Freiburg Im Breisgau

Summer at last!  And a gem of a city.  Beautiful 31 degrees every day, almost tropical with inclination to afternoon thunderstorms or rain. 

Immediately on entering the old city there is a different feel to the place, possibly due to the Bächle, the channels in the cobbled streets conducting fast flowing water through the city.  These were a great delight to children who could buy small wooden boats and tow them along the channels while their parents looked at the city’s other sights.

Freibug Münster

Sculpture of The Last Supper

And these are many.  An impressive cathedral, Freiburg Münster (of our Lady) dates from the year 1200.  It was begun in Romanesque style but later construction was very much in the gothic style.  It features beautiful old and contemporary stained glass, a magnificent altar by Hans Baldung.  The cathedral is also known for its beautiful tower and spire, the former accommodating 16 bells, one of which dates from the 13th century. 

A walk around the old city reveals many medieval structures.  I particularly liked the old city gates, Schwabentor and Martinstor and to walk along beautiful old streets such as Konviktstraße and Salzstraße.

Schwabentor

Konviktstraße

Gerberau

And there is a great brewery, Hausbrauerei Feierling in Gerberau, in the old city. They make a very tasty wheat beer.  It took me three walks past to find their biergarten, which turned out to be rather large, just slightly harder to see behind its high wall fronting the street (but that was no excuse really).  They also have a restaurant which had surprisingly good food and great service from young Rebecca, a young student of German and English parents.  I went there on my last night in town and ate pfifferlingen in cream sauce with their house made pasta, the best example of this since my arrival in Germany.

Weizen - wheat beer

Pfifferlingen time again - you can see the biergarten in the background across the street