If you stay in the Black Forest, you receive a Konus Card, entitling you to free travel on local trains and buses.  Being Sunday, we wanted to avoid sharing the road with hundreds of motorcyclists on the famous High Road, so we took to the rails, and rode the S-Bahn train through the Murg Valley.  These jaunty yellow and red trains run once an hour on weekends.  We decided to stay on board until Freudenstadt, then hop on and off as the mood took us as we made our way back.  In some places there is only a single track, making for some interesting timetabling; we soon learned that the times posted on the boards were advisory only. 

The trip through the valley was very pretty.  The first part was through a narrow gorge, and we were treated to bridges, tunnels, and steep sided cliffs.  We had a different view of “our” castle.  There were plenty of small stations to stop at, so there was always something to look at during the hour long trip.  The valley opened up as it neared Baiersbronn, and we could see an inviting bike path between the railway line and the river.

In Freudenstadt we discovered that there is a garden show on, forming an 8 km trail between there and Baiersbronn.  People were lined up in the square beside the dancing fountains, buying their tickets to see the various displays.  Freudenstadt also has the largest enclosed market square in Europe, and some interesting roofs.

At Baiersbronn, we spied a steam locomotive on the opposite platform.  It belongs to Steam Nostalgia Karlsruhe, and makes regular trips along this line through the year.  Along with hordes of steam train geeks, we were able to watch it decouple from the carriages, shunt out of the station then back through it, switch tracks, shunt back into the station, and recouple at the other end.  We watched the water deluge as it prepared to haul its load.  The locomotive was manufactured way back in 1921.  It is the only one of its class in operational condition, and is often used for steam train trips.  The carriages date back to 1936.  You can read about the train here: https://www.uef-dampf.de/joomla_01/index.php/fahrzeuge/triebfahrzeuge/58-311

We decided to walk the 2.7 km along the path, to Klosterreichenbach.  For once when Google told us it was “mostly flat”, it was completely correct!  We were on the Kanalweg, and saw sluices and locks, as well as an interesting garden ornament.  The path was popular with local cyclists enjoying another beautiful late summer day.

After another stint on the train, we got off at Forbach, to see the “historic” covered bridge.  There has been a bridge in this location for centuries, but it was completely destroyed when the French tried to cross it with tanks, during WW2.  There have been several iterations since then, the latest one dating back to 1976.  I guess 50 years is historic.  The setting is lovely, and we lingered in the welcome shade as we crossed. We also admired the quaint station building.

By the time we reboarded for the final time, the temperature had hit the high 20s – as hot as we’ve had on this trip.  Ice cream beckoned.  The weather is predicted to turn showery tomorrow.