Uhm, why are we in France . . .

. . . when we are supposed to spend the day in the Black Forest?! (Ms. stupid navigation system thought we needed a little french along with our cuckoo) SO anywho after our detour we finally got to the Black Forest and I must say despite the cuckooness it sports a spectacular view!

We started at a glass factory where Bailey got to blow her own glass vase. She picked out the colors and we were so impressed with the outcome! Go Bailey!

Next we ventured to the Black Forest Open Air Museum which is an outdoor replica of German farming way back when. The houses, mills, stables, bakery (which is combined with the distillery, so you can bake AND drink to pass the time, those silly Germans) and church have all been built to mirror the ways of the past. We even bought an old fashioned cuckoo clock which the girls will demonstrate for you now. Pay particular attention to the determination of a 3 year old to make her cuckoo work as hard as her sister's, and her reaction when it paid off. So funny! While enjoying the beautiful sunny day we enjoyed brats, currywurst, and pommes for lunch!

Next we saw the largest working cuckoo clock in the world. Just drop 1 euro and you get to witness it in all its glory!

Our last stop was in Triberg with a hike to the famous waterfalls. It was a spectacular view with 3 levels of falls. I got to play with my camera to get some creative shots of the water. Bailey even joined in with my second camera and got great shots as well. We are throwing in mini photography lessons during our wandering. Unfortunately all the bridges over the falls were gated off, apparently a large tree from high up broke and fell, damaging all the bridges below. Still, we were not disappointed in our view.


Here are some of my favorite creative shots of the falls. I'm playing around with the shutter speed to blur the motion of the water which then makes it look misty. Love that effect! The fourth one with the light shining through is great concept, just need to learn how to saturate the colors more so that the greens aren't washed out. The final picture was my favorite of Bailey's shots, she is on her way!




And what better way to end your day than with Black Forest Cake. What a sweet treat to send us on our way back home. Definitely warrants another visit to experience more of what the Black Forest has to offer.

We'll be away for the weekend having more adventures but we will fill you in upon our return with tall tales!