2 Nights in a Dairy Farm in the Black Forest

Five years after visiting Shirakawago and Gokayama in mountainous Central Japan, we came across another strikingly similar and yet vastly different farming community halfway around the world.

There is one uncanny and unique similarity -- steep thatched roofs on top of gigantic, multi-storey farmhouses dating from the 18th Century and beyond. We're in a tiny hamlet in central Black Forest known as Gutach im Schwarzwald, where we stayed at a working dairy farm for two nights.



Just like Shirakawago, these villages have developed their unique regional culture from centuries of near isolation from the rest of civilization, several months a year due to heavy snowfall. Prior to the arrival of railway in late 19th Century, the narrow river valley was their only connection to larger towns downstream on the Rhine. Even today the villagers have retained local customs such as the wearing of Bollenhut, the pompom hats which the rest of the Black Forest have adopted as the region's symbol. This tiny village is actually famous within Germany ... it just takes effort to get here.



Gutach im Schwarzwald has no train service -- the Black Forest Railway passes through but no longer stops here. The easiest approach is to get off at Hausach and transfer to local bus #7150, which is usually timed to the train's arrival. Visitors are still greeted by these 200+-year-old farmhouses, though most of the thatched roofs have since been replaced by tiles through the centuries.



This is an excellent base for exploring the heart of the Black Forest. The village itself is picturesque and convenient (there's a Norma supermarket), and public transport is infrequent but quick -- it's a 5 minute bus ride to the Vogtsbauernhof and the Rodelbahn (more on these below), a 20 minute bus ride to the cuckoo-clock makers at Triberg, and 45 minutes of bus-and-train to the spectacular towns of Schiltach or Gengenbach (which would become our next base), not to mention the local cultural hubs of Villingen-Schwenningen and Freiburg im Breisgau further afield. We could have stayed here for four or five days and not get bored.



Finding a guesthouse turned out slightly challenging. We tried emailing several gasthofs and privatzimmers in German without any replies, until we contacted Joklisbauernhof and received a confirmation within a day. This is a family-run dairy farm that has been passed down, from father to son to grandson, since the 1700's. Today it's operated as a working farm/guesthouse by the extremely friendly Martin and Elfriede Moser. Their son Patrick can answer emails in English, and although Elfriede speaks less English than Martin (who speaks quite fluently), we had no trouble communicating through her limited English and my even more limited, single-word German.



The main building itself is a classic Black Forest farmhouses with thick whitewashed walls, crafted wooden balconies and ... dairy cows living in the basement! (Large wooden door at the bottom of the picture.) The herd was all mooing affectionately when Elfriede took us in and showed us her pride and joy, but we didn't know how famous she really is until ...



We saw this huge 6 x 8 feet photo of Elfriede at the local museum! And with her voice speaking out of the audio guide! Apparently Elfriede is considered one of the masters in the art of hand-milking cows, AND one of the region's best bread-makers. The Moser farm has a dedicated baking hut with a historic stone oven, and every Friday Elfriede would reliably churn out more than 100 loaves of handmade artisan bread for her entire village. Faithful customers from neighboring regions would drive for miles just to get here and pick up bread for the week. This is a real working farm ... and one that boasts a living legend!



The main farmhouse is occupied by the Mosers as family living space and for greeting and serving breakfast, while two smaller and newer farmhouses (without the mooing of cattle at night!) serve as guestrooms. The convenience of a kitchen was a definite advantage, but our favorite part was the sweeping panorama from the balcony. You can hardly ask for a more pleasing view of nature and pastoral landscape in the Black Forest -- we even spotted a few deer on the hillside.



Our vaulted bedroom on the top floor was cozy and full of characterful German furniture, as well as the modern convenience of satellite TV and a brand new bathroom. Outside the front door a footpath leads to the closest bus stop (Gutach Bergle) on a 5 minute walk, and to the village centre within 10 minutes.



Breakfast was all included in the room price and came in hearty portions of cold cut meats and cheese, boiled eggs, the Mosers' famous homemade bread and of course, homemade sour cream from Elfriede's hand-milking of the dairy cows in the basement. That's enough energy to last us a good half day of sightseeing.



Gutach is home to one of the best open-air museums we've ever visited, the Vogtsbauernhof and its collection of giant 17th and 18th Century farmhouses from all over the Black Forest. The star attraction is of course the Vogtsbauernhof at its original location, an immaculate specimen of German folk architecture from 400 years back. Seeing this metre-thick thatched roof gave me quite a flashback ...



There is so much resemblance in architecture styles between the Black Forest in Germany and Shirakawago in Central Japan, two historically isolated regions at opposite ends of the world that independently came up with parallel solutions to combat severe weather and the lack of outside assistance. Shown above is a traditional Bauernhof in the Black Forest, and ...



... here is the Gassho-zukuri version from Central Japan. Same steep 60-degree thatched roofs to combat heavy snowfall, robustly-designed multi-storey wooden frames that would last centuries, and most evidently, the same drive for quality and precision. There's a good reason why the world loves German and Japanese engineering.



The exhibits inside were excellent as well -- not just Bollenhut costumes or old furniture pieces, but realistic slices of daily life through the centuries inside these massive farmhouses, some being inhabited as late as the 1970's. It also gave us a greater appreciation for the guesthouse we're staying at ... there's a glazed tile fireplace inside Martin and Elfriede's house that's grander and more impressive than many museum pieces!



The Vogtsbauernhof was in fact my wife's favorite sight in the Black Forest -- 2.5 hours were barely enough for us to merely browse through every farmhouse, and a half day is probably more reasonable if you want to see everything at a leisurely pace. But you'll want to budget for more time than that, as there's an even more exhilarating attraction right next door.



If you're a fan of amusement rides, and even if you're not, you won't want to miss Gutach's Rodelbahn. Guided by steel rails swerving across the steep hillside, these personal rollercoaster carriages scream down the track at speeds that would appear to be suicidal, at least on the first couple of tries. In reality though the top speed is typically around 50 km/h, and is quite safe as the participant has full control of brakes and is strapped in by a harness anyway.



And if you're staying overnight within Gutach like we did, the guesthouses currently offers all overnight visitors a discount card called Gutachtal Card, which grants half-price entrance to the Vogtsbauernhof (a saving of 4 Euros) plus a free ride on the Rodelbahn. Then you can try it for free before deciding on how many rides to purchase.



Restaurants were few as expected in such a tiny village, which was why our guesthouse's kitchen came in handy. We did try two restaurants in town, starting with the landgasthof inside Vogtsbauernhof. The Schweinshaxe here was definitely better than the dry and over-charred version we had a couple days earlier in Cologne, and was reasonably priced, especially for a restaurant inside a museum, at 16.8 Euros for a ginormous 1.5 kg hock that easily fed both of us.



My wife ordered the local version of the ubiquitous Eintopf, which in this case turned out to be a light beef and vegetable stew. Overall it's a reasonably priced eatery for a hearty meal while visiting the Vogtsbauernhof, as the next closest restaurant would be a 30 minute walk (or 2 bus stops) away near the village centre.

Bill for Two Persons

Eintopf	7.8 Euros
Large Schweinshaxe	16.8 Euros
Malzbier	2.9 Euros
Radler	3.3 Euros
TOTAL before tips	30.8 Euros (CAD$43.1)

My best recommendation within the village would be the venerable Gasthof Krone on Hauptstrasse, housed inside a historic building next to the town hall and well-regarded for regional dishes at very reasonable prices. Sadly our stomach room was limited by that 1.5 kg Schweinshaxe from lunch, but what we did order turned out very well.



In particular this Fried Trout with Almond Butter was absolutely delightful -- moist tender flesh, crispy fried skin and topped with a healthy heap of fried almond flakes in butter, served with potatoes and a side of fresh salad, and most amazingly ... for less than 10 Euros! The aroma of the fried almonds was so addictive that I must have licked up every morsel off the bones and fins of this fish. We definitely would have returned for dinner the next night if they're weren't closed on Tuesdays.

Bill for Two Persons

Zwiebelsuppe	4.5 Euros
Forelle mit Mandelbutter	9.5 Euros
Omelette mit Champignons	4.5 Euros
Ice Cream Smoothie	4 Euros
Alpirsbacher Weizenbier	3 Euros
TOTAL before tips	25.5 Euros (CAD$35.7)

The next day we continued to use Gutach as a base for visiting the charming small towns of Schiltach, Wolfach and Triberg, and did our grocery shopping at the neighborhood Norma for a dinner of authentic Black Forest ham and local cheeses. Writing this article now I'm almost forgetting that the weather was terrible for September on these two days (rain in the valley, snow at higher elevations at night), but it didn't matter to us. We had some of our best memories of Germany right here in Gutach and its surrounding towns.



Here I must thank Martin, Elfriede and Patrick for being the gracious hosts they were, showing us around their historic farm, serving up hearty German breakfasts, equipping us with sightseeing maps and train schedules and even offering to drop us off at the station. For any readers considering a vacation in the Black Forest, I absolutely recommend Joklisbauernhof as a friendly, centrally-located base at very affordable prices. Also, public transportation within the entire Black Forest is FREE for all overnight visitors with the KONUS Gästekarte, giving free bus and train rides all the way from Baden-Baden to the French and Swiss borders at Basel. Staying here was a major highlight of our trip, and I love sharing this with fellow travelers looking for a unique vacation in Germany.

Medieval Festival in the Black Forest - Gernsbach's Altstadtfest

We had the funnest time of our 24-day journey in a little town that, I dare to say, 99.9% of visitors to Germany have never heard of. Frankly we were also among that 99.9%, before we arrived at a medieval festival in an almost anonymous town in the Black Forest. It's the annual Altstadtfest at Gernsbach.



The Germans are of course world famous for festivals. The Bavarians have their Oktoberfest, and at this southwest corner of Germany, in the shadow of the Black Forest, the locals have their own creative excuses for a fun-loving harvest festival in mid September. Think hogs roasting over an open spit, medieval axe throwing and, of course, beer kegs that flow abundantly all day and night.



The town of Gernsbach itself possesses a well-preserved historic core of half-timber buildings dating as far back as the 16th Century, as well as some of the friendliest people anywhere. Seeing two clueless foreigners in town, the locals invited us into the Zehntscheuern (half-timber building on the right) for a peek inside their beloved heritage barn of ancient logs and rammed earth. Those who spoke English were delighted to learn that we've come from faraway Canada, and invited us to revisit the Altstadtfest in Year 2019, for their town's 800th anniversary.



Previously I had only heard of these legendary German festivals where the whole town would start drinking from morning till night. But when we came across the alluring aroma of the communal pig roast, we immediately sat down with a gigantic stein of the region's local brew, not realizing that the pork wasn't going to be ready for another 2 hours. So yes, we started our drinking at 11:00, though that wasn't my original intention.



With 2 hours to kill we visited another popular and unique drinking place, a little wooden float on the river modeled after the makeshift timber rafts that transported Black Forest timber down to the Rhine for centuries. This modern day version was fitted with a small engine to carry us up and down the riverbank, along with a little crowd of locals enjoying their beers and Radlers. I managed to escape the raft without ordering any drinks, but couldn't resist a nearby stand selling organic, handcrafted Honey Beer. And this was all before lunchtime.



Kids had a little olde time fun on a swing carousel that wasn't technically different from Disneyland rides, except this one was powered single-handedly (literally!) by a very strong man. Older troublemakers like myself would participate in an axe-throwing game where the goal was to hurl hand-axes at a wooden target on the side of the Town Hall. I managed to get 3 out of 6 axes to lodge into the target, and walked away with the prize of a little shot of a Jägermeister knock-off.



Lively festival music was provided by troupes of musicians wandering the town's cobblestone paths, as well as these museum-worthy barrel organs hand-cranked by the townsfolk. There also seemed to be a sizable Italian population in town, pumping out Italian party music just outside of the medieval ramparts.



Elsewhere in town the local orchard farmers were busy cranking out jugs after jugs of organic Süßmost for the masses. This stand was swarming with honey bees attracted by the syrupy smell of crushed apples, a testimony to the absolute freshness and sweetness of the pressed juice.



Every 30 minutes or so we would follow the alluring aroma of charbroiled meat and fat dripping to the communal pig roast, only to be told to wait a little longer. That's when we spotted a little stand making freshly hand-tossed Flammkuchen, the Black Forest's answer to the pizza. The extremely thin dough was spread onto a wooden board, topped with sour cream and strewn with the traditional toppings of onions and Speck, then fire-roasted in a custom-made oven.



Roasted-to-order and ready in minutes, our Flammkuche came out of the oven looking somewhat like its famous Italian cousin, but with an even thinner and crispier dough. The acidity of the sour cream balanced out the fattiness of the Speck really well, and of course you can never go wrong with roasted onions. This alone would make an excellent light lunch, but we've got something better in mind ...



The pig roast was finally ready shortly after 13:00 ... and not just one, but FOUR WHOLE ROASTED PIGS to feed the entire village! I can't describe in words the seduction of this sight and smell here. We lined up like the rest of the village, and paid 6 Euros for a sandwich stuffed with charbroiled, drippy, artery-clogging goodness.



And look at the thunderously crunchy skin -- this was among the best pork cracklings either of us have ever had. We had to specifically ask for it as the skin was not originally part of the sandwich. The table of young Germans next to us saw our example and asked for another piece, and soon after the chefs decided to put out a heaping plateful for everyone for free. Needless to say we went back for seconds, and came away with some of the most vivid memories of our trip, as far as our tastebuds are concerned!



Our whole lunchtime was spent hopping from stall to stall, sampling various local drinks and German street snacks while absorbing the Oktoberfest-like atmosphere. With our last remaining bit of stomach room we headed for the spätzle stand, where the workers were busy frying these handmade noodles on an oversized iron pan.



The local variant turned out to be a Swabian specialty known as Krautspätzle, a sauteed version made with Speck and a heavy dose of Sauerkraut. At a measly 3.5 Euros this was probably one of the best lunch deals at the festival, though on final count we somehow splurged for a grand total of 26 Euros between the two of us. And why not?

Bill for Two Persons

Large Beer	4 Euros
Honey Beer	4 Euros
Pressed Apple Juice x 2	2 Euros
Pork Roast with Bread and Cracklings	6 Euros
Flammkuchen	6.5 Euros
Krautspätzle	3.5 Euros
TOTAL before tips	26 Euros (CAD$36.4)

The party was still rocking when we temporarily left for an quieter afternoon walk at a much more famous destination. The neighboring spa city of Baden-Baden is only a 25-minute bus ride away, and plus ... transportation is all free if you stay the night within the town of Gernsbach!



Unlike little-known Gernsbach, the hotspring resort of Baden-Baden certainly needs no introduction. The Romans had already discovered the curative powers of its waters 2000 years back, and today it seems to be a favorite playground of Russian billionaires, judging by the Russian brochures at the local real estate agents. Much of the 18th and 19th Century town centre is now occupied by the likes of Louis Vuitton and Gucci, with many stores sporting multilingual staff catering to Russian and Chinese clientelle.



The extravagant Kurhaus and Casino are probably the most recognizable landmarks in town, though we've come for something entirely free-of-charge ... a beautiful walk along the Lichtentaler Allee and its 2 km long manicured garden. The ornate metalwork on the streetlights and footbridges were among my favorite images of Baden-Baden.



Our original plan was to stay overnight at Baden-Baden and relax at Friedrichsbad's hotspring spa, but that was before we learned of the annual Altstadtfest at Gernsbach and decided to stay in the smaller town. There's also another deciding factor -- overnight guests in the neighboring villages (including Gernsbach) get free regional transportation courtesy of the KONUS Gästekarte program, while guests staying within Baden-Baden do NOT! This alone saved 26 Euros between the two of us the next day as we continued our way towards central Black Forest.



We ended up spending only a few hours at this posh hotspring resort, before shops started to close and we opted to go back to the festive atmosphere at Gernsbach. Our return bus would wind through a heavily wooded area that would become my lasting image of the Black Forest -- a land of dark coniferous trees, so densely overgrown that the late afternoon sunlight could hardly penetrate through. One can see why so many legends and folklores have been born from this mystical region.



Meanwhile at Gernsbach, the street party started to swing over to the Biergartens and the collection of small but rowdy Gasthäuser by nightfall. Searching for an authentic meal we followed a group of Germans into the 120-year-old local institution of Restauration Brüderlin, just around the corner from the town hall.



Gracing the seasonal menu at every restaurant in town was the local Neuer Wein. We're now getting used to this refreshingly sweet, half-fermented white that's synonymous with the Autumn season here in the West of Germany. And at the cool price of 2.5 Euros per quarter litre, why start with anything else?



After our multi-course feast of street food at the Altstadtfest we craved for a lighter dinner. This Kartoffelsuppe turned out quite rich and enjoyable to the soup lover in my wife, though it was certainly nowhere as amazing as the Porcini soup we had the previous day at Heidelberg.



My wife really surprised me by ordering this plate of Matjesfilets, the local variant of soused herrings served here with potatoes and sour cream. The meat was slightly on the fishy side though, and was certainly nowhere as good as Dutch herrings IMHO.



The best deal of the evening was the 3-course Altstadtfest Menu, consisting of a green salad, the pictured roast beef in cream sauce and an ice-cream for dessert, all for the rock bottom price of 11.8 Euros. Our entire meal of one soup, one salad, two main dishes, a dessert and two glasses of wine ended up at less than 29 Euros, only marginally more than our lunch of street food and beer. That's one thing I really love about the Black Forest ... money stretches much farther compared to the French side of the border!

Bill for Two Persons

Kartoffelsuppe	4 Euros
Matjesfilets	8 Euros
Altstadtfest Menu	11.8 Euros
Neuer Wein x 2	5 Euros
TOTAL before tips	28.8 Euros (CAD$40.3)

A word of warning for anyone planning to attend the Altstadtfest -- hotel rooms got booked up 5 months in advance! We got turned down by four or five different hotels and pensions, and at the end the tourist association hooked us up with a small family-run hotel known as Gasthof Jockers.



The little gasthof was a godsend, offering us a cheap, clean and cozy double room with a private bathroom, situated right at the heart of the old town. This place would have been fully booked ... except they haven't yet discovered Internet booking as of 2013, and only reply to email requests (in German) about once a month! I think this place is still stuck in the 1990's, much like the CRT TV and the abdomen exerciser at the top of the closet.



Breakfast consisted of the typical German fare of Aufschnitt, local cheeses and bread rolls. But then again, even more important to us was the complimentary KONUS Gästekarte, giving us free transportation over the entire Black Forest all the way to the French and Swiss borders. This would get us to our next base in the Black Forest, to our farm stay at Gutach for the next two nights.