The Temparate Rainforest

We moved swiftly onto the small spa town of Baden-Baden. Completely surrounded by the Black Forest it offers a refreshing retreat for wealthy Germans. We managed to find a small traditional German Brauhaus which served up plates full of Goulash, Schnitzel and Sausage which for the first time in a long time defeated me. We then settled in a modern English theamed bar that, during the World Cup, was the scene of the disgraceful antics of the English Footballer's Wags but now in this fine weather it was teaming with people in neatly cut suits.

Awaking the next morning, it was envigorating to look out the window at the sun rising over the dense blanket of trees covering the surrounding hills as far as the eye could see and the streets of Baden-Baden streatching out in long elegant fingers over the floors of the gentle V shaped valleys that converge there.

I took the time to climb to the hights of the surrounding hills and castles, from where on three sides you can see forest and the third the low lying Rhine valley streaching out towards the haze on the horizon. A 5 minute burst of rain on the third day cleared the air as I walked for 7 hours without seeing anything but trees and the occasional youthful stream.