Freiburg, Germany

After a fun time in Staufen, our next adventure was to the capital of the Black Forest: Freiburg.

Pretty shot on the drive between the two towns. 

Aren't these doors trippy?

Freiburg is home to 210,000 people, 30,000 of whom are students at the local university.

My people.

Embedded in the cobbles in front of many shops you'll find mosaics made from river stones. These usually represent the type of business the store does. I thought the scissors where a fitting symbol for me.

Admiring some of the other mosaics. At Rasthausplatz, the old (on the right) and new (on the left) townhalls front the square.

The Church of St. Martin. | Cool Giacometti-esqe statue.

Another view of Rasthausplatz.

The square used to be the enclosed cloisters of the church and you can clearly see that architectural heritage along the periphery of the square.

Shortly after I took the above picture some man started screaming at the top of his lungs in German and wouldn't stop so we high-tailed it outta there... never can be too careful these days...

Eventually we moseyed down to the Münsterplatz where a local market was just finishing up.

This is the main square of the city and holds the bustling market six days a week.

Pretty white and pink granary building.

The main attraction at the square is of course the gorgeous cathedral. The distinctive pink color comes from a soft local sandstone that is easy to work with, but also extremely fragile. The decorations on the building need to be replaced every 30 to 60 years! Keeping the church from falling apart is a never-ending task.

The stained glass windows are originals from the 13th and 14th centuries. These were hidden away and protected during WWII. Good thing, because about 80% of Freiburg's buildings were destroyed by an Allied bombing run during the war.

The colors on the entryway were awesome!

Also on the square is the historic Merchant House. This was the trading and customs center in the 16th century and briefly housed the state parliament after the war.

This line was for a bratwurst stand! Bratwursts are everywhere in Germany, so if you can get Germans to stand in a big ol' line for one, it must be good!

They were selling the distinctive Freiburg lange Rote brats. Delish!

Our silly kids just meandering through old-town Freiburg.

Jane!

So cute.

The absolutely darling Konvikstrasse lined with the little canals called bächle that run along many of the city's streets.

In the spring and summer the street is draped with fragrant purple wisteria.

The Swabian gate, one of two surviving tower gates from the old town wall.

Sharing a pretzel!

The pretty riverside quarter of town. While it was once the smelly tanners' and millers' quarter, now it is a charming low-key neighborhood.

I guess the "love lock" thing hasn't really taken off here yet, lol.

Walking along Grünwälderstraße. 

Craft store!  We were surprised by how pleasant and fun this city was. Definitely worth a stop if you are traveling in the Black Forest.

After enjoying our day in Freiburg, we loaded up and drove through picturesque German country side to our Airbnb.

A compilation video of walking through Freiburg and the beautiful drive through the Black Forest region of Germany to our Airbnb. We listen to Harry Potter on road trips. We finished book 5 on this trip and started book 6. I think we'll be able to finish the series by the time we leave Germany, we have lots of road trips planned!

Our family in Freiburg, Germany on Saturday February 18th 2017.

Next - a visit to the Clock Museum!