Triberg

June 25, 2021

On the agenda today was to do the Fünf-Seidla-Steig a famous beer hike in Germany in the Switzerland Franconian Region. Today would also be my first time traveling a long distance on the train by myself. I knew it would be an adventure and would have to be patient as things don't always happen as expected. I didn't want to use my car so I got ready at 7:00 am and walked out the door to the bus stop. One thing I realized quickly was that the timing has to be near perfect for this type of all day excursion to work. The bus was a little late which meant that catching that 8:00 am train at the Kaiserslautern Train Station was going to be tough. As I got to the train station, I knew I missed the 8:00am train and had to catch the 8:30 am train, however there was a police investigation going on adding another 30 minutes. At this time I checked the train schedule and realized that I would get to the trailhead at 4:30 pm. I was like no way am I going to make it, so I switched quickly to plan B which was the Black Forest. The three places I had in mind was Freiburg, Baden-Baden, Triberg - all three has its charm and supposedly great hiking spots. I decided on Triberg because it features a waterfall. This waterfall is supposedly the highest in Germany.

According to the DB (Deutsche Bahn) schedule I would get there at 12:30 pm which would give me time to hike and enjoy the city. As the hiking gods would have it, that would not be the case. I caught the train to Mannheim but missed the connecting train to Karlsruhe, thus adding an hour. The Black Forest is beautiful. I had to add that in. I can see why it was the inspiration for so many Fairy Tale Stories.

I got to the Triberg Bus Station at 12:30 pm and put on my google maps. I realized that I still had a 30 minute walk or wait for the bus for 30 minutes to get to the trailhead. Instead of waiting, I went on foot. Triberg is small and a tourist town, nothing really stood out.

I got to the waterfall trailhead at 2:15 pm, paid €8 and immediately went up to see it. It cascades on different levels and there are platforms for viewing. In my opinion it is a big waterfall, but nothing about its shape makes it spectacular. I guess all those years living in Hawaii make you appreciate the beauty of Hawaiian Waterfalls. Going up was steep and I knew it was going to by slippery on the way down because of the spray and the steepness of the pavement.

I took in the scenery, did a short reflection and left. Going back was going to be a bitch. I predicted at least 6 hours and I was right. I wanted to check out the Cuckoo Clocks. Triberg is know for the Largest Cuckoo Clock in the World. I saw it on the bus on the way to Triberg, but there was another store that featured a big Cuckoo Clock. These clocks are expensive and I'm debating which if I should buy one before we leave.

I got a bit hungry and got some food and regional beer at the local Edeka. I like shopping at grocery stores when visiting places, it is cheaper and I feel like splurging even though it is not really splurging.

Going back was going to take some time. I missed the 3:45 pm bus and had to wait for the 4:45 pm bus. This was going to get me home at 9:30 pm at night. I texted Michelle that I'm going to be late. I had a 1 1/2 hour stay at the Hausach Train Station and decided to try a local beer. It was nothing to write home about but I did post on my IG stories because well I'm in the Black Forest okay.

My connecting train from Karlsruhe to Neustadt was delayed which meant that I would have to add another hour to my journey. By this time I text Michelle and said it is reality that she would have to pick me up somewhere. My goal know was to get to he Kaiserslautern Train Station.