In the Black Forest

after coming back from the market, we had no plans for friday. at least so i thought. we've been out every day, and i looked forward to doing nothing, maybe catch some naps. but gisi had other plans. she thought she would show me another area of the black forest, to a place called, in english, the witches hole. (hexenlochmühle)
it was forecast to be a mostly cloudy day, and it didn't look like that was going to be..it was sunny and cool. since the forest is literally only minutes away i agreed to the idea. gisi drove and we headed up the mountain roads. i dozed a bit in the car, and soon we were on top of the hills. as you can see, the skies were blue as we drove through the cow pastures on top of the mountains. we pulled over to a small stream and just listened to the water and the wind in the trees. the air was so fragrant with the scent of trees and cut grass. it was alsmost autumn like. gisi put her feet in the icy cold water for a minute. now this really looked like the forests i know in upstate ny. but the tree are much taller here, with a lot more fir stands. we then started to descend into a valley and we soon came upon the place called the witches hole, which is actually an old mill house where cuckoo clocks were made. it has been restored and made into a restaurant-gift shop. it seems to attaract a lot of motorcycle riders who ride with thier clubs through the mountains, and stop for lunch. in the shop we bought some fresh black forest ham, natarully, and some liver sausage to go alng with the bread and pate we brought along. i bought a speck knife, for cutting meat and bread on the road, kind of like the la golue knife my sister gave me a few years ago. gisi bought some tschochkas for home and we sat outside and ate beside the mill stream.
the mill water for the wheels actually comes from a spring just above the house, we filled empty coke bottles with water just out of the ground. it was ice cold, clear and delicious. we drove on after lunch and came upon a spectacular lookout over the valley and farms below. it was so gorgeous, even though there was a bit of haze evident and not as clear as a few days ago. after a while there, we then headed down into the valley and made our way back to freiburg. i fell asleep for some 20 minutes as we drove back. i must be tired!

when we left home earlier, gisi locked her house keys in the apartment, we picked p a spare set from her friend and figured we'd be able to get back in. well that didn't happen! apparently, when the key was left in the inside of the door lock, it prevented us from opening the lock from the outside. gisi had to go to a neighboring apartment and climb across the terrace and into a window to get the door open. good thing her neihgbor was home. plus i had a pint of ice cream in the bag and i might have had to eat it all on the spot as not to waste it!!!! check out the sign above gisi's door bell.

we later went to dinner at a traditional german restaurant, in the hotel löwen, that specialised in rösti potato..i had a wicked wiener schnitzel and gisi had a lamb salad....tomorrow we are going to france for a day of motorcycle races, in the mountain ski resort town of le gaschney, with some of gisi's friends. i hope to sleep all day sunday. au revoir...