Parents' Visit: Freiburg (8/5/1983)

Friday, August 5, 1983

But I was okay, and able to get my laundry at 1:00 to hang up to dry. Meanwhile I had put together another care package for my parents.

I first went to the main post office to try to call Torino without any luck. I was to meet my mom and dad at 8:20, but they arrived at 8:15, so we went to get the 8:27 train to Basel. I wasn’t thinking and used a day pass plus a class change card that cost 16 CHF/$8, for a total of 35 CHF/$17 for the trip. I late found out I could have just bought a half-price First Class ticket for 28 CHF/$14. Oh, well, I made up those 7 CHF the next day!

Train Class Change ticket

It was a cloudy day. As we arrived in Basel, we passed the new Baselland Transport/BLT suburban line. We got in at 9:35 and I bought us round-trip tickets (25 CHF/$12 each) to Freiburg, Germany, plus three Zuschlag/supplement tickets (6 CHF/$3 each) because we would be taking the Kaiserstuhl InterCity train at 10:04.

Basel to Freiburg train ticket

Supplement ticket

I also asked for the regional Basel-Freiburg timetable at the information desk, and they had no information on the Höllentalbahn. In the French information office, the man didn’t have any regional timetables for the Metralsace area, only a Basel to Strasbourg pamphlet and his own master timetable! He kept asking where I was going when we wanted all the timetables! Finally he went and got a series of pamphlets covering all the routes out of Basel.

We boarded our train to Freiburg, the customs man waved at our passports, and no ticket man ever showed up! The country flattened out and there were occasional patches of blue sky. Then the Black Forest hills were to our right and we arrived in Freiburg at 10:50.

There we went to information where the man was very brisk to the lady in front of me, saying if she wanted to know the return time of trains, she would have to go to that place she was returning from! I asked for a regional timetable for the Höllentalbahn; no such thing! But he sold me a pamphlet for 40 Pfennig/15 cents, then he told me when the train was leaving by consulting the same schedule that the public finds all over the station. Big help! We used the station restroom, giving the man coins, and he used them to open the stall doors for us.

We bought special excursion tickets to Hinzergarten for 6.80 DEM/$2.50 round-trip, rather than the full fare of 9.60 DEM/$3.50.

Höllentalbahn excursion ticket

Then we went across the street to a kiosk where I asked about a day pass for local transit. I was directed to another kiosk. There a drunkard buying beer dallied for a long time, until finally I could ask, and got three day passes for 5 DEM/$2.50 each.

Freiburg transit pass

We also purchased a map and postcards, and the girl seemed angry that she had to add up all these items! We went to catch the #4 tram into the old town. We got off at the Schwabentor Brücke/bridge, an interesting old bridge with coats of arms and towers. Below us, men appeared to be damming the already dry river with gravel. We walked to the Schwabentor/gate and through it to the Oberlinden “square” to see our first Bächle or little ditch for running water.

Schwabentor/Swabian Gate east side (GJT)

Schwabentor/Swabian Gate west side (GJT)

Dad took pictures all over the place. He took one of a tram, then ran to catch the tram where Mom and I were already there to board. We took the tram back to the train station to catch the 12:16 train into the Höllental/Hell Valley. The scenery was pleasant as we left the city and out into the hills that had areas of grass between stands of trees.

Höllental/Hell Valley (GJT)

Then the valley closed in and we saw only trees and a highway!

Höllental/Hell Valley

Höllental/Hell Valley atnarrowest point (GJT)

It never became a hellish gorge, but I suppose in the old days it would have been difficult to travel. We noted where there was a 5.5% grade. We got off in Hinterzarten and noted a train was leaving in two minutes from another track. We ran over and hopped aboard. It left a couple minutes late at 13:00, and so we returned to Freiburg, arriving at 13:40. We went out to catch another tram to the main intersection of the old city with a fountain, Bertoldtsbrunnen and its statue (1965) modern of the founder, the Duke of Zähringen. We walked south to another gate, Martinstor, that has a McDonald’s.

Martinstor/Martins Gate (GJT)

Martinstor McDonald's and a tram (GJT)

Mom had a fish sandwich and Dad had a Big Mac. I tried a McRib, and with drinks our bill came to about 25 DEM/$9. We walked out through the gate and waited for my dad to take photos. As we waited, a guy crossing the street dropped on of several three-packs of beer he was carrying. One bottle burst. The guy kicked the pack and another bottle burst, spraying beer all over a lady standing on the corner! There was beer and broken glass all over.

Insel area (GJT)

We walked along the couple of streets with canals in Insel, then returned to the old town, passing a Woolworth’s. We caught the ‘C’ bus out of the city. It passed the new Light Rail Transit/LRT route under construction. Where the construction ended, we got off at the next stop in a residential area of Lehen, which reminded me of an older area like where Elke lived in Münster; lots of flower gardens. We walked along the LRT line, passing mostly university areas with overgrown hedge borders. We walked from a looping right of way to where tracks were already laid, past a graceful bridge. We followed a path for pedestrians and bicyclists right alongside the tracks. We passed the Edith Stein and Max Weber schools, and between them was a sculpture of a giant hose attached to a spigot, with a “puddle” of water at the end!

Gardenschlauch/Garden Hose with Faucet (1983)
by Coosje van Bruggen and Claes Oldenburg

We headed into the city and over a new overpass over the railroad tracks. We started to go up the wrong side where there was still construction, but corrected ourselves. We entered the old town and turned left down the pedestrian shopping street to Rathausplatz/City Hall Square.

New and Old City Halls (GJT)

The street signs were very fancy.

Street signs (GJT)

We saw a couple guys hand-batting what looked like a giant shuttlecock. We followed a Bächle back around the church, past street musicians, to Münsterplatz/Cathedral Square.

Bächle on Franziskanerstrasse (GJT)

Bächle

Street musicians

There were a few market stalls selling sausages, waffles, and flowers.

Market (GJT)

Historisches Kaufhaus/Historic "Department" Store (GJT)

It started to sprinkle rain as we caught the #4 tram out to the suburbs. We passed the fairgrounds and an exhibition hall. We got off at the end for Dad to take some photos, then got right back on the tram to return to the city. Went to the train station to wait for the 18:03 Kaiserstuhl InterCity, but decided to take the 17:50 Direct train. No Zuschlag needed. We arrived in Basel at 18:40, and changed to the 19:15 train to Biel. I had brought chocolate chip cookies, and dried fruits and nuts, with iced tea for a snack. We arrived in Biel at 20:26, and since no one was very hungry we decided to get just soup or something. The train station buffet just had broths and cream of tomato. A café across the street had cream of asparagus or tomato. The Seeland Café had no soups. After a quick stop at the hotel, we walked through the train station and out to the bridge to Nidau to eat at the Trattoria Toscano, even though they only had cream of tomato soup! Mom and Dad had the soup and shared a Margherita pizza, and I had spaghetti alla carbonara. We were given glasses of wine (compliments of the chef?) which was like bubbly white grape juice. We drank it because we were so thirsty! The bill came to about 32 CHF/$16. It was 22:30 when we left to go to the hotel and Personalhaus/staff residence respectively!