In the land of Grimm Brothers ...

The train meandered through lush green meadows and dense woodlands . Lakes and streams dotted the landscape , lulling us into a deep sleep . A fairy with a magic wand appeared from nowhere and lo ! we were in land of Red Riding hood . All the characters of Grimm Brothers came alive, but there were no wolves or witches to haunt us . We were in Schwarzwald or the Black Forest . Dark and Dense , with pines and conifers, black is beautiful. Cuckoo clocks, the traditional Bollenhut hats and the sensuous black forest gateau filled with the most delicious cherry schnapps, strawberries , cream and chocolates ...this is where we had landed .


Our journey into the Black Forest started with Freiburg, a pictureque medieval town flanked by the Black Forest mountains. If you are planning for a walk in the clouds or a hike in the mountains, Freiburg is the destination . The town itself is a beauty to behold. According to Wikipedia , the city was founded in the 12th century and I felt that it probably remains just the way it has been ...Like Heidelberg, the old and the new merge - the old town - Augustine platz is quaint and yet bustling..several old monuments, churches, squares dot the town .

The city is filled with Bachle or water that fills the gutters and even small cobbled streets . We followed the sound of water and walked down a narrow alley behind a church and found it gushing .For a moment, I thought that its sewage, but it was crystal clear with no odour . Then one of the shopkeepers corrected me saying that its water from the Black Forest that flows down and its not sewage - apparently its been flowing since the city was founded .

It was late night as we walked to the city centre. We had just had our first meal in the last few days that started with wine and ended with a sumptuous desert . We were doing some window shopping and I was amazed that there were only trams that were allowed into this road. Bright and colourful, these red vehicles added to the beauty of the town . Besides them, there were cyclists all over. Even the trams lugged them . I saw a couple who tied their child's pram to their cycle and ambled along the road.

Could we for a moment stop and imagine a Linking Road in Bandra or the Brigade Road in Bangalore being open only to cyclists, pedestrains and trams or buses ? No cars, bikes, autos ... no noise pollution ..no pollution at all ! No wonder Freiburg , the eco city looks like its set in the middle ages....except for the young students and the modern brands, I thought for a moment, I was in a different world !

And now we wanted to explore the Black Forest . Tourists come here for a week , but for us, it was just a few hours . Unfortunately we just had a dekho ! So, we hopped onto a bus from Freiburg that took us to the cable car (Tal station - Tal means valley )and decided to go up the Schauinsland mountain at 4000 feet high.

Its one the longest and the most beautiful ride that I had ever taken , looking down to see just acres of verdant greenery . As the cable car dipped and soared, kissing conifers and touching flowers , we were breathless taking in the views .This is it ! we were in the famed black forest .The mist clouded our vision, leaving everything hazy and dreamy


And then we decided to go on a trek ourselves into the woods . We were amazed to find the energy among the old who were in their trekking gear . There were several routes , with information at every corner so that amateurs like us could enjoy the black forest without the fear of were wolves .

We wanted more, but there was no time . surprisingly our feet did not cry hoarse -so with the energy we had ,we decided to go to Lake Titisee to enjoy more of the black forest ..We were originally planning to stay there in a farm house, but accomodation was unavailable.

Its a great place to shop, trek, chill - go to one of the spas or a boat ride ...But the weather cried foul...we landed there only to realize it was raining..but whats a holiday if you dont enjoy a bit of rain and shine !


Coming up next- Munich !

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by Jour ~ Sunday, September 23, 2007 0 comments

Celebratory dinner in Oxford

Yesterday was our three-year anniversary, yay us! I'm happy to say that after three years of marriage, two of which have been spent in a foreign country with pretty much no one else to hang out with, we still really like each other. And we arrived in the UK just a few days before our anniversary back in 2005, so we celebrated both milestones with a nice evening in the "Big City" for dinner (

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by Jour ~ Wednesday, September 19, 2007 0 comments

Germany – Rhine Valley and Heidelberg

After hours of pouring over trip-advisor and lonely-planet,”our do it yourself holiday” began . Last minute packing, changing the itiniery and worrying about the weather, vegetarian food, water… this wasn’t our first international trip , but the first to Europe. However we weren’t prepared for one thing . Language . English is not as universal as we think it is.



Day one : A journey that saw us fly across three countries, four cities in two flights and one super fast train. From Bangalore to Frankfurt via Dubai . It was extremely hot in Dubai as we stepped out to meet friends . And then to Frankfurt only to catch a train from the airport to Heidelberg via Mannheim . As we boarded the ICE – Super fast , little did we realize that our lives for the next fortnight would be ruled by these tracks .


Our first challenge was to reach the hotel at around 11 pm from the station . We had booked the hotel online and the instructions read that the front office would be shut around 8 pm , which meant that there was no one to call. We were told to punch in our confirmation number on a machine which will then drop in the key . A little bit of excitement and lots of nervousness, as the magical key dropped . Day one ended and the lights shut down on Hotel Rose in Heidelberg. .



Day two dawned and the drizzle started . There was a nip in the air as we made our way to the station .. Our lives were then ruled by a small piece of colourful paper – the map. Be it to the market, the station, or to another city, our eyes got trained to reading them.



A couple of trains from Heidelberg and we were into fairy tale land . Castles and fortresses standing atop lush green vineyards beckoned us as we cruised down the Rhine from Rudesheim till Koblenz. Folk lore from the Middle Age, stories of romance and treason and lives of countless counts, dukes, lords, kings and queens were narrated as we passed along every picturesque village replete with its church, clock tower , castle and cottages .






Cruising down the valley was like a dream, the kind of stuff fairy tales and picture post cards are made of . Even the names had a romantic allure… Bingen, Lorch, Bacharach …Each castle had its own story that dates back to the Middle Ages. Every village has a charming railway station tucked away and you can choose to explore the castle and hop onto a train or get back on the cruise …




We climbed up to see the Schonburg Castle perched atop a hill overlooking the Rhine . The Lords of Schonburg were one of the famous families of Rhein who date back to the 16th century and today the glorious castle is now a hotel . The village was ideal, Utopian like with a dreamy railway station, an old museum, a church and idyllic houses decorated brightly with flowers





Silent, charming and picture perfect- there wasn’t a soul as we walked up the vineyards, taking in the scenery and the beauty. We lost our way and came upon verdant greenery with a stud farm from where we saw the breathtaking view of the castle… For miles and miles around, there were just meadows with a few horses grazing


We returned to Heidelberg around 10 pm, where fireworks at the castle greeted us in the night . A colourful sky and an even colourful medley of people gathered around the bridge and soaked into the festivities. We were lost in the crowd , literally and were clueless how to get back –when we suddenly heard words in our native tongue being spoken . We chanced upon fellow Indians (Kannadigas from Bangalore) who were living there and they guided us back . Its amazing how we find Indians all over the world today



Day 3 was a beautiful day..bright , warm and cheerful as the sun seeped in . A brisk walk down River Nectar showcased one of the most charming cities where art and nature merged .. Wooden bridges across the river flanked by mountains. …. A student town that boasts of the oldest University built in the 14th century, a castle built by Prince Elector Ruprecht III in the same period, it has been restored thrice . Besides the glorious sculptures, it houses an ancient royal cellar and a brewery which gives you an amazing high!





Almost 30,000 students study in this city of contrasts, where you can feel the vibrancy of youth , set in the beauty of the ancient past . There is a certain charm about the old town as you stand transfixed gazing at the sculptures and the carvings . Even the cobbled pathways filled with shops and restaurants add to the feel. If Bismarkplatz, the city centre is pulsating with energy, the old town is steeped in history where time stands still…




It was time to leave .And we walked ... The sheer efficiency and punctuality of the public transport and the politeness amazed us wherever we went. There were so many people we asked for directions and almost everyone went out of their way to assist tourists like us. Especially at the information centre of DB at every station. Its amazing how safe and secure we felt in Germany, even at late hours .as we changed tracks to the next destination.

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by Jour ~ Tuesday, September 18, 2007 0 comments

Walk to Little Milton

Saturday afternoon we had a nice walk into Little Milton. This neighboring village is actually prettier than Great Milton, with a main street lined with lovely stone cottages. I'd been wanting to take pictures of it for awhile, so it made a good goal for a country walk. We took shortcuts through a couple different fields and footpaths, and it was just lovely. We even saw two big bunnies bounding

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by Jour ~ Monday, September 17, 2007 0 comments

Holidaying still in Europe

I am suffering from withdrawal symptoms . They call it the aftermath of too much holidaying . However , according to me the best thing about holidays is that you can linger in the spirit of holidaying even after they are over . And I have been doing just that for the last couple of days . Gazing at a picture , pausing for a moment over a thought and cracking up over a guffaw …

What Coleridge used to call “the willing suspension of disbelief.” Or in simple plain prose, I have been refusing to believe that they are over .
I am going back on a rewind mode and relive those moments for pure selfish reasons and you can hop onto the trip if you wish ..

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by Jour ~ 0 comments