Cuckoo Clocks & Waterfalls

I have seen the world's largest cuckoo clock. (Yes, go ahead and be jealous).

Now you must be asking yourself, "Umm, why??" Well, you see, I went on a day trip to see a waterfall and cuckoo clocks with some friends, and bam, I got to see the world's largest cuckoo clock. It's not like I woke up one day with an intense desire to see a cuckoo clock as big as a house. I'm not that weird, give me some credit, sheez.

The world's largest cuckoo clock! Kidding... you'll have to read on to see a picture of that. You really think I would give away the goods so early silly?

Now this cuckoo clock that I've been going on about is located deep in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald), which is where many Grimm brother's fairy tales originate from. Of course the only way that I could properly tell my cuckoo clock story is to tell it like a fairy tale. So kiddos, get your blankies and sippy cups and snuggle up while mama tells you a story. Don't forget your popcorn.

Once upon a time, there lived a young woman who hated waking up early. Nothing irked her more than the dreadful beeping noise that her alarm clock blasted every morning. But one particular Sunday, she hated the alarm a little less than usual because she knew that a wonderful adventure awaited her once she got up. So she dragged herself out of bed, and slowly got ready. Of course she took too long, thus making her late to meet at her friends Nacha and Bernie's apartment.

But, in a twist of fate she was early, because the rest of the group wasn't going to be there for a good half hour. While the three friends waited, the young woman enjoyed some toast and an apple graciously provided by her hosts.

When the toast was finished, the trio gathered their belongings and left the apartment. Once they were on the street, they were joined by two more of their friends, Balin and Dora. From this street it was a quick hop, skip, and jump to the nearest Straßenbahn (street car) station; where together they bought a Wochenende ticket for an ever so cheap price.

The Straßenbahn carried them to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) as all four of them chatted happily away in a mix of German and English. At the station, the group found the train they needed with ease, and soon they were settled in seats on the 2nd floor; filled with excitement as they sped towards their destination.

The girl sat quietly next to Nacha as she tried to officially wake up. Her thoughts turned to the day ahead; what was Triberg going to be like? All she knew was what her friends had told her: it was deep in the Schwarzwald, it had cuckoo clocks, and they were going to go see it's huge waterfall. Her anticipation grew as the city began to be replaced by small towns and forest outside her window.

It didn't take very long for the girls to get talking amongst themselves (while the boys poured over a map). The conversation was a mix of German and English due to necessity... but not even a language barrier can keep girls from communicating. Soon giggles and bubbles filled the train. Yes, bubbles. Nacha had brought along a bubble wand much to the laughter and enjoyment of her cohorts.

Dora blowing bubbles while the girl laughs like a giddy seven-year-old.

Balin chowing on some bread while Bernie looks on.

Though the train ride was over an hour, it passed quickly due to the high spirits within the group. The morale of course was kept up with chips and dip. Because everyone knows any good train ride isn't complete without chips and dip. It's fact. Look it up. No, not now. I'm not done with my bedtime story. And anyways, you've already brushed your teeth.

As the girl and her friends stepped off the train, rain misted their faces and a chill in the air made them burrow deeper into their coats. They all stood still for a minute as they took in their surroundings. After all, suddenly being surrounded by forest can be overwhelming. A large sheet of rock stood directly across from them, and behind them the tiny Triberg Banhof (train station). Once they had their bearings, they left the train station behind and started walking uphill towards the town.

The friends walked and talked, commenting on all the stores they passed. Because it was Sunday, none of them were open (which of course everyone knows that stores are closed on Sunday in Germany... duuuh). But thankfully (to the girls bladder and the rest of the group's need for caffeine) a small coffee shop was open, so they dropped in.

The girl striking one of her most cheesiest poses in front of some very stereotypical German architecture on their way up the hill.

Finally they made it to the highest point in the town, where the buildings stop and the forest begins. Balin and Bernie located a ticket booth which was the entrance to the Wald (forest) and the Wasserfall (waterfall). Each member of the group had to cough up about 2 Euros before they were allowed to enter. There was a lot of digging through wallets, but soon everyone had a informational brochure with a map in hand as they headed up the trail.

As they trekked up the the trail, the girl began the regret her choice of shoes. She hadn't realized they would be "hiking", and had wore shoes more suited to city walking than for a dirt path. Her worries soon abated when she and the rest of the group found out that due to snow that all the higher trails were closed, and only the lowest one at the base of the waterfall was open. Which wasn't a long epic journey at all, in fact, they made it there in a few minutes. So she and her shoes were safe once more.

Dora, Nacha, and the girl striking a pose as they "hiked" to the base of the waterfall.

When the waterfall came into view, the girl picked up her pace, and the others followed in suit. Soon all five of them were standing on a bridge at the very base of it. The roar of the water wasn't substantial, but the view was. The girl couldn't even see the top of the waterfall, which she figured made sense considering, after all, it was the highest one in Germany.

The Triberg Wasserfall: the highest waterfall in Germany. (Of course this is all that could be seen from the base, it's much taller than this).

Nacha, the girl, Bernie, and Dora in front of the waterfall.

Dora and Balin being ridiculously adorable.

Nacha and Bernie looking like the cutest couple in Germany.

After soaking in the beauty of the waterfall, the group decided lunch was a fabulous idea. On their way to find a picnic spot, the girl spotted an interesting plaque. It commemorated that Ernest Hemmingway had visited this waterfall back in 1922, thus making the girl have a major nerd-out moment which everyone laughed at.

The Ernest Hemmingway plague.

The whole group being super silly on the trail.

Bernie, Nacha, and the girl being ridiculous.

Dora apparently didn't get the memo this was a silly picture haha ;)

 Bernie declared the base of one of the closed off trails a suitable place for a picnic. Nacha prepared a nice place to sit by putting two table cloths on the ground. Then everyone settled in on the table cloths and started pulling out potluck picnic items out of their bags.

The lunch was a delicious mix of sandwiches, quiche, wine, beer, fruit, and cake. And of course no meal is complete without several glasses of spilled wine, talk of frozen animals in trees, and laughter.

Balin, Dora, and the girl just before wine spill #2.

The half eaten quiche.

After they had full bellies and happy hearts, the group decided to go for a walk through the forest. Which was quite eventful, due to the renewed energy on the girl's part. Laughter, giggles, and the singing of random songs abound as the five of them picked their way carefully along the snowy and icy path. At one point the girl started a snowball fight (which she of course won), much to Nacha's horror.

The ever so famous Schwarzwald.

Navigating the icy and snowy trail.

The girl having fun with bubble gum.

Balin and Dora fitting right in with the scenery.

Nacha and the girl.

Nacha and Bernie having a "couple moment."

Soon their wanderings had led them out of the forest and into a residential area with a lake and a playground. The girl, being a six-year-old at heart, immediately tromped through ankle deep snow in order to go swing on the swing set while everyone else checked out the mini lake.

After consulting the map the men realized that the group was near the world's largest cuckoo clock, and thought it was worth a look. So the girls followed as the guys led the way up a deserted residential street.

Setting off to find the cuckoo clock.

Walking along side the ever so forbidden looking forest.

Yes, places like this really do exist outside of movies.

When it felt like they had been walking for hours on end, the girls began to doubt if they were even going in the right direction since it seemed they had walked into the outskirts of a neighboring town. As the boys pulled out the map once more, the girl sat down on the side of the road dreaming of a nice nap in the train on the way home.

Epic map consulting.

Social networking and snacking.

Nice try Balin, your bubble won't beat the girl's awesome bubble blowing skills haha.

Dora having snack time.

After much map consulting, the two men realized that the cuckoo clock was no more than a two minutes walk away. Thus, everyone finished their day dreaming and snacking to continue on the quest to find the world's largest cuckoo clock.

A few minutes later their persistence was rewarded when they found the object of their desire, the clock, hidden amongst a small neighborhood. The clock wasn't so much a cuckoo clock but was more of a small one room, one story house built in the traditional German way. But it actually functioned as a cuckoo clock. In fact, while the group was there, they got to hear and see it in action.

"World's biggest original cuckoo clock to visit"

Traditional woman's hat in the Schwarzwald (albeit a huge version of it haha)

The girl near the world's largest cuckoo clock.

Once the five friends had seen enough of the world's largest cuckoo clock, they decided it was time to head back into town. But how to get there was the question. The map was brought out once again, and soon the group was on their way.

The friends took a different route back, so they got to see some pretty amazing views of Triberg nestled amongst the hills and the forest. Of course, the walk back took longer than the original walk did (going back is never as easy as starting it seems) and by the time they got into town, all the girl wanted to do was lay down on the concrete and take a nap. Taking in so much beauty and doing so much awesome things had taken it's toll on the little au pair. But she didn't get her wish, since once they entered town her four friends wanted to check out a couple of the touristy shops that were amazingly open.

Cute and cozy little Triberg.

They wandered through a couple shops, under the watchful and hopeful eyes of the shop owners, mostly giggling at all the ridiculous things one could buy. The girl's favorites were the dust collecting figurines. The last shop the group entered was the biggest, and by far the most interesting. While it had the typical tourist trap items, it also had a large supply of actual factual cuckoo clocks. After perusing the whole store, both Nacha and the girl decided to buy cuckoo clock magnets. A cute and cheap (well, "cheap") way to remember such a fun day.

Cuckoo!

And so the guys and girls headed out of the store and down the hill towards the Bahnhof. In an effort to use up time, they made a leisurely stop in the gas station convenience store for a caffeine pick me up, and then mosied their way down to the Bahnhof because the train wasn't coming for a while.

The Hogwart's Express?! No? Oh. How dreadfully disappointing.

But the group's effort to use up time still left them with a good half hour to just sit and wait in the station. As they sat discussing the mysterious red stain on the floor, time ticked away quickly, and soon the train had a arrived.

As friends settled into a group of seats in the lower level off train, the girl realized that the zipper on her jacket was stuck. After fiddling with it for a good five minutes, the rest of the group took notice, laughed, and offered to help. And so the zipper saga began. First Balin tried, then Dora, then Nacha, and then Bernie. Then the girl tried again. Then Balin had a go once more. Then, Bernie, utterly determined to fix the zipper, fiddled with it until he won. With her jacket once again in working order, the girl settled down into her seat and popped her iPod earbuds in.

Next thing she knew, the girl and her friends were pulling into Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof. She groggily got off the train, waited with her friends for the Straßenbahn, and rode to her station. Final goodbyes and hugs were said as she hopped off the train and headed home.

Once she was home, the girl threw on her pajamas and dove into bed. She fell asleep the instant her head hit the pillow, and you know what the only worry on her mind was? Her alarm going off the next morning.

And they all lived happily ever after. The End.

And that my kiddos is the story of the day my friends and I went to Triberg. Yes, it was long (you are brave soul for sticking through to the end), but like any good fairytale it included pictures to keep your interest from waning. So snuggle up in your blankies, close your eyes, and think of sweet things. It's time to go to bed little ones. It's time to dream.

Cali Girl & the Winter Wonderland

I am a California girl through and through. Many stereotypes go along with that name. Some are down right ridiculous, but many aren't far from the truth. Most people think of the beach when they think of my home state. The California coast is 840 miles long, which I admit is a lot. But, you need to put that in perspective with the rest of the state which is 163,707 square miles. That's a lot of state! And we have one of the most diverse states out of the fifty. Mountains, lakes, deserts, an ocean, forests, rivers, and so many other things fill up the Golden State. But before I start sounding like a promoter for California tourism, let me get to my point. Much like California, I am full of the expected and unexpected. 

Growing up as Southern California girl has defined me in a lot of ways. And true to So Cal girl form, I'm not the biggest fan of being cold or enduring Winter. We don't really have Winter, you see. It's not that I don't like the romanticized idea of wearing lots of cute layered clothes, playing around in the snow with friends, going on sleigh rides... the list could go on and on. But the reality is, I hate wearing too many layers because I get all hot and claustrophobic. And playing in the snow is all fun and swell until you get snow in every crevice and discover how wet and miserable you are. And sleigh rides just go and mess up your hair with all the wind whipping around. Not at all whimsical and wintery. Now of course Winter can be magical. I just like it in very, very small doses. Like a weekend trip up to Lake Arrowhead, or evening spent bundled up walking around Naples (in Long Beach) caroling to the unsuspecting homeowners, or even a nice afternoon of ice skating at the local ice skating rink. That's about all I need of winter, and I'm totally content.

I must admit, I was mortified about the idea of having to rough it through a "German Winter." Mortified. But as November rolled around, and then December, I realized that I had been worrying for no reason. Because I got freaking lucky. This year is considered to be the driest European Winter in fifty years. Now, that doesn't mean it is like 70 degrees and I'm tanning on the balcony. Nooo. It's been really cold (like between the 20's and 40's), cloudy, and raining. It was sunny the other day and I just about had a heart attack because I hadn't seen the sun in so long. I'm getting paler by the second. 

Because of the dry conditions, there hasn't been much snow. Not that there hasn't been snow. From the pictures I've seen, I would classify it as lots of snow in other parts of Germany. But I'm biased. Any snow is a lot of snow to me. But Karlsruhe is "the warmest city in the country" (as I've been told countless times), so we have seen a lot less snow here than the rest of Germany. It's really only technically snowed here three times, but it was like really wimpy. Even by my standards. But today changed that! It has officially snowed. And I must say I was (and still am) quite excited.

Last night, when I went to bed, it was snowing. So when I woke up this morning, I uncharacteristically bounced out of bed to see if the snow had managed to stick around. When I opened my blinds I was greeted with rooftops coated in a soft white powder. I giggled delightedly and got ready real quick. There was no way I was spending the morning inside.

View from my bedroom window.

Some snow on my window!

Not much later I found myself standing out on my street surrounded by all sorts of white covered objects. (The cars made me laugh the most, they just looked so ridiculous). One step into the street and I knew I was in trouble. It was coated in ice. Being the klutz of the century, I immediately put my arms out (air plane style) and tread as slowly across the street as I could. Thus, making a fool of myself in front of all the people who were out walking on this glorious morning. But I didn't mind. My child-like excitement was more concerned about snow than people. 

Me and the snow... such a rare sight to behold.

All morning I frolicked about in the park near my house. Most of that time was spent giggling evilly as I made tracks in untouched snow, basked in weak sunlight, and tried not to fall on my ass. 

Walking down the park pathway.

Playground area of the park.

My footprints.

After my park adventure, I needed to go into the city center to get some birthday cards. (February is quite the month for birthdays!) So I made the trek to a store called Ernhardt's, which has a fabulous selection of cards. Once I bought my cards, I wandered around and enjoyed all the snow on the rooftops. The snow on the ground had been cleared in most spots, but it was still a lovely sight to see.

I made it back to the house, quite grateful to have survived. Yes, I know, I'm such a drama queen. But as I said, this Cali girl doesn't do the whole "Winter" thing. Now, you are probably wondering why I was so excited about snow today if I don't like it. Well you see, I have a love/hate relationship with snow. It's gorgeous, and a blast to play in. But it's cold, and will eventually get me all wet, cold, and mushy. Or it will turn into ice and have me fall on my ass for the world to see. Snow. So fun, yet so evil. Point being, I like it in small doses, just like I like my Winter. And waking up to it this morning was just so lovely and wonderful and whimsical that I couldn't help but be excited. I also couldn't help being so excited that I acted like I five year old most of the morning. What made the day good was that I didn't fall and I kept dry and warm. And most importantly, I didn't get snow in my boots (long traumatic childhood story attached to that haha). 

So my verdict on Winter? Well, it hasn't changed. It can be magical. As long as it stays out of my boots.