Schwarzwald to Titisee

Decided that it's enough waiting. I will get going early and ride into the Black Forest before the storm picks up.

The Black Forest is a serene landscape, deeply quiet and then suddenly loud with birdsong. I had the feeling of being watched from the woods by some creatures. A pretty cool ride through the forest, getting cooler so it started to rain.

A full day of uphill, climbed up to reach Titisee. By then it was raining and gusting pretty heavily, and I was shivering till I changed out a new warm layer.

Then, Paula this young woman on the street, also in a drenched purple poncho, approached me. She was walking alone with her backpack, and she asked "You are on the road for a while. Right?"

We got out of the rain and had lunch of pizza and flammkuchen together and got chatting. She has a background in geology, and has walked the last few weeks around Lake Constanz. She gets interested in bike touring. And the rain only gets heavier. So does the conversation.

"It is really ekelig out there. Shall we just have a beer instead and take the train out?"

So that's how I put in the work to make the 1000 m long climb up to Titisee, shivering and exhausted. And then I did not get to enjoy the fantastic step downhill. I was probably saved from an accident by this encounter with an interesting stranger.Read more