Onion River Exploration Project: Breisach & the Black Forest

St Stephan's Cathedral

Day 6 (4/22/25)

I have to say that the older I get the less tolerant I am to those long flights. I envy people who can sleep on an airplane. By the time we got to Basel, Switzerland and the boat it had been thirty six hours since we had any sleep. We were exhausted. We then had to attend a mandatory safety demonstration and welcome. It carried on way to long and by the time it was finished and it was time to go to dinner we were just too tired so we headed to our cabin and some sleep. That first night was rough, there were a lot of new boat noises and we were starting to wonder if we had made a good decision. The next day however, we arrived at Breisach and toured the Black Forest. The forest was beautiful and we learned a great deal of what it took to live and farm in such a harsh winter environment. It was very important to clear and live on the southern exposure to maximize exposure to the sun. During the winter it was common to house the livestock in the bottom level of the dwelling both for heat and to make it easier to care for them. Lumber of course played a very important function in their economy. We stopped in the beautiful little village of Breitnau where we toured a small rural church (St. Oswald’s Chapel), a Cuckoo Clock shop, and watched a Black Forest Cake making demonstration. To this day Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks are finest in the world. Breitnau was also important because Marie Antoinette stayed there on her bridal procession to France. After we returned to the boat we had our first lunch on board, a quick nap in the sun, and set out to explore Breisach. It was a beautiful day for the long climb up to St. Stephen’s Cathedral which crowns the top of a fortified hill. Although mostly Romanesque, the apse at the east end is Gothic. It was well worth the climb.. Once on top there were great views of the city. By the end of the day we were starting to feel much better about our decision to tour the Rhine.