Two Peeps on a Vespa: Chasing the Sunset

Hubby suggested that we should seize the mild and warm late summer day and ride two-up to watch the sun go down. As usual the roads were empty and the ride was smooth. Roland meanwhile has gotten the hang of it, and the twists and turns didn't scare him anymore.

Our first stop was up in the hills. We found that the vineyards made quite a nice backdrop for Alonzo, my GTS300 SuperSport.

It was quiet aside from the occasional roar of another two-wheeler. I guess most motorcyclists have a hidden romantic streak, because we were soon joined by a BMW GS and two thumpers.

We were told that the perfect spot to watch sunset was Schloss Staufenberg, a castle nestled between the vineyards sitting on a hill, founded in the 11th century.

We arrived just in time. The evening light was terrific. The castle houses a restaurant and a cafe, and lots of locals seemed to celebrate the start into the weekend with a a glass of wine while watching the sun go down.

Due to the fact that we had to ride down the steep single track road we came up at dusk we skipped the wine part although it was tempting.

You might guess what we were thinking: Life is good, eh!?!

And Alonzo was doing fine again with the two of us as passengers. It least there was no performance anxiety from his part. We returned well after dark, and opened a well deserved bottle of wine at home.

Map: 

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Hoch zwei in den Sonnenuntergang.

Es war einfach zu schön, um den Abend zu Hause zu verbringen. Mutig schlug der Gatte vor, zu zweit auf meiner Vespa GTS300 nach Durbach zu fahren, um dort den Sonnenuntergang zu beobachten. Hach, wie romantisch! Erst geht es über den Löcherberg, dann Richtung Oberkirch und in die Weinfelder. Das Licht ist wunderbar, die Landschaft malerisch und die Vespa macht das Bild komplett.

Wir sind nicht die einzigen Sonnenanbeter und erfahren, dass sich der Sonnenuntergang am besten vom Schloss Staufenberg beobachten lässt. Also düsen wir hin und kommen gerade rechtzeitig an. Wir sind nicht allein. Viele Einheimische geniessen den Blick über die Rheinebene bei einem guten Glas Wein. Den Wein lassen wir lieber weg, wir müssen ja noch im Dunkeln nach Hause... doch als wir dann dort ankommen, genehmigen wir uns ebenfalls einen guten Schluck Rose und freuen uns über den gelungenen Abend.

In the Claws of German Bureaucracy... a Happy Ending?!

It was about time to get our license plates replaced for our Audi and Sonja's Vespa Alonzo (changing the address always means changing plates in Germany, except if you stay in the same city), so we opened another chapter in our book of horrors through German Road Traffic License Departments. Or so we thought...

In fact it turned out that in the Ortenau District you can prepare everything using the Internet. First you are able to reserve a plate. Then you provide all necessary information in a website template. And finally they even allow you to book appointments to finalize the process at the department. 

We chose a 4:30 pm date which is pretty much the last one of the day and arrived just in time for our appointment (We were actually slightly early, but had to figure out the correct way of getting the old plates off our Audi). 

We were immediately asked to a twin desk where two friendly and competent ladies took care of our needs. Within minutes the procedure had been finalized, we paid our fees, had some new licence plates made in a nearby facility, had all paper work finished and were done! Pinch us! We can't believe it.

A big thanks to the Offenburg Licence Department for rebuilding some trust into German bureaucracy! There is hope!

We yet have to get Roland's Vespa Bella through TÜV. But that's another department and another story to be told...

Tourist Triathlon in Triberg and Roadside Oddities

The city of Triberg is a must-do for any Black Forest tourist. Only here you have the (first ever) biggest walk-in cuckoo clock. Another one close by claims to be the (current) largest...

The heart of the clock is made from wood.

There are cuckoo clock shops galore, cuckoo clocks on the walls, and one house is even sporting a bear clock.

We found some disturbing art, and have yet to understand why those wooden Easter Island Moai lookalikes would wear Bollen Hats.

With the next big tourist trap attraction in mind we followed the river Gutach upstream to the Triberg Waterfalls, which is at 163m (535ft) one of the highest waterfalls in Germany, and came across some further sights. This beautiful timber-frame building for example.

But the town had yet another oddity in store for us: In Europe we are familiar with designated parking space for families, women or Smart Cars. The Triberg authorities have decided to create the first designated parking spot for men. Bravo, men have come a long way in the equal rights issue  ;-)

Finally at the falls: After paying an entrance fee of 3.50 EUR per person (conservation of nature costs money!) we walked up the steep trail along the falls. Well, we have seen bigger and more spectacular waterfalls in North America (and for free), however, the Gutach river cascading down over seven steps admittedly looked mighty pretty, too.

And while Sonja was still looking for the best vantage point, Roland had already continued his hike up.

The Triberg Falls are in fact the main attraction in this region, and rightly so. We were impressed and glad that we didn't shy away from the tourist trap character the town seemed to reflect.

Another cascade, and a view from above.

Still breathless and in awe we began with the descent.

After this energy-sapping exercise Roland needed to be fed. The man chose a salami pizza while the lady went with roasted potatoes and salad.

On our way home we spotted a castle on a hill, one of many by the way. But this one called us, and we went up.

Again Sonja went where no normal people her age would go to get the above spectacular vista of Hornberger Castle and the city of Hornberg. Roland followed suit to snap a picture of her. Later we worried a bit about getting down again... lets just say it was not the most elegant way to descent.

Hornberg is also home of a major sanitary ware manufacturer. Their design center provides a huge (probably walkable) toilet as an peculiar eye catcher. The company doesn't beat around the bush. The message is clear: "We deal with your crap!" Not sure if that lack of subtlety in that specific matter would work in North America, though where a simple thing like a toilet becomes a washroom, restroom or powder room...

And last but not least we spotted a cowboy or maybe he was a shepherd using a public road.

Enough of the curios for today. It was another good day spent in the shoes of a tourist.