Yesterday was the Dubneys last day in this area before heading up to Koln (Cologne) to visit family there. Because they were taking the train from Offenburg in the afternoon, we used the time to do a bit of a drive through the Schwartzwald (Black Forest). Offenburg is on the edge of the Schwartzwald and about 1/2 hour north of Lahr. It was a lovely, sunny day - a big change from the rain and wind the night before. We headed through Ettenheim, just south of Lahr up into the hills going through Seelbach, Schuttertal, Prinzbach and Biberach. Along the way, Jo spotted a medieval castle on a hill so I took the rather challenging drive up to it praying there wouldn't be an oncoming car on the way up or down. There wasn't. We did the short, but steep, hike up to the castle which is called Hohengeroldseck and dates from 1260. I don't recall ever seeing it before. We were rewarded with stunning views across the Rhine plain toward the Vosges Mountains in Alsace and Jeff got to see close-up the medieval castle ruins he was wanting and he even climbed up some of them.
From there, we headed to Gengenbach, a charming town southeast of Offenburg. It was my first time here as well and, unfortunately, we didn't have any time to explore it; it was just a rushed lunch (unheard of in this part of the world) and the quick trip to the train station where Jo and Jeff almost jumped from the car to get to their train with about 15 minutes to spare. It was a fun time with them. Gute Fahrt to them - I'm not being rude; it means have a safe trip!
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