Not so black, and not so foresty

Quick, what comes to mind when I say Black Forest? Cake, probably. But think again, what do you imagine the region of the Black Forest to look like? A forest... that's black? Dark, mossy, overhanging, intertwining trees gloomily lowering over impenetrable undergrowth, with here and there a man in lederhosen, axe in hand, angrily chasing after a fleeing German Mädchen? What a coincidence, me too! But, while I'll admit we only strayed through a tiny portion of the High Black Forest, it looked completely different from what I imagined.

I never realised it was so hilly. We got up to over 900 metres on our drive from Freiburg to Uberlingen on Lake Constance, and there was even still snow on the ground up there. (And, in fact, isolated flurries of snow in the air too on our way back home.) The weather on Friday was gorgeous, and it was a beautiful day for a drive.

I missed this photo off the last post, so had to add it here because it's so cute! (I know, if I say so myself)

Snowy blurry car action shot

We took a small detour to the Titisee, mostly because it's funny to say Titisee. I burst out laughing at Easter dinner at Jules's mum's because people said Titisee too many times for me to handle. Mature. We only stayed there for a total of about 20 minutes, enough to park, walk down to the lake, take a few photos, and walk back. It was buuuus-y! I don't know how it gets in summer, but it was already crowded and very touristy, with chalet-style buildings and cuckoo clocks as far as the eye can see in the small town centre. The lake is pretty though, and the town cute albeit cheesy.

I don't know how it is in other countries, but Germany is not really talked up as a tourist destination in my experience. At home it's all France and Italy, Eastern Europe if you're looking for a bit of exoticism or a stag weekend, Spain for sunshine, the UK for history, catching up with family or working in a bar for a couple of years, but Germany's not really on the radar. Berlin, of course, but you never really hear much about other parts of Germany, and it's only in the last year or so, when I've been living on its borders, that I've really started to explore a little bit. So far, it seems full of really cute picture-book towns, and this weekend was really a surprise with how lovely some of the scenery is. 

Titisee panorama - look how clear the water is

I'm wearing the same clothes in like all my blog posts. I suppose if something works for you (hopefully), why not stick with it? Plus this dress is super comfy

This says Titsee and Fart (almost). Schoolgirl giggling ensues and continues for the next 20 minutes. Signs saying 'fahrt' may be my very favourite thing about Germany

Titisee snowball fight!

After our brief detour, we continued on to Uberlingen, on the shores of Lake Constance, in time for a long stroll along the lake front, an icecream, and a beer slash wine on a terrace in the sun. Great day, and we got to make the most of the nice weather, which was good.

When I discovered we were staying in the Bad Hotel, I was all...

This is the other side of the Bad Hotel - it's secretly actually very nice! We had a lovely big room on the corner, not with a lake view unfortunately, but windows on two sides

Street in Uberlingen

Panorama of Lake Constance

On the Uberlingen lakefront

Two ships crossing in the night day

From snow at Titisee to daffodils in Uberlingen on the same day

The sculptor gives the unfortunate impression that Jesus is worshipping a pile of poo

We had a definitely not-Michelin-starred but tasty rösti dinner in a traditional(esque) German restaurant to finish our first evening in Uberlingen.

Jules is happy with his beer

While I'm not used to having wine glasses the size of my head after too many years in France!

Oh and the million-dollar question - did we have Black Forest gateau? < Whispers > I actually don't like it, so no!