Day 8 in Deutschland, The Black Forest

I’m so glad we made our way into the Black Forest region, heading southeast from Kemnath towards the Swiss border. Our first stop was Stuttgart. With more than 5 million people residing in the Stuttgart metropolitan region, it’s no wonder that the city is bustling the same way big cities in the states are–crawling with traffic and under development. Luckily there are vegan options to be had in an area of the city dominated by adult shops and strip clubs, oddly enough. We had lunch on the cobblestone corner at V Vegetarian Restaurant, a clean, posh cafe and bar offering clearly labeled vegan options in their small menu. After some help with translation from a customer and the sweet staff of V, we were ready to eat.

The kids are loving our vegan adventures so far! And now another American friend is town who is vegetarian, a young lady stopping on her way back to New York from studying in Russia. Given my party’s vegan friendliness, I get to see more of these eateries menus. In this shot is my rhubarb crumb cake, a German version of an Indian dish and a colorful and scrumptious-looking salad topped with nori-wrapped tofu.

Yes, I said vegan rhubarb crumb cake! It was delicious. I washed it down with sips of rhubarb soda.

I chose the Paella with rice, mushrooms, chopped green beans. The dish was flavorful but just a little mushy. I needed a contrasting texture.

Next on my checklist, visiting two record breaking sized cuckoo clocks. I have become exciting about cuckoo clocks since our trip to Rothenburg o.d. Tauber, contemplating buying one of these intricately carved pieces of German craftsmanship. But they’re a hefty Euro. This large one in Triberg was a fun stop. The clock was surrounded by a bunch of similar-minded weirdos awaiting the cuckoo’s arrival on the hour. We basked in the beauty of the area while we waiting in a prime viewing spot.

After the cuckoo cuckooed, we walked the shopping strip in Triberg, pouring over the wooden crafts quickly as most shops closed at 6pm. There were clock shops a-plenty that may have taken a large chunk of my discretionary income had they been open.

Views around the Black Forest were astonishing. Tremendous trees filled the hills of the region, dotted with traditional German dwellings with beautiful wood-carved balconies.

When kids are hungry, you can’t make them travel hours for a vegan options. I ordered a pizza with no cheese at an Italian cafe in town. Though my pizza had peas, carrots, and corn on it, it was pretty satisfying. We did, after all, have a hike to do! We made our way to the tallest waterfalls in Germany.

It was nice to be able to watch the sun set from the forest.

This was my favorite shot.

Although we were all tired, enthusiasm still lingered for finding the other huge cuckoo clock in town. We got there way after the adjoining shops were closed but the clock had a coin-operated mechanism. We dropped a EU in and the sleepy clock awoke. A languid music box melody chimed from it as villagers filed in and out of the top of the clock.

Another beautiful and unique sight here on my trip to Germany. Goodnight!