R&R on the Rhine - Black Forest

R&R on the Rhine - Memphis to Amsterdam
R&R on the Rhine - Viking Bestla
R&R on the Rhine - Amsterdam
R&R on the Rhine - Kinderdijk
R&R on the Rhine - Cologne
R&R on the Rhine - Marksburg Castle
R&R on the Rhine - Upper Rhine Valley
R&R on the Rhine - Rüdesheim
R&R on the Rhine - Heidelberg Castle
R&R on the Rhine - Heidelberg and Speyer
R&R on the Rhine - Strasbourg
R&R on the Rhine - Black Forest
R&R on the Rhine - Colmar
R&R on the Rhine - Zurich Day 1
R&R on the Rhine - Zurich Day 2
R&R on the Rhine - Zurich to Memphis

Wednesday began our last full day on the ship and we docked in Breisach around 8 AM. From there we boarded motorcoaches and drove into the Black Forest.  I learned it is so named because of how densely the trees grow in some places.  Apparently deep in the woods the sunlight can have trouble getting in, thus making the forest seem black. Mostly what I remember is how green the area was.  Lots of rolling hills and farmland.  In fact, it reminded me of Middle Tennessee but with larger hills.

The rolling hills of the Black Forest near Sankt Peter

Our first stop was in the small village of Sankt Peter where once again the prized jewel was its church.  But after so many massive Gothic cathedrals, it was lovely to see a smaller church with a bright interior.  Built in the 1720s, it's a relative newcomer compared to other churches we saw but no less beautiful.  There was a Benedictine Abbey on this site that was founded by 1073 and was only dissolved when the building was secularized in 1806.

Town square of Sankt Peter

Abbey of Sankt Peter

Inside the Abbey

Inside Sankt Peter

Inside Sankt Peter

The organ

Our next stop was Breitnau, which was once a stopping place for travelers between the major cities of Europe.  The Hotel Sternen has hosted Marie Antoinette, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy among others.  Today it's primarily a tourist stop and has a massive cuckoo clock (with gift shop) and a blown glass shop.

The giant cuckoo clock in action

Mural on the side of the Hotel Sternen

Then it was back to the ship for lunch and we were definitely ready for a bite to eat.