Freiburg im Breisgau

On the way to Freiburg, we stopped in Triberg to see one of Germany’s highest waterfalls. The water from the “Gutach” river descends 163 meters cascading over seven major steps creating the individual waterfalls.

Caught another cable car (this time ascending to 1,284m above sea level) to the top of Schauinsland to bring you more breathtaking views of the Black Forest and this beautiful part of Germany. I hope you all appreciate the great heights (literally) we go to for you!

After the 20 minute cable ride, we had to huff and puff our way up what felt like another 1,000m and then climb about a thousand stairs to the top of a look out to bring you these pics.

You’re welcome! You just sit there swilling wine and lazing in your chair/lying on your bed, while we do all the hard work.

Freiberg, like most Germany towns/cities has an Altstadt (Old Town) and whilst there were some lovely buildings and a Gothic Minster – I can’t say I’m mad about Freiberg.

Freiburg Bächle are one of the city’s most famous landmarks. They are small water-filled gutters or “brooks”. They are supplied with water by the Dreisam and can be seen along streets and alleyways in the old city. If you’re interested, the word Bächle comes from the German “Bach”, meaning rivulet.

You can buy little wooden boats from stalls in Freiberg for children to sail down the Bächle. 

It is local superstition that if you accidentally step in the Bächle, you will marry a Freiburger.

Now I know you all think that it’s “back to normal” in Germany, however … what you don’t see in the pics or read in the blog, is that there are still a number of strict rules and procedures in place in Germany. Face masks have to be worn every time you are indoors (hotels, shops, restaurants, pubs) and every time you are in a queue. You are allowed to take your mask off when you are seated at a table, however staff have to constantly wear masks or face visors.
Social distancing of 1.5m is required both indoors and outdoors (unless they’re friends you haven’t seen for months since Costa Rica) 🙂 In addition, every restaurant we go to, we have to complete a form with our names and contact details and the date and time we were there, which table we sat at etc (so that we can be contacted if someone reports that they have COVID). It is a requirement on entering Germany that you undertake to contact every establishment you’ve been to, if you become ill with COVID so that they can warn everyone that you may have come into contact with. And then there is enough hand-sanitiser to float a navy. The good news is that I think I’ve managed to bleach the liver spots off the back of my hands 🙂

Exhibit “A” is the trendy teenager with a “FCK CVD” message on her mask, modelling the correct way to wear a face mask.

Exhibit “B” is how not to wear a facemask … unless there’s no-one else around, you’re having a slight claustrophobic moment and the sweat is about to drown you because it’s 28 degrees in the shade.

Daily Giggle:
Searching desperately for your glasses, eventually asking Jarrah if she’s seen them, only for her to reply: “The ones on your face, perhaps?”

MM