Life as I know it.: A Weekend with Friends in Freiburg

In front of Freiburg's Rathaus

Last weekend we ventured two hours south to Freiburg, Germany on the edge of the famous Schwarzwald. With snow in the forecast, we packed our winter gear and when Nadine and Dennis picked us up at 7 am, we were ready to go. After a two hour drive and a stop at an Autobahn rest stop to meet up with Nadine's dad, Anne, and Jorge, we arrived to our hotel. We caught the tram into the town center and started a tour of the cobbled-stone university town. It snowed the entire day, so we spent much of the day exploring the inside of cafes and pubs. Nadine's dad provided us a tour of the Market Hall, Rathaus, beautiful church and market. Every day, outside of the Gothic church, a very large street market takes place. They were selling flowers, bratwursts, spices, olives, and many more enticing products. It made me very excited for the Christmas market atmosphere in December. Freiburg offered many shopping streets, restaurants, medieval buildings and towers, and an overall friendly, cozy feeling.

Busy daily market next to the church

Handmade Advent calendar chocolate

After a about 1.5 hours of walking in the snow, we settled into a very attractive cafe, with its display window filled with mouth-watering kuchen. We all ordered a different type, and I tried the famous Schwarzwald cake, a layered chocolate and cream cake with cherries and liquor. Accompanied by a shokochino (hot chocolate with coffee), my little snack was very sweet and heavy, but nonetheless very tasty. Derek tried a different type of cream cake, and the others tried everything from mandarin to raspberry. It was the perfect morning.

Right: Derek, Courtney, Mr. Gehrisch Left: Nadine, Anne, Jorge

Derek with his raspberry cream cake

Schwarzwald kuchen with a Schokocino

The rest of the day was spent in the Market Hall and an Irish pub. It was game day in Freiburg with Freiburg playing Dortmund in town. While Mr. Gehrisch and Jorge went to the game, the rest of us found seats at the Irish pub and watched the game. Later in the evening, we ate dinner at a quaint, German pub and shut-down a local university bar.

Wine time in the Market Hall!

Game time

Out for dinner

I ate a German style of mac and cheese, and Derek had a ham leg.

Derek's dinner

On Sunday, we packed up the cars and headed into the Schwarzwald, or Blackforest. We enjoyed breakfast at a tasty cafe in the town of Titisee-Neustadt and then headed to the main road of town, famous for its cuckoo-clocks and lake view. We spent the next 1.5 hours walking five kilometers around the lake, and I couldn't stop taking photos. The snow and chill in the air added to the charm of this town, and the lake shimmering against the snow-covered pines was enchanting. I would love to visit this area again this winter, and I wish we would have come during the summer. After our stroll around the lake, we stopped in a cozy, Blackforest cabin for some hot drinks and soup.

What a lovely weekend thanks to our travel companions, tour guide and the beautiful scenery. I'd highly recommend a visit to Freiburg and the Schwarzwald. I hope you enjoy the photos: