The Black Forest
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The Black Forest Train Seats Travel On all legs of the journey you have reserved seat and carriage numbers which are shown clearly on Passports your ticket. Please ensure your 10 year British Passport is not out of date and is valid for a full three months beyond the duration of your visit. EU, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino or Switzerland Baggage valid national identification cards are also acceptable for travel to Germany. As with most trains, passengers are responsible for carrying baggage onto and off the train. Baggage can be stored on overhead shelves or at the entrance to the carriages. Trollies are available at St Visas Pancras and Paris, but bags do need to be carried British and EU passport holders are not required to on to the platform. Porters are sometimes but not have a visa. always available at St Pancras. Travel Editions recommends a luggage delivery For all other passport holders please check the visa service called thebaggageman, where your suitcase requirements with the appropriate embassy. can be picked up from your home before departure and delivered straight to your hotel; therefore German Embassy: 23 Belgrave Square, London removing the worry about carrying your cases onto SW1X 8PZ. and off the trains. Tel: (020) 7824 1300. Fax: (020) 7824 1435. For further information: Web site: http://www.german-embassy.org.uk. http://www.thebaggageman.com Consulate: Tel: 09065-508 922 (£1 per minute) or (020) 7824 1465/6. Fax: (0171) 824 1449. Opening hours: 0900-1130 Monday to Friday. Labels Please use the luggage labels provided. It is useful to have your home address located inside your suitcase should the label go astray. Tickets You will be issued with a return train ticket. Transfers Please take care not to lose your tickets and please On arrival, transfer by coach to Uhlingen- check that the details on your tickets are accurate. Birkendorf (approx. 2 hours) and Hotel Sonnenhof Your ticket is non-transferable and non-refundable. and Sonnhalde. No refund can be given for non-used portions. Standard Premier on Eurostar tickets is indicated by Special Requests two asterisks in the class type section in the top If you haven’t already, please notify Travel Editions right hand corner. A light meal will be served to of any special requests as soon as possible to allow passengers travelling Standard Premier on Eurostar. sufficient time to make the necessary Standard class Eurostar tickets do not include any arrangements. food or drink on board, although there is a buffet car serving drinks and snacks. TGV tickets do not include any food or drink on board, although a buffet car is available. Accommodation Hotel Sonnenhof & Sonnhalde usually consists of a boiled egg, cold cuts, cheese The 3-star Sonnenhof & Sonnhalde is set in a slices, jam, honey and a large variety of bread rolls. peaceful and idyllic location on the edge of the Black Forest town of Uhlingen-Birkendorf. This rustic family-run hotel offers simple but comfortable accommodation in a tranquil and Drink beautiful setting. Facilities include an indoor The national drink is beer in its many forms. swimming pool, a restaurant serving local food, a Regional flavours vary from light pilsner-type lagers bar, a solarium and good sized, simple rooms with to heavy stouts. Locally produced in the Black private bathroom, hairdryer, TV, telephone and wi- Forest region, the Pils and Hefeweizen of the fi. Please note that rooms do not include coffee/tea Rothaus Brauerei are popular. Or for a lighter, making facilities, so we suggest you bring a travel refreshing drink, why not try a Radler, mixture of kettle if required. beer and lemonade. For more information visit their website German wines are among the finest in the world. In http://www.sonnenhof-sonnhalde.de/ the Black Forest region, Riesling whites and Spätburgunder reds are popular. Kirschwasser, cherry schnapps, used in the famous Food black forest cake, is most often served cold, in a Home to a third of Germany’s Michelin-starred small glass, as an aperitif. restaurants, the Black forest area is famous for its delicious food. Simple Gasthof or café also serve Waiter or waitress service is normal although self- excellent set 3-course menu meals at a more service restaurants are available. Bars can either modest price (available from €10). A soup (typically have table service and/or counter service, although potato) is the most popular starter. The main meal customers will often find that the drinks bought are consists of vegetables or salad, with potatoes or simply marked down on a beer mat to be paid for Knöpfle (or Spätzle – flour and egg based pasta), on leaving. It is customary to tip bar and restaurant and meat with gravy. Schwarzwälder Schinken staff, with an average 5-10%, rounding up the bill. (smoked ham) is a traditional choice for the Black Please note that it is not typical to leave the tip on Forest region. For puddings there is often a sweet the table after paying the bill. More common is to such as a blancmange, fruit or ice cream. tell the amount including tip you want to pay before Cakes and pastries, such as Strudel with the paying (via cash or credit card). traditional apple filling, or the famous Black forest cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte) are normally Meals included in the price of your holiday are: reserved for the afternoon with Kaffee und Kuchen (‘coffee and cakes’) taken at home or in a café. Breakfast – daily The typical German snack, grilled, fried or boiled Dinner – daily 4-course set menu sausages (Bratwurst) with a crusty bread roll or potato salad, are available from snack bars (Wurststand), butcher shops, bakers and cafes. Bread rolls filled with sausage slices, hot meat filling (such as Leberkäse), pickled herring, gherkins and onion rings or cheese are also popular. The main meal of the day in Germany tends to be lunch with a light snack eaten at about seven in the evening. Breakfast served in homes and hotels Destination Steeped in ancient legend and unique cultural Basel heritage, the Black Forest region is a spectacular The city of Basel sits on Switzerland's juncture with expanse of wooded mountains in Germany's Germany and France. The city has an illustrious southwest corner. Soak up the timeless history, littered with notable names ranging from atmosphere, exploring some of the Forest's Erasmus to Holbein to Nietzsche and its patronage fascinating old towns and charming lakeside resorts, can be seen today in the form of many world-class enjoy the colourful fresco decoration of traditional museums and galleries including the Historisches architecture, experience rural life in the open-air Museum and the Fondation Beyeler. Basel old town museums and take in the stunning scenery of is packed with heritage sites, the spectacular 13th Germany’s black forest, a thick canopy of century Münster and its atmospheric cloisters and evergreens, interspersed with turquoise lakes, the Münsterplatz being of particular note. medieval towns, tranquil farmsteads and fragrant vineyards. For more information about Basel: https://www.basel.com/en Places of interest included in the tour: Schiltach, Schwarzwälder Freiburg and Lake Titisee Freilichtmuseum & Triberg One of Germany's most beautiful and historic cities, Schiltach, in the upper Kinzig valley is a stop on Freiburg is a vibrant university town based around a Germany's 'Half-Timbered House Road', thanks to magnificent Gothic Münster (cathedral) built in red the beautiful examples in its medieval inner city. sandstone. With its lovely compact historic centre, There is no better way to get a glimpse into Black fanning out from the cathedral, other sights include Forest life than the Schwarzwälder Freilichtmuseum the university quarter, Rathausplatz and the old (the Black Forest Open Air Museum)! Here there are town market square and morning market. six traditional farm houses to explore as well as The relaxed mountain spa town of Titisee sits on the exhibitions and demonstrations of crafts, customs clear waters of the lake of the same name. The and lifestyle. waterfront promenade is the perfect place for a Triberg is perhaps best known for cuckoo clocks, stroll. especially as it is home to the world's largest. Visit the clock shops as well as the Schwarzwaldmuseum For more information about Freiburg: (Black Forest Museum) which is full of local http://www.freiburg.de/pb/,Len/226394.html artefacts. Konstanz, Lake Constance & Meersburg For more information about Schiltach: The huge expanse of water that is Lake Constance http://www.schiltach.de/en/Home (Bodensee) on the River Rhine is backed by a row of For more information about the Freilichtmusuem: spectacular peaks of the Swiss Alps. http://en.vogtsbauernhof.de/ Konstanz is located on the lake's western shore, For more information about Triberg: right on the Swiss border. A university city, it has a http://www.triberg.de/index.php?id=150 delightful old town dominated by a Cathedral, and many winding alleys to explore as well as historic buildings and three towers of an ancient city wall. A charming medieval city on Lake Constance, Rheinfall and Stein am Rhein Meersburg’s upper and lower towns are The Rheinfall is Europe's largest plain waterfall, pedestrianized, allowing you to wander amongst located on the Upper Rhine in Switzerland, and the half-timbered houses, medieval tower gates provides a truly spectacular sight that has and two castles with ease. captivated tourists for centuries, including JMW Turner and Mary Shelley. For more information about Konstanz: Stein am Rhein, also located on Switzerland's Upper http://www.constance-lake-constance.com/start.html Rhine, has a compact but superb and well preserved medieval centre that still retains an ancient street plan.