This weekend is the first of the Christmas Market (Weihnachtsmarkt) season. Lily hung back with a friend for a birthday party, so Jay, Ty, Memaw, Papa, Kaycee and I hopped in the car and headed south the the Schwarzwald – The Black Forest. We stayed at a beautiful Air BNB in Titisee-Neustadt.

SNOW!!! We woke up to about a foot of snow on the ground, covering the trees. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Saturday morning Jay and I took Kaycee for a walk around town to find a bakery. There is a pretty lake in this town (the German word for lake is “see”) and lots of cute shops along the coast.

We had a few hours to kill so we walked around Freiburg’s Altstadt (old city) area. So cute!!

“Hey Ty, will you stand here so I can take your picture?” “Why mom?” “Just do it Ty.” (Giggling) “MOM!!!!!!!”
The cathedral in Freiburg was another incredible structure. These Europeans really know how to build a proper church. One that is not only pretty to look at, but can withstand the test of time. The construction on this one began in 1200. How many structures are we building today that will still be around in 800 years?
There was a fun market around the cathedral – not a Christmas market, just the normal weekly market. It had a lively atmosphere, several different street performers singing and playing instruments.
We had tickets for a 2-hour time slot to visit the Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market, set in a valley underneath a HIGH train trestle bridge. It was a small-ish market, so 2 hours was plenty of time to explore.
Plenty of time to drink Glühwein (hot wine).
Plenty of time to collect souvenir mugs.
Plenty of time to eat lots of yummy food. Yes, I bought some Black Forest ham.

No trip to the Black Forest is complete without a slice of Black Forest cake.

The Black Forest is the birthplace of the cuckoo clock. this cuckoo on the side of the building puts on a show every hour.
Sunday morning we drove through Triberg. Such a cool little town! Lots of shops with things made from the wood in the Black Forest – cuckoo clocks, incense smokers, nutcrackers, and more! There is a beautiful stream that flows down some waterfalls through the town.
This shop in Triberg is SO COOL! So. Many. Cuckoo. Clocks.
1000 to choose from, so not an easy decision, but I finally landed on this one. The street sign out front says “Frankfurt”. It is being shipped to our home in Bettendorf to await our arrival next year.
My Auntie Shell had a collection of smokers and nutcrackers. This little guy came home with me.
We had one final meal in the Black Forest before heading home. Black Forest ham for me, please!

This was such a fun weekend, exploring a new part of Germany, kicking off the Christmas market season with Memaw and Papa, enjoying the first big snowfall of the year from a cozy home. Perfection.

I asked everyone what their favorite part of the weekend was. Food and drink, cuckoo clocks, Freiberg. I have a feeling we will be making another trip to the Black Forest in the future.