Cuckoo for Cuckoo Clocks
After spending an evening in Stuttgart waiting for Alli to return from the U.S., I met her at the airport and we drove down to the Black Forest to meet up with our neighbors from Minnesota (now living in Germany...Katie and Tom in case you forgot). We managed to convince the desk clerk to keep the bar open late so we could catch up over a beer. The next morning after a delightful German breakfast, we toured a clock museum in Furtwangen which provided a historical perspective of the development of the cuckoo clock industry in Germany, as well as the various other clock making aspects that developed concurrently around the world. After the sun was a little higher up (we needed warmth) we went off on a hike to the highest waterfall in all of Germany.
As winter was taking it's sweet time retreating, we had to take a different path to get to the waterfall due to snow/ice covering the normal route. This wasn't a big deal until it came time to head back to the car and we realized we all would have to climb back up the way we came (not a quick walk, nor an easy one). I made the brilliant decision of going back to the car myself taking an unmarked route to avoid about 400 meters of roadway. I am sure I created quite the amusing photo opportunity for those watching below as I scaled the hillside (it was quite treacherous, had Alli been so against walking back herself she surely would have scolded me for even trying). Anyway, I made it back in one piece, and picked everyone up and we made our way to a lakeside lunch (by lakeside I mean a small pond). I had a well-deserved Radler (pilsner mixed with lemonade) and we enjoyed a great Spring afternoon.
The rest of the day was spent seeing more of the sights of the Black Forest, including an old water mill, eating Black Forest Torte, and walking the German countryside. As the next morning was Easter, we attended Easter Sunday mass at a local Catholic church which proved to be interesting as the entire service was in German and none of us really know much of the language. 
Nevertheless, it is a worthwhile experience visiting these old European churches and participating in worship in buildings many hundreds of years old. While we didn't pick up an souvenirs (except maybe a German sugar buzz), it is always nice to see friends no matter how far away you are from home.
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