Visiting the Black Forest in Germany is on everyone's list. Dale and Dave have found a town that sounds delightful. It's a bit farther, the car is cramped with 6 people and my scooter, so the trip of just over an hour will be less comfortable than we would like, but much cheaper than renting a 2nd car, especially with gas prices at over $9 per gallon. No lunches today as we hope to eat local specialties at a Gengenbach restaurant.
Today, Dale and Dave walk to our local "Epicerie" (small grocery store) which has been closed since we arrived (Easter vacation, we think) and should be open today. These small grocery stores are a feature of many small towns. They stock a small assortment of canned goods, dairy, and fresh foods. They receive daily deliveries of breads & croissants from a local supplier. Dave and Dale are successful and return home with croissants which we eat with our strawberries.
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| Dave leaving our épicerie with croissants |
Breakfast finished, off we trot with Dale at the wheel. Once more neither French nor German customs agents were interested in seeing out passports, so crossing the Rhine was a piece of cake. Dale has planned a route directly to parking near the Tourist Office.
It's a pay lot, so we have to figure out how to use the machine that takes your money and gives you a ticket to put in the window. Easy, right? Not so much. Eventually, we purchase 1 1/2 hours which along with the free 30 minutes, gives us 2 hours.
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| One of Gengenbach's medieval towers, Kinzigtor |
Again it's a beautiful day, warm in the sun, a bit chilly in the wind. We walked the short block to the Tourist Office which is not handicapped accessible but where there is a WC, a first stop for everyone but me since there are steps to a basement level. Oh, and entrance requires 50 centimes, well worth the cost.
While the rest were getting information from the Tourist Office, I was able to check out the outdoor market in progress on Rathaus Platz in front of the Tourist Office.
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| Trucks and stalls selling all kinds of fresh foods to the locals. These markets are as much a social occasion as a shopping trip. |
Dale asked in the Tourist Office about handicapped WC and got a key (after giving the clerk his driver's license) and rather vague directions. Dale and I wandered around for several minutes in the direction given with no luck. Dale went back to ask for better directions and we were very kindly escorted to the WC by the man from the tourist office. It was well-hidden which seemed rather odd, until the man told us that the Tourist Bureau was located there until 3 years ago at which time it moved to its new and easier to find location. Finding the hidden WC was problematic, but the help we received was extremely kind.
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| This sculpture of characters from Fasching (pre-Lent carnival season) stood just outside the door to the WC. |
Success at the WC and Dale's license retrieved, we were ready to head out on the walking tour of Gengenbach's Altstadt (old city), which is described as very popular, fairy-tale, and full of medieval buildings. It's also home of the world's largest Advent Calendar. It doesn't disappoint except for the Advent Calendar (more later).
The Altstadt sits inside the medieval fortifications which can still be seen in its towers and remaining sections of wall. From Rathaus Platz, the square in front of the Tourist Office, the main street, Viktor Kretz Strasse, runs down to the 2nd medieval entrance to the city, Obertor.
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| 16th century "Roehrbrunnen" fountain. The knight is leaning on a shield emblazed with the coat of arms of Gengenbach. |
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| At the end of Viktor Kretz Strasse, this gate marks the second entrance to the Altstadt. |
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| Remains of medieval town walls |
Gengenbach lays claim to the largest Advent calendar in the world. The Rathaus has exactly 24 windows and each day at 6 pm during Advent, one new window is illuminated to show a new artistic picture. Unfortunately, right now the Rathaus is covered in plastic and scaffolding, undergoing restoration. We don't have a single photo of this plastic-enshrouded building.
Gengenbach Abbey was founded in the 8th century by a Benedictine abbot, and played a large part in the life of the community during the middle ages until its secularization after the Revolution in 1803. Today, the Stadtkirche Sankt Marien (St Mary's church) is the town church while the former abbey building is used for university classes. The abbey's herb garden backs onto the town walls and is a pleasant spot to walk or sit. The church is open and worth the visit. I don't recognize the style, but information says it's a combination of Gothic, Romanesque, and Baroque. Whatever the style, the church is impressive. Every inch is covered in paintings, floor to ceiling.
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| Gengenbach Abbey seen from the herb garden |
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| Abbey building with church on the right |
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| Interior of St Mary's church |
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| Every inch of wall and ceiling is painted with Bible stories |
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| The altar is overwhelmingly ornate. |
Next to the altar is a sign posted made by this year's first communion class. It says: You are my communion friends 2026 with handprints of the new communicants.
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| The title says: "These are my Communion friends" |
We were only half way through the walking tour by lunch, so we found a lovely restaurant on Viktor Kretz Strasse that had local specialties on the menu. Our waitress, who spoke really good English and was very friendly, told us this was only her second day of work at this restaurant. She tolerated us with good spirits.
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| Lynn & Kim in front of the Pfeffermuehle (PepperMill) restaurant where we ate lunch |
We ordered white asparagus with Hollandaise sauce and some sort of tomato & pickle vinaigrette to share. Then we each ordered flammkuchen, a very flat pizza with white sauce, onions, and bacon bits. (In France it's called Tarte flambée.) These are specialties of the Black Forest, worthy tastes of the local cuisine. (And delicious)
Lunch finished, we resumed our tour. We walked back streets full of half-timbered houses - just what we came to see.
Back at the main square, the market is done for the day, but there's a bakery where we can buy Black Forest Cherry Cake (Schwarzwalder Kirsche Torte), another item on our German tasting agenda. The crew came out with a very large cake box. They had bought half a cake for our dessert tonight. This was considered to be 6 pieces. The boys grilled sausages for dinner. Dessert followed. Luckily German desserts are not as sweet as American desserts.
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| We could only eat half of the half-cake we bought. Two layers of chocolate cake separated by layers of cherry filling and whipped cream. Everyone pronounced this cake delicious, but rich. |
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