Germany – Solingen and Black Forest (vanlife)
So, finally the Easter holidays were here and with it, a few more days in a row off of work and ready to go “vanying” again 🙂 However this time was different because both of us were heading to different destinations. Leonie went to London with her family and me (João) decided to head to the north of Germany, Solingen (in the Cologne/Dusseldorf area). As I have some family there and my niece in Solingen was having her third birthday on Easter Day, that was my destination. Also, I wouldn’t stay in Switzerland alone all these days.
The goal was to drive a few hours after work and get a place to park the van. Like that I would spend a night somewhere to not drive the whole day at one time, because it would take at least 6 hours. I’m so glad that I have decided to do that because it was so much traffic in both directions. I was almost pretty sure that I wouldn’t get a lot of traffic, because everyone would drive south, to the warmer places (Mediterranean side). However, I was completely wrong. Both ways were totally busy and I spend houuuuurs on the road.
After searching on the park4night app where to park the van to sleep during the first night (somewhere in the Black Forest in Germany), and failing to reach the place I wanted around 9.30, I decided to not still try to find the most beautiful place because it was really late and I was tired. So I just parked.
I could park the van on a high hill next to a not really busy road. The terrain was flat and it was safe to sleep there. Van parked and it was time to warm a soup I bought before starting to drive.
It was a beautiful full moon and the natural light outside was amazing. A really special feeling.
The morning after, as soon as the sun was rising, the scenario was absolutely stunning. I had a view of 180 degrees over some green hills and the Black Forest. Really amazing.
I could take my breakfast staring at this beautiful landscape. This is absolutely one of the best advantages of living the vanlife. Parking anywhere, in beautiful places and being able to enjoy what this world has to offer.
It was time to hit the road again because a long way was still to be done. And it took much longer than I thought. Really. I was stuck in traffic for many many hours, it was really a pain in the ass. I wanted to arrive in Solingen around 14:30 and I needed 3 hours more to reach the city.
After parking the van in a safe place, I took a quick walk in the city with Maria. It was a really warm day (around 27 degrees), and it felt like it was Summer.
Solingen is an industrial city with a lot of foreign people. Since the Middle Ages Solingen has had the nickname Klingenstadt (City of Blades), as scissors, cutlery, swords and daggers were forged here for centuries. There is quite a lot to visit for a small city.
Time went fast and me and my cousins went to have dinner in a Vietnamese Restaurant. I was craving asian food, so we went for it in a place in Haan (which it is in the neighbourhood), called Chau Resto Bar. I totally recommend it. Food and service: 5 stars. They work with buffet or à la carte and have a nice terrace in the back with lounge music. As the weather was so good we decided to stay outside in the fresh air and warm temperatures.
On Saturday morning, as I am an early bird, me and Maria went for another quick walk through the city. After lunch we decided to go to the Schloss Burg, which is a mountain castle over the Wupper Valley. It is just about 10 minutes from Solingen. We went up by teleferic. The ride was quite short and cost 4.50€ per person, for two ways. It is a special place with a lot of history.
In its early days Schloss Burg was the seat of the entire Duchy of Berg before this was moved to Düsseldorf at the end of the 14th century. The castle was almost demolished during a siege by the Swedes in the 30’s War and was left in ruins until the 20th Century.
As soon as we got in, it was really easy to be mesmerized about the whole architecture and the small vintage businesses that are there. Bar, restaurants and handcraft stores give it a medieval feeling.
Before went home we drove a bit around to find a place to fly the drone (as it was not possible to take it up to the Schloss Burg), and we could do it not so far from the place.
Sunday after lunch I decided to start to drive back to Switzerland and spend one more night somewhere in nature. That way i also avoided to drive a lot of hours in a row with a chance to get a lot of traffic again (as people would drive back after the weekend).
So one more time, with the help of the park4night app, I found a place in the country side, next to the Rhein river.
Once again, i understimated the time I would need to reach the place, and arrived after sunset (which was not my goal). When I arrived, the first impression was that it was really quiet there, although from time to time a boat was driving on the river.
I just had time to eat something small, take Maria outside and to go to bed (as it was already late).
And I slept so much that I missed the sunrise too (what a shame!). When I got up the sun was already high and I just sat in the side door of the van and enjoyed my breakfast with the sun shining in my face while listening the river flowing. What a feeling of freedom.
Meanwhile, as another van was parked there, I was talking a bit to my neighbours, which also found the place in the app. They also had a yellow van and an old female dog! What a coincidence 😀
I was not able to film the sunrise, but I was anxious to put my drone in the air and make nice footage and pictures.
Time was running out and I needed to hit the road again because my next stop would be 200 km away: the black forest.
I drove on secondary roads (as i prefer that so much instead of highways), and before reaching the place I was heading for I could already enjoy the wonderful view on the way. Germany also has this enchanted feeling, especially when the topic is nature, forests, valleys and so on.
When I arrived to Triberg, I instantly found a parking spot, so everything went quite smooth (it’s not always like that).
The village is not really big, however, it is super touristic. There were people everywhere, mostly because of the waterfalls (which was the reason I was there too).
Triberg im Schwarzwald is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located in the Schwarzwald-Baar district in the Black Forest. In 2004, it had a population of 5,377. Triberg lies in the middle of the Black Forest between 500 and 1038 metres above sea level.
I walked like 5 minutes until the entry of the forest where the waterfalls are. The Triberg Waterfalls are the highest in the whole country. The ticket to get in costs 5€ for an adult. This time, Maria didn’t need to pay :p
Triberg Waterfalls – Black Forest
The place is gorgeous and the calmness of being there connected with the nature is really special and means a lot to me. Yes, it was a bit crowded but after climbing until the top, i could sit a bit and enjoy the environment and the smell of this forest., while Maria was discovering a bit.
We were walking for more than 1 hour until I decided to go back to the car too and once again hit the road to the final destination: Luzern.
Of course I stayed in secondary roads because the highways were busy. Everyone was coming back from the holidays, and I was not stuck in the traffic. YEEEI.
At the end I drove over 1800km in 4 days and i was exausted. But I am in love with this van life more and more <3
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Peace and love,
João
