deel 2

Vrijdag 11 september 2020

Freiburg - Weil am Rhein: 60 km v.v.

We drive south from Freiburg im Breisgau to Weil am Rhein to go and visit the Vitra campus . Vitra is een furniture manufacturer in the upmarket designer segment and has apart from a factory also two museums and a showroom on its campus just outside the town. The company has collaborated in the course of its history with designers and artists like Charles en Ray Eames, Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, Hella Jongerius, Isamu Noguchi, Jean Prouvé, Eero Saarinen en Maarten Van Severen.  Because of corona the opening hours have been limited to 12-5 pm. We are way too early and therefore drive on for a flash visit to Basel just over the Rhine and the Swiss border.  What we did not think of was the compulsory Highway toll sticker that costs 40 CHF (€37). We just do it anyway. We can buy at the border and pay for it by credit card. A few kilometers later we are in central Basel. We have a coffee on a side walk cafe and stroll across the old town towards the Münster Church. The church is the burial ground of Erasmus of Rotterdam. He lectured here at the university during the final years of his life. He died here in 1536. We watch out over the river and have lunch. After lunch it is time to go back to  Weil am Rhein.

The exhibition building on the Vitra Campus was designed by Frank Gehry (of the Bilbao Guggenheim fame). It has currently an exhibition on interior home design in the 20th century.

After that we follow the route over the campus along the Haus von Vitra (with the showroom and cafe) a design by Herzog en De Meuron (remember the olympic Stadium in Beijing), the Block Cabin (Thomas Schütte, a German sculpturer) and the former fire station. This design by Zaha Hadid (Olympic Aquatic Centre London, Port House Antwerp) is now an exhibition space. It resembles anything but a fire station.  At the end of the track is the so called Schaudepot, a storage open to visitors for Vitra's collection of designer chairs. We see among other items furniture by Gerrit Rietveld, but also Philippe Stark, Mendini and many others. We double back to the entrance and drive back to  Freiburg. In de namiddag nemen we de tram de stad in. Late afternoon we take the tramway into the town centre and have cocktail on one of the sidewalk cafe's. The centre is nice and animated, but a little crowded. Later we have dinner near the Münster Church at Hotel Oberkirch. Good thing we made reservations. We sit outside in the evening sun. After dinner we have a coffee at Starbucks.

Weather: sunny, 29 degrees

zaterdag 12 september 2020

After coffee on our rooftop balcony we take the tram into the centre. We have another coffee at Starbuck before we set out to explore. We head for the Freiburg Münster Church. Around the church is a daily market, which is pretty busy. Inside the church reigns a serene silence. The church is a mix of styles. That is no wonder as it took over 400 years to complete the building. Construction started around 1200.  The older part is romanesque adn resembles the Basel Münster. Later parts are gothic and have more in common with the Strasbourg cathedral. The high altar from 1516 is a creation by Hans Baldung Grien, an apprentice of Albrecht Dürer. The buildings around the Münster are modern. After the devastation of World War II the old town was not reconstructed, except for the Historisches Kaufhaus a merchant's hall from 1530. The Münster survived the war unscathed.

In the centre most streets are lined with so called Bächle, a sort of rainwater draining system. Just watch your step and do not fall over or into them. Children use them as waterways for their toy boats.  After the church we walk to Town Hall square, with the Neue Rathaus in renaissance style. Then on to the  Univesitätsgasse along the University Hall towards the Martinstor, one of the city gates. From there we follow Gerberau to Augustinusplatz, which unfortunately is under reconstruction. We walk along a canal and end up Schwabentor  another old city gate. From there it is a short walk to the old cemetary. No very famous dead here, but a nice piece of quiet in Freiburg.

We take the tram back to the market to buy and eat a Lange Rote. It is a long red grilled sausage on a piece of French bread, with baked onions of course.  Curry, Musterd and/or ketchup can be added to your liking. Typical Freiburg traditon sincde 1949. Along the side of the Munster Church no less than seven stalls offer this treat. We take the tram back to the appartment. 
  In the afternoon we want to take Schauinslandbahn cabin lift up the mountain by the same name, but there is incredible long line wating to get on. We turn around and leave it for tomorrow morning. 
We watch the Tour de France and have dinner on our large balcony. Temperature is very nice - out of the sun and with some wind. After dinner and coffee we take a Next Bike for a spin in the nearby parks.

Weather: sunny, 29 degrees

Sunday 13 September 2020

We head out early for the Schauinslandbaan, which opens at nine. Even on a Sunday morning at 9am we have to stand in line to get in. Fortunately not that long like yesterday, but still at least 20 minutes. From the mountain station we walk to a lookout, rewarding us with grand views of the surrounding area and Freiburg. We return down again an drive to the Kaiserstuhl district between Freiburg and the Rhine. It is a former volcanic area and this specific terroir gives the wine of this area an aromatic and spicy character. We follow the route of the  Badische Weinstrasse, or at least a side track of it. We stop at  Sasbach am Kaiserstuhl for a simple lunch with a glass of Spätburgunder (or Pinot Noir), the local red wine and continue along the Rhine to the fortified town of Breisach am Rhein. Here we wander around this pittoresque town with its city wall and its church high up a mountain top.  From the wall we have a view of the river Rhine. Breisach was part of the French defense line against the German States, but at the peace treaty of  Rijwijk of 1697, that ended the nine year war between France and a large alliance, that included Austria and the Netherlands, France had to cede the town to Austria. This made a hole in the the defense line which forced France to build a new version of Breisach on the other side of the river: Neuf Brisach (see later on). We carry on through the vinyards and head back to  Freiburg.
At night we eat in Freiburg's old town at  Weinstube Engler’s Weinkrügle. Good food and tasty wine. We have a coffee at an ice cream parlour as Starbucks do not work here on Sunday nigths. 

Weather: sunny and warm 32 degrees (90°F)

Monday 14 September 2020

Freiburg - Wutachtschlucht: 54 km (34 mi)

Wutachtschlucht - Schluchsee: 17 km (11 mi)

Schluchsee - Freiburg: 54 km (34 mi)

Again this morning we have an early start of the day. We set out at 8am by car to the canyon of  Wutachtschlucht. We follow the B31 through the Höllental (Hell's valley). It is a busy road through a deep valley, cutting through villages. In a number of villages the speed is limited to 30km/h (18mph) because of the noise pollution. At the remote village of Löffingen we have to search for the right spot to start our walk through the Wutach canyon. It is near the Schattenmühle, a restaurant in former watermill. We walk along the Wutacht on the canyon floor. The narrow path goes up and down and offers nice views of the stream and a few rapids. After the walk we drive to Schluchsee on the lake with that name. Schluchsee is picture perfect on the lakeside surrounded by moutains and forest. On the lake is a boat service, connecting for villages. We have a coffee and have a look round. We have lunch at  Hotel Sternen. We consider a boat trip on the lake, but the crowds on board make us decide to do something else.  Although the 4km walk up to the Riesenbühl lookout tower is classed as easy, it is still a stiff climb. We gain 200 metres in altitude. At the top we are rewarded with views at 1100 metres above the sea of the surrounding area and especially the lake. 

Back in Freiburg we have dinner in our appartment and go and do some laundry at Wash & Surf. All automatic, no staff present. 

Weer: zonnig 12 tot 32 graden

Tuesday 15 September 2020

Freiburg - Colmar: 45 km (28 mi)

Colmar - Riquewihr - Ribeauvillé: 20 km (12 mi)

Ribeauvillé - Kaysersberg: 11 km (7 mi)

Kaysersberg - Freiburg: 61 km (38 mi)

We drive towards the French border. At Breisach am Rhein after 15 km we cross the Rhine into France. We stop at  Neuf Brisach. The fortification had to replace Breisach in the French defence system against Austria. Breisach had been ceded to the Austrians under a peace treaty putting a hole in the line of defence, designed by military architect Vauban. Neuf Brisach was created and kept as a fortified settlement until today. We let the drone up for some aerial shots. 

We carry on to Colmar. Our primary target is the   Isenheimer altar piece in the Unterlinden museum. But unfortunately the museum is closed on Tuesdays. We explore the town which much worthwhile visiting. Many half-timbered houses and quaint streets and alleys. Especially nice is the Place de Douane. From there we walk to the Market Hall where we are spoilt for choice in regional produce: meats, saucages, pate, fruit,  confiture, cheese and much more. We eat a very tasty quiche. The neighbourhood called  l Petite Venise is close by. Little Venice is perhaps a bit exagerated, but it does have a few canals with boats carrying tourists. We visit also the  Musee Bartoldi, devoted to the artist from the 19th century who became famous for his design of the Statue of Liberty, which was presented to the United States in 1876 as gift by France on the occasion of its 100th birthday.  The museum once the residence and studio of  Bartholdi. Bartholdi was a celebrated artist in his day. He was a student of  Ary Scheffer, the Dutch artist who lived in Paris.  Colmar is very proud of its famous son, because a signposted route brings you to all the places in Colmar that played a role in his life here. 

Having seen Colmar we take the car to Riquewihr on the Alsation Wine Route. It is a pittoresque village, with a city wall and lots of half timbered houses. It is very touristy though with only restaurants, souvenir shops and delicatessen selling regional products and lots of wine.   We explore the village, have a drink and carry on to Ribeauvillé, some 4 km further  north. It is even more touristy. Nice enough but less intimate than Riquewihr. This partly due to the fact that the cramped centre is not pedestrianised, and you have to be constantly aware of passing cars. We do not linger long in Ribeauvillé, because we are expected in Kayserberg at 3pm. This village, home town of Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer, is all about wine too. We are here for a tasting at  Domaine Weinbach. This domaine has its roots in a Cappucin monastery, that produced wine up until the French revolution. Quite some time after the revolution it came in the hands of the Faller family who still runs it.  Weinbach wines are refined by pricy. We get to taste seven different wines. Very nice indeed and we buy some too. After that we head back to Freiburg.

Weather: sunny 28 degrees (82°F)

Wednesday 16 September 2020

Freiburg - Stuttgart: 205 km (127 mi)

 We leave Freiburg and drive to Stuttgart. The roads are busy and there a lots of road works. We arrive around 11am. Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Würtemberg and the former kingdom of Würtemberg. Stuttgart started out as the stud farm back in the 10th century for the then dukes of  Würtemberg.

After lunch we take the subway into town to have a look at City Library or Stadtbibliotek . A day ticket for Stuttgart public transport costs €10,20 for a group of up to 5 persons. Tickets are for sale via the transport authority  VVS app or the app of the local subway and bus company  SSB. The are vending machines in the subway stations. The library moved to the new building on Mailander Platz in 2011, which was designed by the Korean architect Euong Young Yi. It is cube shaped building of 8 floors around a square atrium. The walls are bookcases with reading rooms. Underneath the floor of the Atrium are another three floors with an assembly room and administrative functions.  It is an attractive building on the inside. From the outside it is a bit uninspiring. 
We take the bus to the Weissenhofsiedlung. This little neighbourhood started as a architectural exhibition for Modernist architecture in the 1920s.  Led by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe  17 architecten designed residential buildings for the new post war man.  Many  became famous afterwards, but were fairly unknown at the time.  Among them the Swiss born Le Corbusier, but also Dutchmen like Oud en Stam. We take part in a guided tour starting at the double house by  Le Corbusier. Unfortunately not all houses were spared during the war. Seven were destroyed by a bomb. Apart from the two house by Le Corbusier (type Citroën en Domino) we have a look at (from the outside) the housing by Mart Stam and JJA Oud and an apartment building by Mies van der Rohe. A truly special ensemble. After the tour we visit the double house  by Le Corbusier, which is a museum now. Inside the museum  the Corona measures are observed to a T. It almost makes you nervous. Admittedly the house is quite cramped, but the staff is so concientious that it gets on your nerves.

At night we eat at a typical Stuttgart Weinstube  called “Klösterle”. An old fashioned winebar with outside tables in a garden and tradional Schwabian dishes. Rich and plenty.

Weer: slightly overcast , 28 degrees.

Thursday 17 September 2020

We take the subway into the city center. We get off at Hauptgbahnhof (Central Railway Station). This is the centrepoint of the large scale city and railway development project Stuttgart 21, which has sparked quite some controversy over last few decades. The 17 ending overground tracks will be replaced by 8 underground throughpassing tracks. The centre of the controversy was the rising costs, the partial demolition of the existing station building from 1927 and the damage to the Schlossgarten parkland. The controversy even led to a political revolt. Both the state prime minister and the Stuttgart Mayor are now members of the Green Party, where these offices had been the monopoly of the Christian Democrats for decades. Construction is still going on, now with a little more respect for existing green spaces and the railway station.
We walk through the Schlossgarten (palace garden) to the Neue Schloss (new palace). This palace was built between 1746 and 1807 by the dukes and kings of  Würtemberg, replacing the old renaissance style palace. This was a precondtion for Grand Duke Carl Eugen (ruling 1737-1793) to relocate his residence from Ludwigsburg back to Stuttgart. The palace is now used for the ministry of culture and finance of the Baden-Würtemberg state.  Opposite the palace is the Königsbau, constructed between 1856 and 1860 for royal events. Until 2002 it was home to the stock exchange, but has now been converted into a luxury shopping centre. We have a coffee on there side walk cafe with a view on the Schlossplatz square. We walk on to the Stifftskirche church on Schillerplatz. This evangelical church was built in the 13th century in conjunction with the neighbouring Alte Schloss (old palace). The church is romanesque and simple. During the war it was badly damaged, but restored after with moden stained glass windwalk on to the Staatsgalerie museum. Its existence dates back to 1846. The present postmodernist building from  1984 was designed by James Stirling. This large museum has an important collection of 20th century art with works by the likes of Picasso, Chagall, Rothco, Warhall to name but a few, also old German  masters (1300-1550), Italianate art (1300-1800) and Netherlandish masters from the 16th and 17th centuries like Rubens, Hals and Rembrandt. The museum is too big to see all in one visit.  We have lunch in the Schlosspark  at Plenum next to the state parliament, the Landtag of  Baden-Würtemberg.
After lunch we take the S-bahn to the Mercedes-Benz museum. That is situated next to car maker's headquarters in a interesting building, designed by Dutch architect Ben van Berkel, also known for his design of the Erasmus bridge in Rotterdam.
The museum tells the story of the emergence of the German and Stuttgart car industry and especially the development of the Daimler Benz concern. Many cars from various era fill the exhibition. The building has a spriral form going from top to bottom. It start with the first carriage fitted with a combustion engine by  Gottlieb Daimler and ends with the race cars by Mercedes.

At night we eat in the Bohnenviertel, the nightlife district of Stuttgart in restaurant Der Zauberlehrling. Top notch food and one Michelin star. We choose a 5 course dinner with matching wines.  Lovely and superb  service.

Weer: cloudy, 18-24 degrees

Vrijdag 18 september 2020

Stuttgart - Limburg an der Lahn: 252 km (157 mi)

We drive to Limburg an der Lahn, in the state of Hessen north of Frankfurt. Limburg is nice town with lots of half-timbered houses and a remarkable cathedral. The romanesque church has no less than seven spires. After arrival at the Dom Hotel, we have lunch in the old town. We explore the town on foot admiring the narrow streets and nice houses. From the bridge over the river Lahn we enjoy the view on the town and its cathedral.  The church was finished in 1235. Especially the frescoes on wall and ceiling are beautifully preserverd. The town also has a Franciscan Monastic church from 1230 that has a beautiful organ from the 17th century.
 At night we have dinner in the Twins restaurant of hotel Nassauer Hof on the banks of the Lahn.

Saturday 19 September 2020

Limburg an der Lahn - Rotterdam: 386 km

After breakfast we drive back home to Rotterdam.

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