The Black Forest

The Black Forest is undoubtedly the most interesting area we have visited in Germany. Its sheer size means you can readily avoid the tourists and begin to feel German. The area is criss-crossed with walking and biking trails, some even flat enough to tempt us.

The more we witness German efficiency the more surprising it is that they managed to lose two world wars. Infrastructure is of the highest standard. This was vividly illustrated by the sporting amenities in Zell am Harmersbach, a small town we stayed in. The town has a population of 8,000, yet the amenities provided included a synthetic athletic track with grandstand, extensive pool area including multiple diving boards, covered and open tennis courts and obligatory football pitches - both grass and synthetic.

The investment in recreation amenities in this town is not unique within southern Germany. A corollary of such investment is a marked reduction of teenagers that we see being unoccupied
in comparison with other countries we have visited.

Gretel pretending to be a tree, but looking more kahikatea than douglas fir.

Just to prove that the forest is black.

Pasture areas are interspersed throughout the forest. We have seen more cows in the last week than the previous four months put together.