I arrived in Freiburg im Breisgau from France after an 18 hour journey via Italy and Switzerland, which involved changing 4 buses. I was on tenterhooks for the initial 7-8 hours of the journey, as I missed a connection. For a long time, I did not know in which city I will end up (details about the same in another post - Flixbus debacle in Italy (wixsite.com)). Only when I reached the Swiss city of Basel did I feel some relief, as Freiburg is only 50 kms from there. At the end of all that drama, I was only a couple of hours late. As I did not have a phone connection, I had used the Wi-Fi service available in the bus to message my friends on my likely arrival time in Freiburg. When I arrived at the bus stand, I saw this bus which reminded me of my favorite German F1 champ.
I was tired and sleepy but as soon as I spotted Jenny, the tiredness just dissipated. It was so good to see her and for a moment, I couldn't believe where I was. We had met just a month back and bonded so well. Our life and travel philosophies were similar and we connected seamlessly. I had parted company with a heavy heart, as I thought I won't be seeing them again. Little did I know then that I would be invited by my friend Dani for a celebration in her family - an invitation I gladly accepted. Once we reached her place, I relaxed and conversation flowed so easily. We decided to take it easy for the next couple of hours and visit the market once I was ready.
Freiburg is a medieval university city on the edge of the Black Forest. It is one of Germany’s most liveable and the birthplace of the green movement (in the 1970s). No wonder then that it is one of the most sustainable cities on the planet. The market we visited was near the famous minster (church), which has to be the first thing you see in Freiburg. You’ll want to view this Gothic marvel and its marvellous tower from every angle. Starting as a Romanesque church in the 13th century, Freiburg’s awe-inspiring minster took another 300 years to complete.
The market was a centre of hectic activity and a riot of colors. There are more than 150 regional produce stalls selling anything from exotic spices to handicrafts. At the foot of the minster are snack bars selling freshly cooked food. There was a lot of stuff to eat and it was an attack on your senses. Since Jen is vegan, I never had to worry about finding any undesirable ingredient in my food during the entire trip. The first dish she wanted me to try was the Veg Currywurst, a palatable version of the famous German fast food dish.
It tasted so good that I wanted to order a repeat but looking at the long day ahead of us (where I would be sampling a variety of dishes), I reluctantly controlled myself with only one helping. It was a wonderful place to have breakfast, as you could admire the intricacies of the gothic Minster in slow motion. If that is not enough, you have the Munsterplatz to contend with as well. It is a cobblestone pedestrian square, ringed by historic monuments and scene of a market that trades every day of the week. The square was almost totally flattened by Allied bombing raids in 1944 (over 1900 tons of bombs in only 25 minutes). Despite the destruction wreaked around Munsterplatz in 1944, the minster came through with only minor damage. History, culture and cuisine go hand in hand here!
You can’t spend any time in Freiburg without dodging one of the little waterways in grooves in the Old Town. These aren’t like the grand waterways you’ll find in Italy or the Netherlands, but rather narrow gutters that line most of the streets in the city. These are fed by the Dreisam river and help to cool things down in summer. In medieval times they had a few uses, like helping to fight fires, providing local trades (like tanners) with water etc. The legend also goes that if you accidentally step into one you will end up marrying someone from Freiburg.
Next on the agenda was the famous Black Forest cake. Referred to here as Kirschtorte, it is sold at nearly every dining spot in all towns throughout the region. Its chocolatey layers and sponge generously steeped in kirsch (cherry brandy) was pure heaven. I could not stop myself from having large portions of the cake, even though we were supposed to be sharing. Some of the bakeries worth visiting in Freiburg are Die Kaiserin, Stefan's Kasekuchen, Cafe Decker and Backerei Bizenberger.
After I couldn't stuff ourselves anymore, we headed back home via WiWili bridge. This is a busy bike & pedestrian bridge as it links the area where many students live and the city center where the university and library are. On any day you can see many students sitting along the bridge and spending their free time. The photos of the bridge with the church in the background is a must.
At the foot of the bridge, I was drawn to a bicycle counter, which was set up in 2011 when the city won the award "Bicycle friendly cities". It counts the number of bikes which use the bridge and the resultant saving in CO2 emission due to the usage of bikes. I found it quite cool and it goes to show how thoughtful the city and its young population is when it comes to the environmental impact our modern lives have on planet earth. It comes as no surprise that my friends are so conscious about the issue, as they have been living in a city which practices what it preaches. Once we reached home, I spent some time collecting apples in the garden before plonking myself on the couch - a few minutes of solitude before the madness began!
We got ready for the baby shower celebration, which was going to take place in my friend's house in Endingen, a small German town at the border with France. The city is located in one of the warmest areas of Germany (still quite cold) and the Mediterranean climate is reflected in the quality of the wines grown.
As I approached her house, I was a bit conscious about meeting her family and friends, but as soon as the door opened, I felt nothing but genuine warmth and affection towards the gang that had gathered there. A round of introductions were made and pretty soon, the house was bursting with a cacophony of sounds - music, loud talks and laughter were the order of the day. In that instant, I felt terribly lucky to be able to witness what was happening in front of my eyes. I was really pleased that I had made the journey to Freiburg without a second thought.
I had a great time at the party. We sang and danced, we had endless conversations, we checked out gifts for the impending arrival of the little one, we ate a lot (pumpkin soup, onion cake, pasta, garlic bread, mashed potatoes - quite a few of them are German specials made during the fall season), we drank federweisser (young fall wine or sparkling wine - loved it!), we listened to German songs (made no sense to me, but I moved myself awkwardly to its tunes). Looking at my football fanaticism, the girls gifted me a Freiburg football jersey with a photograph taken during our trip to Plitvice, Croatia (one of my favourite places and one of my favourite trips). I was really touched with their gesture and I hope we can keep this feeling alive for years to come!
After eating and drinking too much, all of us went for a walk in the pretty little town. We took a break for ice cream (I couldn't stuff myself anymore, so I had to decline) and returned home for the final round of merry making.
One of my favourite spots in her house was the balcony which had a view out towards France - the border is quite close. If we had more time available, maybe we could have just popped into the French side for fun. I liked her parents a lot even though most of the time I had an issue overcoming the language barrier. Dani's dad works in Schwarzwald-Stadion (home of the local football team playing in Bundesliga) and I wanted to ask him so many questions about the team - of course, I expressed my willingness to attend a football match when I visit Freiburg again. Her mom was fun loving and you could say she was the life of the party - filling everyone's glasses, stuffing us with food, fussing about us and asking about everyone's well being, singing and dancing and having loads of fun. Most of my communication with her was through Dani or sign language. At one point, we were discussing about my Euro trip when she suddenly asked whether I liked her town "Endingen". I misunderstood the question as whether my Euro trip is ending and I was like "no no, I will be moving to Spain & Portugal soon". The girls who were listening in on our conversation had a hearty laugh about that. After that, I made sure Dani was with me whenever I felt she was asking me important questions, so that I had the right replies. Her brother and I spoke mostly about my trip or football. We had an interesting time trying to open the 5 liter container of Rothaus Pils (beer from the Black Forest) - there was a lot of froth before the liquid emerged, finally!
As we left the place in the evening, goodbyes were as genuine as the welcome was! I had a magnificent time and honestly, I didn't want it to end. With the realization that most things in life come with an expiry date, I had to console myself with the fact that there will always be a next time.
I often wonder - "What is it that makes total strangers into lifetime companions, why is it that you bond so well with some people whereas you ignore the majority of the people passing you by, why is it sometimes easy to confide your darkest secrets and innermost fears with people you have just met?" I do not have an exact answer to this question but I have been lucky that traveling on the road has led me into some unbelievable relationships, which I would treasure for life. In an age where people are so preoccupied in their pursuit of finding that elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, it has been refreshing to just enjoy the company of these special people on a daily basis, without a care for what future holds for any of us.
After relaxing at Jen's home for some time, I was out with the gang once again. This time, Claudia also joined us. I remember her fondly for her frankness and amazing sense of humour. We had an amazing night - food, drinks, dance and party continued till 3 or 4 am. I don't know how each one of us had the strength to reach home after the blast we had. Jen & I walked home from the city centre and it was amazing how our conversations about life and travel were in total sync. I felt a bit protective towards her when I saw the homeless people en route, but when she explained how she handles them on her late night walks, I felt at ease. But still, we got quite a scare near a park when we heard a chilling scream of a woman. It felt like she was being attacked or something and as the row of trees made the area quite dark, we were unsure on what to do. We shouted back asking if anyone needs help but when we got no reply for a couple of minutes, we continued our walk home. Back home, we listened to a bit of music and enjoyed the quiet company of each other. When our eyes struggled to stay open, we decided to call it a day and slept soundly for a few hours.
The best plan we hatched in the morning was to have brunch as soon as we were out of the house. For breakfast, we had the German specials - Kaseknopfle (pasta-like dish with melted cheese and caramelized onions), salads and Kartoffelknodel (potato dumplings). I have always loved German breads and dishes (the vegetarian ones) - this outing only amplified my love immeasurably. After stuffing ourselves yet again (this was a recurring theme during the trip), we explored the other landmarks in the city. Both of them were quite patient revisiting all the places & explaining the various stories/events about Freiburg.
In the city centre, I admired the buildings and loved their architecture. The two medieval gates of the city look stunning. The younger of the two gates - Schwabentor - went up in the middle of the 13th century and is built from red sandstone. You can see a Baroque painting from 1672 of a merchant. This soon became the subject of a legend about the city about a merchant who tried to buy Freiburg with sacks of what he thought was gold but had been replaced with sand and pebbles by his wife. The older gate Martinstor is a grim reminder of justice in days gone by, as a plaque commemorates three women burned as witches in the city in 1599. I did not know this part of Freiburg and it took some time getting used to. The other building to admire is the Rathauser (old town hall), which houses the tourist office now and it is worth going inside to take a look.
Next, we decided to climb the church's tower. The spire is worth admiring and one also needs to keep an eye out for the cathedral's 19 bells, which are really huge (the smallest one weighing 96kg and the largest one weighing 6856kg). The steps within the clock tower were fun to take and they leave you breathless. I waited for my friends to descend the tower and wait near the entrance, so that I can capture them in the CCTV.
We took a tour in the old town and enjoyed the pleasant weather. I could not help but take their photo in front of something resembling "Indian".
Protecting Freiburg from the east is a hill in the Black Forest. As a handy strategic position, Schlossberg was fortified from as early as the 1000s, and though these structures are now in ruins efforts have been made to bring them to life. The summit grants a panoramic view of the city. This was our evening hike and even though we lost our way a couple of times, we made it to the top just as the lights were coming on in the city. Apart from Freiburg's famous landmarks, you can also gaze at the surrounding mountains and vineyards. We were fortunate to meet an old Swiss man who was visiting Freiburg with his family. After surviving the vagaries of Cancer, he was now taking time out to travel, something he had ignored while slogging most of his life in an effort to make more and more money. He wanted us to remember one important lesson in life - "Agreed that there is this need to make money while we get busy doing mundane things in life but one needs to remember that we need to enjoy our life and stay happy while doing things which we love. It could be travel or following any of our passions." As we were returning back to the city, Jen remarked that it was an endorsement of the way we plan to live our lives, coming from the wise old man in a most unexpected way.
Back home, we had our last meal together - bread and pumpkin soup. As usual, we had a wonderful time and I was at a loss to explain how the weekend vanished so soon. As Dani left for her place, I didn't know how to react and even as we hugged, I was not yet prepared to say goodbye, just yet. I find hugs to be a very meaningful and emotional gesture, as it can mean different things to different people in all kinds of situations. As Jen & I listened to music, I was not my usual talkative self as I was dreading the end of our time together.
Not for the first time and certainly not for the last time, the Flixbus I had to take was scheduled at a weird hour (3am - I call it the "neither here, nor there" hour). After sleeping for some time, I woke up around 1am and it took me a while to find my bearings. I tiptoed around the place & got ready silently. It was good that I could slip away quietly, as I was not sure if I would be able to handle this farewell nicely - goodbyes in life are always tough. Even when I was leaving her place and locking myself out, I had half a mind to cancel my next week's plans and stay back for a few more days. In the end, sanity prevailed and I made my way towards the bus stand. It was dark and drizzling too (mirroring my mood) but the city looked hauntingly beautiful without anyone in the streets!
There is something beautiful about making friends on the road - out of the blue, you meet them one day and say goodbye the next day, but the memories remain. Most times, the memories will outlast the friendship itself, as it is difficult to keep in touch once you return to your home towns and you get busy with your day to day life. I wondered about all this as I climbed the bus - is there another meeting written in the stars or can we replicate the fun times we had over the last few weeks ? One thing made me smile though - the bus was the same bus I had missed from Savona a couple of days back, now going in the reverse direction. Oh, the coincidence and irony of it!
At the end of it all, I reflected on this trip being one of those rare times in my life when traveling was not the no. 1 priority. It was proof that everything can be beautiful when there is love, care and laughter all round and if we take time to appreciate the little things in life.
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