English translation: Cuckoo for Triberg.
Triberg was the final stop on my weekend getaway with Galiya and Austin (my previous two posts share the other stops if you missed them.) Our original plan was to go to the Black Forest on day one, Burg Eltz day two, and Nürnberg day three. When Galiya suggested this itinerary I was glad I had already seen Nürnberg because otherwise I would have been overwhelmed.
I’ve been talking so much about wanting to slow down my travels, yet I agreed to a weekend crammed full of driving. Thankfully, during our drive the first day we readjusted and decided to spend the final day in Triberg, which is also in the Black Forest. The driving time was similar, but Triberg is much smaller than Nürnberg.
Air B & B Views
After our adventure to Burg Eltz, we made our way to Triberg for the remainder of the day. We arrived around 1800, with plenty of time for a nice home cooked meal, and a walk to a nearby children’s park. Galiya and I spun our hearts out on a spinning wheel “ride” of sorts, the three of us attempted a wannabe zip line, and I haven’t laughed that hard in months.
Where were these kinds of parks when I was a kid?
The following morning I woke up before my compadres and made myself a cup of coffee while sitting on the outside balcony enjoying the view. I often struggle with my current job – the high pace, inconsistent schedules, living so close to those I work with, and lack of alone time really gets to me. I then take a weekend getaway and I am reminded why I am still here. It’s quite literally like a drug for me.
I sat and stared out at the golf course in front of the balcony, watching the automatic lawnmower run circles around the grass. I felt the wave of peace I often feel when I am sitting in a town far away from the hustle and bustle of work/other Americans. My heart aches more and more for a true life in Europe – but not this one.
The longer I am here, the more I am starting to believe my ideal life in Europe is possible, but I just don’t know when.
After Galiya and Austin woke up, we all enjoyed coffee together before making breakfast. I love, love, LOVE traveling with humans who enjoy cooking meals instead of going out. I know there is something special about going out to eat while on vacation, but for me I prefer to make my own meals if possible.
Lucky for me, these two were all for it.
With a belly full of brain food, we headed off to the Triberger Wasserfälle, a famous waterfall we thought would involve an epic hike through the woods. This waterfall is one of the highest in Germany, but only because the town of Triberg has a high elevation. The last time I visited the Black Forest I tried to find an epic hike, only to end up at a tourist attraction at the highest elevation of the forest.
Something similar happened this time.
This time, it was Austin who suggested the waterfall. We arrived only to discover not only did we have to pay to get in, but it was a waterfall we could see from the entrance to the woods. Needless to say this was not what we expected, however the waterfall was beautiful and I’m still glad we went.
The annoying part was that we had to wear our masks walking around the forest. I am ALL FOR the masks…trust me, I am living in Europe and I have seen first hand the success of mask wearing. HOWEVER, when outside I think it’s annoying. Everywhere else in Germany we don’t have to wear a mask when outdoors, so this was rough.
I was breathing like a fish before death walking up some of these hills, and the mask was making it worse. We managed to take off our masks with enough time for a photo before waterfall patrol found us and told us to put the masks back on. #rebels. Don’t worry, we were more than 6ft away from others.
The waterfall walk took us all of 30-45 minutes, and we spent the rest of the late morning walking around the shops. The Black Forest is believed to be where the Cuckoo Clock originates from, and Austin was on the hunt for a clock for his mom. My mom has also been longing for a true German Cuckoo clock, but my overthinking mind hadn’t been able to pull the trigger on a clock because there are too many options.
I discovered Austin and I are quite literally the same person. He struggles almost more than I do when making an important purchase (although I have similar struggles even over items that are under $10.) I just can’t decide when there are so many choices, it’s immobilizing. Thankfully for me, his struggle was my gain and I had so much time to stare at these clocks while he was deciding that I ended up buying one too!
I bought the battery operated version of this one.
I ended up choosing a classic looking clock, hand painted by the main who ran the shop. He and I chatted about his woodworking history in a town near where I am living, and he was such a patient, kind older man. I’m terrible at surprises, so I told my mom that evening about the clock. Mostly because I was worried she wouldn’t like it.
She’s either lying to appease me, or she really does like it.
Cuckoo clocks in hand, there was only one more stop to make in Triberg before we headed back to Garmisch…
Triberg is home to “The World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock” and this large building has a bird in the tiny upstairs window that comes out twice an hour. We managed to make it just moments before the birdie came out to say hello. The greeting from this bird was the most anticlimactic chirp, and we all shared a laugh and a “that was it” comment.
After our date with the large bird we made our way back to Garmisch, and I sat in the back seat of our rental car watching the road pass me by thanking God for these two selfless, kind humans. As if the trip couldn’t get any better, Austin and Galiya asked if I was ok listening to a sermon series they had been enjoying on the drive home.
It was music to my ears. ❤
Q: Cuckoo clocks – annoying, or fun? I think I could manage one, but having more than one in my house would drive me mad.
