Today is Monday, May 4 and I am finally arriving at Hotel Hofgut a hotel where Maria Antonia actually spent the night. I doubt that it was labeled an adventure resort during her stay. The history of the hotel goes back 500 years and is well known to hikers and for many years people sought sanctuary in this Black Forest.

A Sputtering Start

It is not an easy location to get to if you are not on a tour bus or driving. I arrived at the Hinterzarten train station. The hotel’s information indicated they are five miles from the train station, via taxi or hiking path. Given the terrain, opting for a hike with my rolling backpack wasn’t the best option.

So, to the taxi stand where I learned from a passerby that taxis don’t come by the taxi stand. She spoke a bit of English and indicated that she thought I was in the wrong town. I shared my email from the hotel and she agreed yes, this was the correct stop. A couple on a nearby bench joined the conversation in German. I understood enough to know they were trying to decide what to do with me.

As it turned out, there was an information center around the block. The center called a taxi for me (more a pseudo-uber system) for pickup outside the center.

It was a beautiful five-mile drive surrounded by mountains, evergreens and streams. I wondered how Maria Antonio felt traveling through this area on the edge of the Holy Roman Empire’s domain. Would the beauty of the French countryside ever compete?

A Worthwhile Arrival

Driving in to Hofgut, the first thing I saw was a giant cuckoo clock, powered by a water wheel. I learned that the energy sources at this remote resort are completely self-sustaining and far more advanced than the water wheel.

I was checked in to a room in a newer building, GoetheHaus named for the famous German writer.

Goethe was a guest at Hofgut in 1779, nine years after Maria Antonia’s visit. You will read a bit more about Goethe a few stops down the road.

In addition to that giant cuckoo clock, a shop onsite houses hundreds more. Next door is a shop of exquisite products made in Germany and Switzerland.

As remote as it is, as I am here in low tourist season, this is only the second location where I have heard an American voice. Those voices came from a tour bus that stopped for a brief period of time. They walked about in groups, led by tour guides holding a flag to indicate each group’s nationality or language. When I returned from a brief hike, the bus was gone.

A Solo Hike with Cows for Company

Speaking of hikes, this was a location where I could have used a hiking partner. One of the few drawbacks of solo travel is not having a fellow hiker along when you need one. I have a personal rule not to hike alone. Hofgut has a variety of hiking trails that spread out from the hotel base. I couldn’t resist the temptation this time. To go to the Black Forest and not hike? It didn’t sit well.

So, I headed out on what appeared to be the safest trail for a mile, then returned. I did the same for another of the trails, getting in a meager four miles of hiking, but it was so worth it.

I made dinner reservations far in advance, since it is the only way to get an evening meal at the resort. They served a delicious sausage and rich vegetable dish, all local ingredients. I’m regretting that I didn’t keep the menu for a better description of the local foods and wine.

Other guests appeared to be travelers from other parts of Germany as well as a table of Australians. After a hearty buffet breakfast in the morning, the receptionist called a taxi (which wasn’t really a taxi). The driver was a chatty young man behind the wheel of a Tesla. He talked about the area and told me they used to enjoy a winter ski season. The weather changes in the last few years have sadly almost eliminated that winter season for them.

The train trip continued through the Black Forest and took me on to Freiburg, our last stop in Germany. See you there.