Freiburg, Germany (2/6/1982)

Saturday, February 6, 1982

Took the 8:16 train to Basel, purchasing a half-price round trip ticket for 12.50 CHF/$6.25. Arrived in Basel at 9:25, and then purchased a ticket to Freiburg for 24 CHF/$12. “Deutschland?” the ticket agent asked. Oh, yes, not Switzerland.

Basel to Freiburg ticket

I boarded the German Inter-City train then remembered I would get hammered with a Zuschlag/supplement fee. Oh, well. A well-dressed lady took her reserved seat and opened the window saying in dialect, “It’s not so cold, is it?” I answered “Ja,” which must have meant “No” because she then closed the window. Oops! I guess I don’t get the negatives, double negatives yet. A couple minutes after departing we were in Basel Bad to have our passports checked. The conductor hit me with a 6 DM fee.

Train supplemental fee

Arrived in Freiburg at 10:50 and used the guidebook loaned by Jan & Kirby to begin my tour. Sometimes called the Capital of the Black Forest, sometimes the entrance to the Black Forest, Freiburg im Breisgau is larger than most of the Swiss towns I have visited lately!

Walked down Eisenbahnstrasse to the park surrounding the Colombischlösschen (1859-61), a small palace or manor house on a hilltop.

Colombischlösschen

Went through a grape arbor to Rotteckring, past the scaffolding-covered St Ursula on the corner of Rathausgasse, and turned left on Bertholdstrasse.

This street took me through the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg/(Albert Ludwig) Freiburg University (founded in 1457) area to the center of the old town with its Bertholdsbrunnen/Berthold Fountain (1965 of Berthold Schwarz, credited with inventing gunpowder). Right on Kaiser-Joseph-Strasse with arcaded buildings, one marked with a McDonald’s sign, located in one of these buildings restored after WWII.

Kaiser-Joseph Strasse

McDonald's next to Martin's Gate

Through Martinstor/Martin’s Gate (dating back to 1202, extensively remodeled in 1901) to Fischerau, in an area with lanes named for the occupation of the residents. Fischerau/fishermen follows a quick-flowing little canal.

Fischerau

Continued on Gerberau/tanners to the Augustinermuseum in the former monastery rebuilt 1914-23. Farther on Gerberau to the area called the Insel/Island with its little old buildings and alleyways,

Insel area

Insel area

then up a slight hill to Schwabentor/Gate of Swabia (1250).

Gate of Swabia

Beyond the gate on the hillside was the Greiffeneggsschlössle/little palace. I walked from this hill across a little bridge back to Schwabentor, through the gate and down Oberlinden, a typical Freiburger avenue.

Bridge to Gate of Swabia

Oberlinden street

Tram on Oberlinden

This is where I first noted the Bächle/tiny canals or gutters with fast-running water that once were the water source for the city. Supposedly if you accidently step in one you will marry a Freiburger. Most were easy to step over, and the wider ones have little flagstone bridges at certain intervals.

Stepping over the Bächle

Bearing right on Herrenstrasse, I passed the Münsterbauhütte/Cathedral Workshops with chunks and pieces of cathedral lying around.

Freiburg Münster/Cathedral

In Münsterplatz/Cathedral Square, the dominant building was the highly decorated red Kaufhaus/Merchants Hall (1520-21) with its two fancy corner oriel windows.

Kaufhaus/Merchant's Hall

Kaufhaus/Merchant's Hall oriel window

Entered the Münster/Cathedral which had great colorful stained glass windows. The church was heated and the modern glass “foyers” were built at each door to the outside for the air-lock function.
A market was in full swing in Münsterplatz, with vegetable and flower stalls, butchers and dairy product stalls, and wurst/sausage stands. The smell of grilling wurst made my stomach growl, but the stands were surrounded by crowds of people.

Münsterplatz market

Münsterplatz market

The most noteworthy item in the market were the Strohschuhe/shoes made from braided straw.

Strohschuhe/Straw shoes

I saw beer steins with music boxes built into the bottom at a souvenir shop. Passed the Kornhaus/Granary (early 16C) and Fischbrunnen/Fish Fountain (1483), as I wandered through the market, making sure not to trip into a Bächle.

Granary and Fish Fountain

Walked around the Baslerhof to the commercial street of Kaiser-Joseph-Strasse, then a left down Schiffstrasse to the Kartoffelmarkt/Potato Market which now has stalls manned by hippies selling clothing and jewelry.

Baslerhof

Backing up to the square is the Haus zum Walfisch/House of the Whale (1517) with its garishly painted gates.

Haus zum Walfisch

A left on Merianstrasse to Rathausplatz/City Hall Square to see both the old (1557-59) and the new (rebuilt 1896-1901) city halls, both of which are very old!

Rathaus/City Hall

Here I found another branch of the souvenir shop from Münsterplatz and I saw that it closed at 14:00 (17:00 on “longer Saturdays”). Since it was now 13:00, I figured I’d better make my purchases. I was on a commissioned buying trip, to get a foot-tall musical beer stein (that played “Edelweiss”) for Lynn B who wanted to replace one she had broken when a child, and a nutcracker for DeeDee P. The shop clerk took her time to carefully wrap and gift wrap the items, and then had to figure out how to use the credit card machine. I paid 90 DM/$39 and 31 DM/$13.50.

At one corner of Rathausplatz, a man was grinding a hand organ, and at the same time you could hear chirping whistles in time to the music. I don’t know if the hand organ could also make those sounds, or was it the organ grinder? He was grimacing in time to the music, but not whistling. Did he have some kind of instrument inside his mouth?

Wandered down Kaiser-Joseph Strasse, stopping in some galleries. Left on Salzstrasse where I noted on a shop door that the longer Saturday was the first Saturday of the month. Today! Some people in costume were handing out flyers on Fastnacht/Mardi Gras festivities. I went to a bakery to buy a couple marzipan/almond paste confection Faschingsmasken/Carnevale masks, terrifically ugly faces! Also a marzipan pine cone with nonpareils stuck on it to look like snow. Went back to the Münsterplatz market which was closing up, then back through Rathausplatz to the train station to catch the 14:03 train to Basel.
Well, the prices have gone up; this time I paid a 7 DM Zuschlag!

Train supplemental fee

We had a half-hour wait at Basel Bad, due to wiring or electrical problems. Arrived in Basel at 15:20. Boarding the 15:54 train to Biel, I saw a familiar face in 1^st Class; Heidi V, the Ergotherapeutin/Occupational Therapist who used to work at the Kinderspital. She followed me back not 2nd Class, and so I had a companion until Delémont where she changed to a local train to go to Grenchen. This was the second time we had met like this, and we teased that next time we will meet in Zürich! Arrived in Biel at 17:20.