by Ben
This trip was a birthday present to me from
my wonderful Frau Dee Dee. I'm not so sure that it would have come about however without a little compromise between
us. Dee Dee is an animal lover (as evidenced by the cats and dogs around our home) and as such she found an opportunity
to rescue another dog (from owners unable to keep it). So she called me one day and told me she wanted to bring
home a new boxer puppy. My reply - "No way kiddo, we won't have another critter in our house until one of
the ones we already have dies or runs away. No chance!" Her reply to me - "Well why don't you just run
away?" My reply - "Well dear, what did you have in mind?" Her reply - "Why don't you just go
to Europe this year with Larry?" My reply - "What are we going to name your new puppy dear?" And
so a new adventure to Germany is born - and a new critter joins the household. The Frau is happy - the Mann is
happy - good compromise...
I hadn't been planning a trip across the big pond this year so after my little birthday gift - my mission was to
find a super low budget solution. Since my old amigo Larry (PStuyvsant) had already planned his trip, had his ticket
in hand, and all accommodation reservations completed - I figured the best way for me to save money would be to
beg a free ride in his already paid for rental car. I offered my services as expert navigator, camcorder operator
and agreed to keep his auto full of petrol during the time I would be with him. Being the nice guy that he is -
he naturally accepted the deal. His vacation was scheduled for four weeks in duration but I would only have two
weeks - so I decided to meet up with him in the Schwarzwald and tag along for his final two weeks. He would have
already seen the Odenwald - Rothenburg - Bavaria - parts of Austria and Switzerland before I met him. Sounds like
a plan...
Larry and I met in high school in the early 60's. We were one year apart in grade but lived in the same neighborhood
and we had a few things in common. We had a mutual friend who had a car - so many nights we cruised the streets
between the high school and the Dairy Queen like so many other teens have done before and since. Now - forty four
years later - retired careers behind us - multiple trips to Europe in the books - we are still cruising together
- only now it's Germany, Austria and Switzerland and the Romantic Road, the Alpenstrasse, the Schwarzwaldbahn and
the roads up and down the Rhine and Mosel rivers.
I contacted the first place he was staying in the Black Forest - a farm in the Titisee area - and secured a reservation
for myself. The rest of the trip I would just wait and see what developed. Since there were just three other places
we would be staying - Gutach (Black Forest) - the Mosel - and the Rhine Gorge areas - I decided to wait until we
got there to see what was available for me. If I couldn't get a room at the places Larry was staying I would just
try for a Zimmer Frei in the same neighborhood.
Days 1-3 
Flight from Dallas to Frankfurt via American Airlines was nice and uneventful. I had an aisle seat and the seat next to me was unoccupied so it made for a very comfortable economy class flight. I'm a big fan of AA's inflight entertainment system with multiple movies, TV series and music to choose from. We arrive Frankfurt a half hour early so my A plan is still in effect. Immigration and Customs are a breeze and I am buying a ticket at the Airport Bahnhof in short order. This first day I am headed to the Black Forest and the small village of Hinterzarten. Larry was to be in Switzerland this day and the plan was to meet me at the train station in Hinterzarten the next day at noon.
Almost three hours and two train changes later I arrive
at Hinterzarten. My plan was to walk to the Tourist Information Office near the train station and call the accommodations
I had previously researched on the internet. As I am walking away from the station I hear a voice from behind me
call out "Hey First Sergeant". Surprise, surprise - Larry has for some reason abandoned his day in Switzerland
and is here to pick me up a day early. So much for my accommodation research. I call the farm in Titisee where
we are scheduled to be tomorrow and find out that it is OK to show up today. She has plenty of room but the rooms
won't be ready for a few hours. Outstanding! We take our time getting there and when we arrive we are shown to
two very nice doublerooms. My room was in the main house and Larry's was located in a separate guesthouse. Oberhöfenhof
This farm surrounded by meadows and forests is located
in the beautiful, plush green Jos valley (Jostal) about 6 km from Titisee. The guestrooms (3 Doubles - 2 Triples
- 1 Apartment) are in the newest part of the main house or the adjacent guesthouse. All rooms are very well maintained
and rate three stars from the German Tourism Association. All rooms have toilet/shower, satellite TV, and many
equipped with a balcony. Rates (as of Oct 2006) were 16 Euro a day per person for stays of 3 days or longer (slightly
more for shorter stays). The apartment for 2-4 persons was 40 Euro a day.
Familie Zähringer
Jostalstraße 70
79822 Titisee-Neustadt/Jostal
Tel - 7651/932087 ~ Fax - 7651/932089
Email - info@oberhoefenhof.de
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Excellent location for daytrips to Titisee-Neustadt, Freiburg, Triberg, Furtwangen, Urach, the Vogtsbauernhof, anywhere in the Central or Southern Schwarzwald area. Remember that most public transportation (buses and trains) in the Black Forest is free with your Guestcard courtesy of your accommodations there.
Photos while in this area -
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An excellent restaurant located an easy 5-10 minute walk from the farm is the -
Jostalstüble
Familie Adolf Hog
Jostalstraße 60
79822 Titisee-Neustadt/Jostal
Tel - 7651/918160 ~ Fax - 7651/9181640
Email - Jostalstueble@t-online.de
Excellent wait staff (very friendly) - Salad bar prima! - highly recommend the Paniertes Schweineschnitzel mit Pommes frites und Salat. We visited the Jostalstüble twice while in the area.
Days 4-6 
After three days in the Jos valley we drove 60 km north to the village of Gutach and spent three days in this area as well. Larry had reservations at the Zimmerbauernhof (next door to the Hansenchristenhof) located directly behind the open air farm museum Vogtsbauernhof.
Zimmerbauernhof
Hanno Wälde
Wählerhöfe 2
77793 Gutach
Tel - 7831/6305
3 Doubles - 1 Triple
Frau Wälde was fresh out of rooms so we went to Plan B which was to drive around the area looking at the farms I had researched prior to the trip hoping to find a Zimmer Frei available for me. I had six farms mapped out in the Gutach area just in case we needed to do this. My first choice was a Bauernhof just across B33 from the Vogtsbauernhof museum. It was a winner and I soon had a home for the next three days.
Joklisbauernhof
Martin & Elfriede Moser
Ramsbachweg 58
77793 Gutach
Tel - 7833/7176
Fax - 7833/960148
Email - urlaub@joklisbauernhof.de
This is without a doubt one of my all time favorite farms. What a wonderful hidden gem just north of the rail line and the heart of Gutach. I had a nice Doppelzimmer with private toilet and shower, a nice Aufenthaltsraum (lounge with TV) with balcony one door down -
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along with a large farm breakfast complete with cheeses, meats, several different breads, jams, jellies, honey, egg, juices and good strong German coffee. All for the price of twelve (12) Euro ($15) a night. What a bargain!!! |
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I was also fortunate to be there for Gutach's annual Thanksgiving Day proceedings (Erntedankfest). Many of the locals dress up in their traditional outfits and parade with the local band from main street over the bridge along Kirchstrasse to St. Peter's Church. They then have services and afterwards play music and pose for pictures.
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While in Gutach - don't miss the local Vogtsbauernhof (open air museum) - where you can see how families lived and worked on the farms over the past four centuries. Wonderful exhibit...
This was my view from the balcony of the Joklisbauernhof.
Three very nice restaurants in the Gutach area -
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Gasthaus Zum Engel |
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Varied menu - reasonable prices - outside patio under large shade trees - nice salad buffet - friendly wait staff. Had an excellent Kalbschnitzel, Pommes Frites and Kürbissuppe (pumpkin). |
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Good service - good food - rustic interior - located central Altstadt of Wolfach |
Gasthaus Zur Fortuna |
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Excellent waitress (Corinna) - delicious food - very nice atmosphere. Enjoyed a Knoblauchsteak mit Kräuterbutter dazu Rösti und Salat - very reasonable prices. |
Gasthaus Zum Engel |
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Days 7-9
Driving from Gutach to the Mosel river valley takes most of the morning utilizing the Autobahn as much as possible. Our next three day location is along the tranquil Mosel river near Cochem. As you are traveling north along the Mosel and B49 - the next village and train stop after Cochem is Klotten (5 minutes). Klotten is a nice small quiet village and is full of inexpensive Zimmer Frei and Pensions. Larry had a reservation at the -
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Weinhaus Thomas |
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I decided to try my luck finding an inexpensive Haus or Pension away from the river and closer to the middle of the village. I went over my list of possibilities and tried several before I decided on this excellent bargain just two blocks from the river front (and I'm glad I did) -
Pension Marliese Steffens
Hauptstrasse 99
Tel - 2671/4538 ~ Fax - 2671/915776
56818 Klotten (near
Cochem)
2 Singles - 3 Doubles
Rooms with Balcony - Sat TV
Central quiet location - Garage - Bikes Available
The Pension Steffens turned out to be a very nice inexpensive pleasure. It is located just an easy short walk from
the train station or the river front. I had an Einzelzimmer with toilet (shower next door in hallway), balcony,
a well stocked refrigerator (take what you like - just add it to your bill) and satellite TV for eighteen (18)
Euro a night.
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Her breakfasts (included) are excellent - several different breads, Wurst, cheese, spreads, homemade jelly, coffee, juices, an egg and always a sweet treat to go. |
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Gaststätte Noss |
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Good food - good service - reasonable prices - upstairs/downstairs/outside - outside good people watching tables - upstairs good view of Mosel from window seats |
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Excellent outside terrace overlooking Mosel - food/service/prices all good - try the Gulasch! |
Gasthof Zur Linde |
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Raised terrace/balcony overlooking Mosel - food/service/prices all good - excellent Rahmschnitzel and Halb Hähnchen mit Bitburger Bier |
Moselterrace |
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Days 10-12
The drive from Klotten (Cochem) to the Rhine is easy and fun as you take the winding roads up over the hills between the two rivers and then down into the Rhine valley. The route we took was from Alken (Mosel) up and over to Boppard (Rhine). Then along the B9 south to Bacharach. For the next three days Larry would be staying at one of our favorite places in Bacharach - the Winzerhaus
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Pension Winzerhaus |
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I have only two days left of my vacation and decide to
try a place up the road a few hundred meters that I had found on the Internet.
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Pension-Gasthaus
"Zur Alten Mühle" |
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My room for the last two nights in Germany was a roomy Einzelzimmer with toilet/bath/shower en suite, phone and satellite TV for 23 Euro per night. The breakfast is excellent and the little restaurant is known for it's large portions, Bürgerliche Küche and Wildspezialitäten. If you are driving - there is ample parking available and if you are arriving by train just let Herr Wiese know ahead of time and he will pick you up at the Bahnhof.
Shopping in Bacharach is always enjoyable, especially at the Phil Jost shops at Rosenstraße 16 and Blücherstraße 4. And one special shop that I always recommend is Frances Geuss's Woodburn Haus just across from the Hotel-Restaurant "Altkölnischer Hof" and the Altes Haus.
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Holzbrandkunst Geuß Woodburn |
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Hotel-Cafè Burg
Stahleck |
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Hotel-Restaurant "Am
Markt" |
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Whether you are traveling by car or train - Bacharach is an excellent location to spend your last night in Germany. By car you can be at the Airport in about an hour and if traveling by train the time is also about one hour. The two times I have used the trains to depart from Bacharach I have caught the 0530 train from Bacharach which is a direct (no train changes) run to the Frankfurt Flughafen. The cost for a ticket to the airport is 9 Euro (purchase at vending machine). I have always arrived at the airport in plenty of time to be one of the first persons in line for my departing flight to the US. This year I was first in line well before the airlines opened up their security line. I was able to sit down and have coffee and a roll at a coffee Kiosk within 25 feet of my bags (which allowed me to watch them the entire wait). So don't rule out staying along the Rhine for those last days of your vacation.
Accommodations for this eleven night trip averaged 16.5 Euro a day ($21). An excellent price - considering the quality of the Zimmer Frei and the amazing free breakfasts that come with the lodging. Not to mention the free public transportation in the Black Forest... I guess I did mention it but it's worth repeating several times. It makes my tight budget much easier to stay within. So much so that I'm thinking about two weeks in the Schwarzwald next year - solo - buses and trains only... Until then -
