Interested in a less-conventional way of sightseeing? How about by Sommerroldenbahn? I interviewed engineering student Lauren Foxwell about her study abroad trip to Mannheim, Germany. During her time in Germany, she took a weekend trip to Lake Constance, known as the Boden See in German. She also was able to experience some of the Black Forest in an unusual way.
Check out Lauren’s commentary on the highlights of her trip to Lake Constance and the Black Forest in Southern Germany.
The first part of our weekend trip to Southern Germany, we took the train to Flower Island Mainau. This is a whimsical park on an island in the middle of Lake Constance. We spent most of the first night exploring around this beautiful island.
At Flower Island Mainau, everything is sculpted of dirt and flowers.
The tradition for visitors is to write their wishes and dreams on a piece of fabric and tie it to this pink tree.
On our second day, we caught an early-morning ferry that took us across the lake. The day was spent hiking around the lake, shopping, and we even were able to make a quick run over to Switzerland!
In Germany, cities are often very close together. We walked from one city to the next in a half hour, and caught some amazing photos along the way as we hiked through vineyards.
On our last day, we enjoyed some more hiking before taking the train back to Mannheim. As the train rode through the Black Forest, we spotted a Sommerroldelbahn, or a Summer Slide. This slide is basically a roller coaster, only you control your own speed and you could take pictures while “driving” your car.
Sure anyone can say they traveled the world by foot, train, plane, or car, but how would you like to say you saw the Black Forest by way of roller coaster?
The Black Forest is the setting for many of the traditional German fairytales, and for good reason. The rolling hills, tall trees, and traditional German costumes takes you back in time.
After our tour on the Sommerroldelbahnen, we stopped to get some Black Forest Cake. This is a must-do if you are anywhere near the Black Forest. Here’s a picture of real Black Forest Cake in the real Black Forest. Delicious.
Though it was a filled weekend, it was a beautiful escape to Germany’s roots and classic German heritage.
Lauren’s photos and notes make me want to visit the Germany’s Black Forest and ride the Sommerroldelbahnen.
Have you visited Germany’s Black Forest? Please share your favorite highlight in comments below.
This is a guest post by Rachel Foxwell, a native of Monona, Iowa, is completing her degree in Hospitality Management at Iowa State University.
Though her heart is in the Midwest, Rachel enjoys traveling all over the world.
Learn more about Rachel’s travel insights in her “Travel Chat”…
Check out some of Rachel’s other guest posts….