In a light drizzle we set off to the Black Forest town of Freiburg, which is notable for its medieval cathedral, mini canals and all around quaintness. A short walk from the train station brought us to the Old Town. We stopped in at the TI next to a very beautiful Rathause (city hall).
As we set off on our self guided tour all the bells in the world started pealing, as if to remind us it was Sunday. Being Sunday most of the stores were closed which saved us a lot of money as Judy fell in love with a beautiful tailored woollen coat in a shop window. Bächle are a series of small canals woven through the town. When they were conceived in the Middle Ages the idea was to assist in fire fighting and as a source of water. Today people can sail toy boats and rubber duckies in them.
Legend goes that if you fall in a bächle you will marry a Freiburger. Rounding a corner we came upon the main square dominated by the aforementioned red stone cathedral. This red stone is so soft that it crumbles easily and the cathedral is perpetually draped in scaffolding. The softness of the red stone has one benefit - when the rest of the town was destroyed by allied bombing this soft stone absorbed the concussion of nearby bombs and the cathedral remained standing.
As this was Sunday and a mass was in session we wandered on and came upon the quaintest shopping street ever. We wandered down the wisteria draped street looking in the windows of all the clothes shops.
We started to feel hungry and began looking for a place to eat lunch. Quickly rejecting a snooty looking restaurant we tripped over the welcoming Brauhaus. We luckily grabbed an open table and settled in for a great beer and a very good meal served by the charming Amelie.
Feeling much better we headed out to finish our tour. The inside of the cathedral was nothing to write home about with the exception of the beautiful stained glass windows.
Stopping in to buy some postcards and fridge magnets we headed slowly back to the train station.
I would list Freiburg as a must-see on anyone's German trip. Arriving back in Heidelberg we had a quick dinner at the Italian restaurant next door to our hotel, then found a courtyard table and waited for the arrival of Kelly's friend Argie.
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