Our apartment has outdoor metal blinds which we were told to close at night. They make the apartment so dark inside that Peter thought he had woken during the night when he heard a loud bang. But no, it was after 9 am and I was still asleep! It is so good not having to get up early. We have no internet at the apartment so no need to stay in bed catching up with what is happening in Australia and New Zealand and elsewhere via the I-pad. After a leisurely breakfast we headed up the hill road behind the apartment which leads directly to the forested areas. First stop was at Mummelsee. This lake is located at the foot of Hornisgrinde, the highest peak at 1163 metres in the northern Black Forest. Unfortunately you cannot travel by car to the peak, but must take the bus and with only three buses a day we were not at the right time. It is interesting that with accommodation visitors get free bus and train transport in the Black Forest. We walked the 300 metres around the lake and then followed one of the forest walks for a while. It was a public holiday so there were many people out with their Nordic poles enjoying the forest. Of course there was a hotel and the customary gift and food shops. There was a bakery with a wood-fired oven where delicious bread was being made. Cuckoo clocks were in abundance. We continued in up the forest road initially to Baiersbronn which is a very pretty village of some 16,000 people then continued on to Freudenstradt which is a bigger town of 23,000. There were many people out enjoying the beautiful sunshine and we had lunch watching children, and a few adults, cooling off in the dancing water in the main square which incidentally is the largest market square in Germany. The Lutheran church behind the fountains is quite unique having two naves and during the 19th century men would sit in one nave and women the other. There was a market on which was very interesting. The food hawkers would fill bags with food stuffs calling out as they added each item then try and sell the bag. A bag is fruit and vegetables for €15, cheeses but unsure of the bag price, cured meats for €20. Peter enjoyed a stop at the lolly stall, then was able to purchase a replacement belt. As we walked back to where we started a large crowd had formed and two guys were serving beer from a barrel and free beers were given out. First time we have ever seen beer being given away in a market environment and Peter said it was a nice draught. The guide book told us that a visit to Bühlerhöhe which is an exclusive hotel was the "place" to see. Apparently it stands at an altitude of 800 metres amongst he forest with views over the Rhine plains. We drive there, parked, walked and then told by a lovely German couple that the gates were locked and video cameras in place. So we will believe the guide book! The road is windy and hilly and there was quite a lot of traffic, including numerous motorbikes and cyclists. At one stage we were followed by vehicle that looked like a Lotus race car with the driver and passenger wearing helmets. They soon zoomed past us never to be seen again. A stop for diesel was necessary and the sign said it was 32 degrees - so nice to be warm and again we were able to enjoy dinner outside on the balcony. Note the price of diesel (which the Peugeot uses) is €1.209 per litre ($A1.76/$NZ1.90) but fortunately we only use about 6.4 litres per 100 kms so doesn't work out too expensive. Friday morning was again a beautiful day so we headed down to the village to explore. There are not a lot of shops but what seems like hundreds of accommodation and restaurant facilities. It is a very pretty village with lots of flowers at this time of the year. Everywhere there are huge storages of firewood for the winter and we thought this homeowner had quite a unique storage system - up under the house eves. The closest biggish town is Achern in Germany with a population of around 25,000. It is a typical large town with a wide choice of shops and facilities. We did not explore, preferring the forested areas, but Peter did invest in a comfy pair of sandals to make walking in the forest much safer than using thongs/jandals. We are amazed at the use of solar panels in Germany. It is common to see the whole roof of a house or commercial building covered with panels. I missed taking a photo of the Aldi shop in Achern which had a full window of data concerning their power generation from the panels on the roof. One building we counted had four rows of thirty six panels and then there were four shorter rows as well. I wonder if they get any sun at all in the winter but you would think with their investment they must. Germany certainly leaves New Zealand lagging behind with solar power generation. In the afternoon we explored Baiersbroon which we had briefly visited the day before. After,the normal browsing, and Peter eyeing the Black Forest gateaux, we made our way along a rural road to take one of the ski lifts operating high up the hill to a restaurant at the top. It would be very popular during the winter months with the massive fire places and seating. The views going up and down on the ski lift were lovely of the village areas. It was also possible to ride down the hill on little braked carts but we gave that a miss. We continued further up the road to a parking area hoping to find the Sankenbach waterfall. We commenced the walk along the forest track but were told that there was little water falling and as it was late in the day we decided not to walk the hour or so. The driver needs their wits about them when driving on the Black Forest High Road (Schwarzwald-Hochstrabe) as there is always a lot of traffic. It seems a very popular area for both cycling and motorbike riding and we can't think of an area where we have seen as many motorbikes. In addition to this there are parking areas for walkers with the overflow of cars parked haphazardly on the road. Combine this with hills, a windy road, lots of cars and walkers and of course the beautiful scenery. Tomorrow we head south towards Switzerland however we will have a further two nights hopefully in the southern region of the Black Forest. So far we have not been successful in booking ahead for accommodation - it is the week-end, school holidays and my lack of German makes ringing ahead difficult. After three 'phone calls all saying they are fully booked we will just try our luck. There will be accommodation somewhere! It will be very hard to beat the apartment we have had in Sasbachwalden.