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

Lisbon, Portugal – Piazza And Park

Our first day consisted mostly of getting to know Lisbon a bit and visiting the main piazza, walking the main avenue and visiting the park. The weather could not have been better and we enjoyed blue skies and mild temperatures for our outing.

The City

Since our hotel was located in Chiado, the Avenue of Ribeira das Naus was not far away. First we visited a few monuments along the riverfront and some artwork, then we headed for the Piazza of Commerce.

Park Of Europe

The city is actually pretty nice and very clean, the city appears to make a concerted effort to maintain the streets and cleaning activities can be seen all around. A few blocks below our hotel was the Avenue of Ribeira das Naus, a gorgeous waterfront walk that takes you to the piazza. On a clear day, it is crowded by tourists and weekenders walking leisurely toward their unknown destinations.

Avenue Ribeira das Naus – Lisbon, Portugal

Piazza of Commerce

The first really large attraction to see in the city is the piazza, which proudly displays the Gate of Rua Augusta as one of its entry points.

Plaza of Commerce – Arch of Rua Augusta – Lisbon, Portugal

This is a very large open space that is surrounded by cafes and restaurants. In the center is the Equestrian Statue of King José I which towers over onlookers. On a bright sunny day it may seem vaguely reminiscent of Venice’s San Marco’s square near the water.

Avenue of Liberation

To get there we walked the Avenue of Liberation, a long and beautiful walk covered by sampietrini (small cobblestone) and dotted by fountains. It is flanked by high-end stores and dealerships and a shoppers paradise no doubt.

Rossio Plaza – Fountain of Anjinhos – Lisbon, Portugal

Avenue of Liberty – Fountain – Lisbon, Portugal

Avenue of Liberty – Trees in bloom – Lisbon, Portugal

Avenue of Liberty – WWI Monument – Lisbon, Portugal

Avenue of Liberty – Marques De Pombal – Lisbon, Portugal

Park Of Eduardo VII

It is a rather large park that rises up out of the bowl that is Lisbon is the Park of Eduardo VII, named after a king of the United Kingdom.

Park of Eduardo VII – Carlos Lopes Pavillion – Lisbon, Portugal

Park of Eduardo VII – Monument of the 25th of April aka “Pirilau” – Lisbon, Portugal

Throughout the city you will find many different modes of transportation. The most ubiquitous form would be the Tuk-Tuk trucks that are all over the main tourist spots. When you venture further out, you will have to look for more mundane forms, like the streetcar or tram, which we have in Turin and find eminently fitted for the job. There are also numerous cable cars sprinkled throughout the city, where the hills dictate a hardy form of transport.

Príncipe Real – Old Tram Line and Stop – Lisbon, Portugal

Calçada da Glória – Old Cable Car – Lisbon, Portugal

Restaurants

Though we have sampled the Portuguese cuisine, we found that there is only so much of it one can eat; so we quickly revert back to the food we love.

La Trattoria

La Trattoria is an Italian restaurant in the San Antonio district of central Lisbon. It is not easy to find and we found ourselves to be practically the only tourists there, the rest were business people who come to enjoy the buffet. It is a contemporary Italian restaurant that offers many staple Italian dishes, as well as the buffet for a fixed price. The food is very good and priced a little higher than you will find in other areas.

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