Day 8 – Freiburg – Friday September 27

 

Hills of Black Forest

Today we docked in Breisach, Germany and took a bus ride to the small town o Freiburg, Germany. 

Once again we walked to the main square in town where there was a large cathedral.  There was a Farmer’s Market all around the square with vendors selling bread, cheese, meats, baked goods, flowers and vegetables. 

Our guide went to one the vendors and retrieved a large tray of assorted hams and sausages for us to taste.  Some of the ham was salty and others had a more smokey flavor.  All tasted really good.

We walked around the square and looked at the architecture on the church.  Once again it was raining.  The guide pointed out the rain spouts, some were shaped as animals and dragons.  One in particular showed the humor of the architect.  It was the rear-end of a man. 

Dragon Rain Spout

Horse Rain Spout

Man's Butt Rain Spout

We walked through the narrow streets of town.  She pointed out the rhine-stones of the street.  These were actually stones taken from the Rhine River and placed in patterns that made up the cobblestone streets and sidewalks. 

Rhine-Stones

Mosaic in Rhine-Stones

We arrived at one of the city gates, that looked  very similar to the clocktower back home.  She explained that originally every horse, person and cart had to pass through the arch to enter the city.  But as vehicles became larger the streets had to built around the gates to accommodate traffic.

We went back to the city square for a treat of the region’s Black Forest Cake.  We then had some free time to explore the city on our own.  She did point out a shop on the square that had traditional Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks, along with nutcrackers and smokers. 

Once back on the boat, the skies cleared and the sun came out.  We passed through another lock.  This one elevated the boat close to thirty feet and you could see a huge difference once we arrived at the top.