1st Anniversary River Hike

For Fabian and I, celebrating 1 year of marriage consisted of a much-needed hiking trip in the Black Forest. We started at the lower end of the Wutach gorge last Saturday around noon, with coffee and sausages at this little kiosk with flower-stuffed boots:

Our trail snaked through the gorge along the river, climbing and falling with each kilometer (but it was not nearly as strenuous as our typical hikes through the Alps).  After the first few hours, the gorge opened up to reveal something dear to my Missourian heart: bluffs! From there until the end of our hike, the landscape reminded me of a slightly larger-scale Meramec river. This felt appropriate for the occasion because, almost exactly a year ago, we were showing his German friends all around Meramec State Park.
 

The town of Donaueschingen (where we spent the night) is a sleepy place, mostly famous for the source of the Danube river. Our hotel was nice and offered a lovely breakfast. We then spent Sunday exploring the town.

We quickly discovered that there are actually two "sources" of the Danube - one source is the rather anticlimactic point where two smaller rivers flow together; the other is an actual bubbling spring in the center of town which, under normal circumstances, is surrounded by Baroque statues and ornate landscaping. While we were there, it was under construction and looked more like a round, moldy hole in the ground. But the blue city hall building was quite lovely.

We treated ourselves to some Apple Strudel and Black Forest Cherry Cake in a cafe decorated during the 1930s before hopping in the car and heading home. It was a short trip, but the perfect getaway for two!