Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany – Bächle Everywhere

The one unique feature this city has over others that we have visited are its Bächle, or small streams or runnels that network themselves through most city streets. Though in the past they were used for waste disposal and fire suppression, their contemporary revision is much cleaner and used more for fun than anything functional.

Freiburg im Breisgau

The city lays on the lower west side of the Schwarzwald, or the Black Forest. It is an odd mixture of contemporary and renovated old buildings, but appears to be very liveable. They have an active tram system and local buses, though the residents do appear to enjoy walking for the most part.

Old Freiburger Zeitung Building – Kaiser-Josephstraße – Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Zum Meijerhof Restaurant Building – Grünwälderstraße – Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Getting There

It is almost necessary to use the A5 to reach the city, though I imagine there might be other ways as well. We entered from the north, via Europaplatz, where we found adequate parking nearby. Europaplatz offers access to the tram system and might be a good starting point for those not wishing to walk.

Habsburgerstraße – Europaplatz – Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Friedrichring – Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Kaiser-Josephstraße – Monument – Europaplatz – Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

The Bächle

The Bächle^[1]the term is Bächlein in german are on most streets, at least in the older parts of the city. As a child, if you’ve ever had the occasion to play in a small stream or ditch, then you would just love Freiburg im Breisgau. They sure delight the city children. The city appears to be very child friendly and they even sell little boats on a string for children to play with in the Bächle.

Ericka, Vlad and Gabi – Bächle – Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Schwabentor

The Schwabentor, or Swabian Gate, is the most recent gate to the city and is located on Herrenstraße, another street which has a Bächle.

Herrenstraße – Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Freiburger Münster

The first bricks for the large gothik style Freiburger Münster, or Münster Unserer Lieben Frau, were laid around 1146. After several incantations as a small unassuming church through 1260, the church was redesigned with new importance in the late 1200s. It wasn’t until the late 1400s that it attained is final form one can see today.

Münsterplatz And Merchant’s Hall

The Münsterplatz is adjacent to the cathedral and includes several city buildings and businesses.

Münsterplatz – Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

One historic building that stands out in Münsterplatz is the Historisches Kaufhaus, or Merchant’s Hall. With its striking red exterior it is impossible to miss and the result of contemporary renovations, having suffered bomb damage and other design changes throughout the years. The facade today is adorned with replicas of Holy Roman Emperors and an Archduke, who did not become emperor because he died before his father and didn’t inherit all of his father’s titles.

Merchants Hall – Münsterplatz – Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Augustinerplatz

Though not much to look at the Augustinerplatz is where the museum and several other important government buildings are located, including for us ironically, the Italian Consulate.

Gerberau – Augustinerplatz – Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Museum – Augustinerplatz – Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Connecting Augustinerplatz to Kaiser-Josephstraße is Gerberau street.

Gerberau – Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Martinstor

A major gate in the city, aside from the swabian gate, or Scwabentor, is Martinstor. Located on Kaiser-Josephstraße, more or less in the center of town, the tower stands above all the other buildings. The street runs directly through the tower, like in many other walled cities in Germany and delineates the old city from its newer parts.

Restaurants

For our day trip we chose to have chinese or japanese and found a nice modern place that opened in the remains of the old Laubfrosch restaurant.

Unkai

If you are looking for either chinese or japanese cuisine look no further than Unkai Asian Fusion.

The decor inside is decidedly modern and the staff is very attentive to your needs, especially if that has to do with children.

References[+]

References
↑1	the term is Bächlein in german

24 June, 202324 June, 2023

Zermatt, Switzerland – Gornergrat – Part Three

Gornergrat

Another must see place in Zermatt is Gornergrat. You can reach this promontory by using the Gornergrat train, a mountain rack railway, which ascends the mountain passed Riffelalp and Riffelberg.

Zermatt – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Upper Zermatt – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Matterhorn – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Mattertal – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Dent Blanche and Aschhorn – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Mattertal, Dent Blanche and Aschhorn – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Matterhorn and Dent Blanche – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

The line ahead – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Hikers – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Observatory – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Gorner Glacier – Gornergrat – Zermatt, Switzerland

There are several stops besides these two along the way that one may decide to leave the train and just walk or hike. However, unlike Sunnegga and Blauherd, the terrain here is a bit more unforgiving and vertical. Also, the weather on top of the mountains can be cold and unpredictable, so bring something warm and something waterproof, especially if you are hiking.

Looking towards Dent Blanche – Gornergrat – Zermatt, Switzerland

Gornergrat station – Gornergrat – Zermatt, Switzerland

Looking toward Zermatt and Mattertal – Gornergrat – Zermatt, Switzerland

Chapelle du Gornergrat – Bernhard von Aosta – Gornergrat – Zermatt, Switzerland

Erick at Riffelberg – Riffelberg – Zermatt, Switzerland

Gornergrat Glacier

The height of the trip is the summit and the Gornergrat Glacier. Aside from this, this isn’t much to see, especially in marginal weather when the Matterhorn is obscured.

Panorama of Gorner Glacier – Gornergrat – Zermatt, Switzerland

Riffelberg

On the way down we stopped at Riffelberg, with the hopes of getting some hiking in down to Riffelalp. However, the weather was not looking very good and we were still suffering from our colds, so we decided against it.

Wanderwege – Riffelberg – Zermatt, Switzerland

Tall Peaks across the valley Matter – Riffelberg – Zermatt, Switzerland

Here are some short videos that were taken of our trip.

Zermatt_33_Gornergrut_02

Zermatt_33_Gornergrut_31

Zermatt_33_Gornergrut_44

Restaurants

We did not eat at the restaurant on the summit, but rather waited until we were back in Zermatt. We left around ten in the morning and were already back a little after noon.

China Garden

Any one seeking good Chinese food at very reasonable prices has to visit the China Garden.

Patti at China Garden – Zermatt, Switzerland

They have all the dishes which are prepared with continental ingredients and taste delicious. For those that prefer their lunches uncomplicated, here you can definitely find some vegetarian or simple to order.

Spring roll – China Garden – Zermatt, Switzerland

Vegetable rice with vegetable mix – China Garden – Zermatt, Switzerland

And of course, after lunch the day would not be complete this week without the customary rain storm. Actually, this was just a gentle shower, later in the day we had a very severe thunderstorm. But we were inside the hotel by then and did not care. Again, the weather can be unpredictable here, so be prepared and check the forecast, they are for the most part reliable.

Tomorrow it’s on to Matterhorn Glacier, so we will be taking the Matterhorn Glacier Express.

28 June, 2022

Torino, Italy – Our Latest Local Bites

More Local Restaurants In Turin

We have been back in Turin for about a week and had to start knocking restaurants off of our list, at least those that we always wanted to visit. After our recent trip to Greece, we decided we had had enough of eating in and it was time to start eating out again. The following are a few special ones we feel we should mention.

Disclaimer: If you are coming from the US, please keep in mind portion sizes in Italy and perhaps most of Europe for that matter, are not like in the States. In Italy there is always Antipasti, a Primi and then a Secondi for those who need more.

La Piola di Alfredo

When in Piedmont and especially Turin, if you see the word Piola in the name of a restaurant, you are more than likely going to experience some really good local food. You may think of the word Piola synonymous with Trattoria.

The restaurant itself is quietly unassuming and nondescript. The owners and help speak no English, so it is best if you learn at least a little Italian (or your favorite translation application, good luck), or at the very minimum point to what you want.

Pollo Carpione with Vinegar Onions and Tomato Salad

My wife an I were just interested in something to drink and a simple lunch. Though the bottled Nebbiolo wine by the glass ran about €5/glass and was very good, the cheaper alternative was the Vino Sfuso, or house bulk wine, which can be purchased for €2/glass or €10/Liter and is probably very good (I will make a point of it to try it next time).

Nuovo Zhen Bao Chinese Restaurant

We have written about Nuovo Zhen Bao before and it has become one of our go-to places for Chinese food. We have tried other Chinese restaurants throughout Turin, but none have come close to the delicious salads (especially the dressing on the Insalata Cinese), spring rolls and main courses as does this restaurant. The service is usually first rate and they normally have plenty of help on hand.

They have both outside and inside dining, as well as an excellent lunch (Pranzo) menu for only €10, which includes a bottle of water, appetizer, first and second courses.

Stimonio

A bistro that serves naturally and bio friendly items from its menu. They have several items, such as sweet and vegan pancakes, as well as other bio- and earth-friendly choices.

We chose the tuna salad, so they are not exclusively vegan. I had preferred a more complete Piemontese menu, but they do offer a plethora of smoothies and other health friendly items from which to chose. They do not have a house wine or bulk wine (vino sfuso), so wine by the glass can be a bit expensive for Italy at €5/glass (I normally wouldn’t mind, but for that price it isn’t that good).

Ristorante L’Agrofoglio

Much to our dismay, we must announce the closure of the L’Agrofoglio Ristorante and Piola. We had reported on their very good menu and excellent wine cellar, only to be saddened by their closure when we arrived back in Turin early this year. A major loss, I will never forget the unbelievable Barolo that we enjoyed there during our Sunday lunch in July of 2021. A wine, I subsequently tried to order a few months later, only to be told it was no longer available. I lamented of course. (We tried the 2013, which sadly, wasn’t quite the same).