. Every 4^th vendor was selling sausages of some kind. And all had the long red sausages Freiburg is famous for.  Lynn and Dave ordered a traditional lange rote while Kim and Dale opted for the cheese thuringer.

The market encircled the münster and was full of booths selling flowers, food, clothing, souvenirs and about any other item you may desire.  Strolling through the market like the tourists we are, we did find small bags of bon bons that we remembered from when we lived in Germany 50 years ago. Of course, we bought them.

Wysteria is in season and was often seen clinging to the buildings we walked by.

Cafes were full of people enjoying the good weather.

 

Also claiming a place of honor on the Münster Platz is the historical “Kaufhaus” (Merchants Hall).

Following the walking tour, we were off to the nearby Schlossberg mountain which was across the street from Schwabintur tower - one of the original gateways to the city.  Dave, Kim and Dale hiked the mountain in search of the promised views of the city center.  The Schlossburgtur did not disappoint as there were many steps that culminated in spectacular views of all points north and west.