Schwäbische Alb – Going up the Country
For our next trip to Germany, we decide to check out a different
place.
Instead of flying through Amsterdam this time around, we
decide to go through Zürich. This gives us an opportunity to get to
Germany quickly, albeit with the help of a rental car. The area we choose is in
the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, home of the Black Forest and its
thousands of coo coo clocks—very important to Liebi, who vowed to get one of
these.
The Schwäbische Alb is in the middle of nowhere, although we
are not easily deterred. In the days of GPS's in rental cars, we are
confident we can find our way anywhere. What we don't account for are the
number of closed roads we are to encounter. That's right, closed. Not roads with construction that produce sluggish
traffic, but roads closed altogether. This throws a curveball at us that buckles as if it were heading straight for the high-tech GPS. In all, six roads are closed, and we finally
make it to the vacation village of Lauterdörfle near Hayingen, a small village
in the middle of nowhere. We certainly made a good choice.
The Schwäbische Alb enables us to make day trips,
among these to Stuttgart (more about that in our next post), the capital of
Baden Württemberg, and one of the economic powerhouses of Germany. In the
meantime, we are to unwind in the countryside, enjoy some good food, and let
the kids run wild on the playground, as well as with other activities, like
foosball, miniature golf, and table tennis.
One thing you quickly notice about the region is that the
streets are mostly narrow, the hills rolling, and its people very friendly and
charming with their inimitable dialect. Germany just gets it. There is at least
one bicycle path for each road, offering Germans a healthy alternative to cars.
Although I don't bike myself, I run plenty of miles each day, and I can run as long as I want to, as the network of trails and paths seems endless.
On the first morning, I pass at least three foxes and one full-sized buck in
the middle of the trail. The combination of forest and fields is exceptional, the
clean, fresh air a welcome change to the polluted air we have grown accustomed
to throughout our years of living in various cities.
We chose Lauterdörfle, more than anything, for the kids'
activities. There is a playground, plus a zipline that the kids use
regularly, once their fear of it subsides. Bash starts going a few feet at
first, and only when Liebi or I
agree to push him. Eventually, I decide Bash can go further and push him
from the zipline platform, although I hold on to the line itself. Once Bash sees that I am no longer holding on to the line, and that he is riding by himself
does he decide that this is good, healthy fun, best to be enjoyed without adults, thank you very much.
Axl, being the extrovert he is, barks at the top of his voice: 'EINS, ZWEI,
DREI! HALLO DEUTSCHLAND!' before launching himself off the zipline platform.
Once a day we walk into Hayingen (even with the
grumbling kids—'walk', to them, is a dirty four letter word), shop at the
bakery or have a leisurely lunch, usually consisting of the Swabian cuisine of
Spätzle or Maultaschen. Unfortunately, I also discover allergies I never knew
I had. To quote Mick Jagger in 'Mother's little Helper': what a drag it is
getting old. I grew up in a similar area, yet the German countryside decides to
ambush me with a few well-timed allergies upon my return. Thank you,
Schwäbische Alb. You were beautiful anyway.
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