When my husband first mentioned the idea of spending time in the Black Forest, I was less than excited. I love cities, architecture, and the hustle and bustle of street traffic and people.
Sitting in a forest wasn't on the top of my European list because I have done it before.
But...I am so glad we went.
The inside of this clock shop is overwhelming, to say the least! Lots of ticks and tocks, and I can't forget the sound of a million cuckoos chirping all together. It was like bird a capella!
Once our bellies were full (and the button on my jeans had to be undone) we hopped into the car to make a quick stop at the world's largest cuckoo clock. It's a couple miles up the road, north of Triberg.
And it was pretty darn big!
There are 2 clocks; one on the front main road side of the building it's attached to, and another on the back of the building.
We saw the backside clock first when we parked. It was not super fancy, and not a typical looking cuckoo clock, per se, but still neat. This one only operates when someone drops a euro coin into a slot nearby. I don't think the clock works because it was nearing 6:00pm when we arrived, and it obviously reads otherwise.
The people atop the clock dance while the song 'Edelweiss' plays. Oh, and the older tourist folks standing nearby danced, too!
One can't miss the waterfall marker off the main road in Triberg's center.
A pretty creek runs through the town, and before entering the waterfall trail, an adorable restaurant sits to the side. I wanted to stop in for a beverage but it appeared to be closed. Bummer.
Sitting in a forest wasn't on the top of my European list because I have done it before.
But...I am so glad we went.
Triberg in the state of Baden-Württemberg may be small, but is a big deal. Tourists from all over the world flock to this tiny dot on the map to see one thing:
The world's largest cuckoo clock.
Technically, the clock isn't in Triberg, but sits in an even smaller sister town named Schonachbach; just a stone's throw away from Triberg. Aside from a huge clock, Triberg is home to Germany's tallest waterfall!
I told you, small town. Big deal!
The drive to Triberg from our house was about 5.5 hours. With some of the autobahn routes being torn apart (our nice 19% VAT taxes at work, I assume), the drive took an extra hour. Lanes were temporarily narrowed for construction to a few of the bridges. I am so glad my husband was driving because it probably would've taken me three extra hours in the slow lane. He has the ability to squeeze by semi trucks in the super narrow fast lane that can barely fit a motorcycle, while I sit passenger squeezing my butt cheeks and closing my eyes.
We arrived in Schönwald first; the small sister town on the south side of Triberg. Checked into our little pension hotel, and then off we went to explore Triberg!
The city is so cute, and reminds me of Gatlinburg, TN, but then again, Gatlinburg is modeled after a German town, so... the chicken or the egg?
Touristy? Oh yes. But who the heck cares? I have recently started to notice, after visiting over 75-ish cities all around Europe, that "touristy" is EVERYWHERE. Even in towns you have never heard of. If you come to Europe and complain about "touristy" sites, cities, and attractions, it is best to get over it, or get out.
Triberg has it's fair share of souvenir shops, but being as that it is home to the cuckoo clock of cuckoo clocks, I wouldn't have assumed less. By the way, if you come to Germany and want to buy a cuckoo clock, this is the place! Handmade locally in the Black Forest. As authentic as it gets. Buying one anywhere else is not as fun!
After wandering around the little town, I knew where I had to go: Cuckoo clock shopping!
One does not simply visit Triberg and not buy a clock.
There were a few clock shops that we noted, but only one appeared to be open. I could've waited until the following morning to come back to compare shops, but we had plans to visit some castles in the area instead.
You can't miss it on Triberg's main street, but House of 1,000 Clocks was open for business, and they were surely going to get mine!
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| Yeah, some of the clocks are jumbo size! |
The inside of this clock shop is overwhelming, to say the least! Lots of ticks and tocks, and I can't forget the sound of a million cuckoos chirping all together. It was like bird a capella!
There is a clock for everyone here! Some are modestly priced below €100, and some go up to €15,000! Some are traditional, and others are modern. Some do not "cuckoo", but most do.
If you're not persuaded enough to buy a working clock, you can always go with a souvenir magnet 'faux' clock for under €15.
The clock prices depend on what strikes one's fancy.
See what I did there^
The more craftsmanship incorporated into a traditional clock, the more you'll pay. In general, 8"-14" clocks range from €120-€320. Most of them in this size category have fewer animations, but 99% of them have the cuckoo bird that pops out of the window and chirps at the top of the hour.
The larger clocks 15" plus have more animations; girls dancing around the top, men sawing a log, that sort of thing (see the video I shot below) These range from €450-ish and up.
A little video I took to show y'all some neat cuckoo movement^^^
It took me about 45 minutes comparing two clocks to find thee one!
I knew I wanted forest creatures carved into/on mine, like deer and squirrels, and although I wasn't too concerned about animation, I wanted some kind of movement, too.
I finally found one with the help of an awesome salesman.
He set up the two I had narrowed down on the store wall so that I could see differences and whatnot. I ended up choosing a sweet and simple clock. The bird chirps, and the little deer gallops at the top of the hour. It wasn't a complete clock splurge, but an expensive souvenir as far as souvenirs go: €187
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My new clock. I opened it as soon as we got home. Still haven't figured out where to put it, though! |
Another thing about cuckoo clock shopping: Some clocks are weighted, and others run on battery power. The weighted clocks are traditional and actually last longer than battery operated clocks. I opted for the traditional weight clock.
Weighted clocks also have two different time choices: One day or eight day. A one day clock requires the chains to be reset every 24 hours. An eight day requires them to be reset once every eight days. Eight day clocks cost more than one day clocks.
Can you tell I learned a lot when visiting this store?
Had to get a picture with my loot! When the kids asked if they could hold the bag I just gave them a "Ha. Ha. Nope" face. Even I was scared to hold the bag.
After clock shopping we stopped to eat some doner kebabs and yufkas doners. So good. Even though it's a Turkish meal, they are found everywhere in Germany. My husband and I love them, and the kids do too. It's a six way win.
Once our bellies were full (and the button on my jeans had to be undone) we hopped into the car to make a quick stop at the world's largest cuckoo clock. It's a couple miles up the road, north of Triberg.
And it was pretty darn big!
There are 2 clocks; one on the front main road side of the building it's attached to, and another on the back of the building.
We saw the backside clock first when we parked. It was not super fancy, and not a typical looking cuckoo clock, per se, but still neat. This one only operates when someone drops a euro coin into a slot nearby. I don't think the clock works because it was nearing 6:00pm when we arrived, and it obviously reads otherwise.
The people atop the clock dance while the song 'Edelweiss' plays. Oh, and the older tourist folks standing nearby danced, too!
We walked around to the front of the building to see the big daddy clock. We had arrived right in time for it to strike the next hour! I really didn't think about timing the trip, but it worked out in our favor. Five minutes til six, tourists had appeared from seemingly nowhere, and we all patiently waited for the cuckoo bird to poke his head out.
I couldn't help but to laugh after it was all said and done. This huge cuckoo bird living in this huge cuckoo clock sounded exhausted. We heard six of the most enunciated "cuckoo" sounds we have ever heard.
"Cuuuuuuuuuuuckoooooooooooooo"
Repeated six times.
And then he slowly crept back into his little (big) door.
The end.
We got a few pictures after, jumped into the car, and headed back to Triberg
It was time to see what I had really came for: The Triberg waterfall!
When we initially left our hotel earlier in the day, we noted a few waterfall hiking trails along the road into Triberg. Once in Triberg, we realized there was a trailhead there, which leads people to the waterfall faster than any other trail around.
A pretty creek runs through the town, and before entering the waterfall trail, an adorable restaurant sits to the side. I wanted to stop in for a beverage but it appeared to be closed. Bummer.
Once you hit the start of the trail through the woods, the journey to the waterfall isn't far. The sound of rushing water fills your ears, and then BAM, Germany's tallest waterfall is in plain site.
If you have read any of my previous posts, you know that my family ditched me because I generally move slow when my camera is in hand. I spent a good 20 minutes or so snapping waterfall pictures. I was angry with myself for forgetting my tripod, but I still managed to capture a few slow shutter pics with my elbows rested on the log fence.
I caught up to the family, and we hiked up to the bridge above the waterfall, and then down and around the other side. I didn't want to leave, but a storm was brewing.
Weather. Sigh.
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| Slow! |
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| Fast! |
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| Storm's a comin' |
Not a shabby first day in the Black Forest. We ended up heading out of the Black Forest region the next morning, but we shall return! I'd like to hit up Freiburg one day. I'm thinking when fall colors arrive later this year... we'll see.
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