Eat, Drink and Be Merry in Staufen, Germany

It's no secret that I love to eat. I also gave myself permission on this trip to eat what I wanted and not worry about the consequences. And I think I did a pretty good job of it!

I have to finish out this series on Staufen by sharing a few of the yummy dishes we ate.
Eating in Staufen was a wonderful experience.

First and foremost we had to check out Cafe Decker.

Walking in the door we were met with glass cases full of wonderful pastries of every description. We wound our way through the bakery and up the back stairs to the covered roof top. A peaceful place to sit over looking the stream below while we waited for our coffee and dessert.

BTW if you take a walk along the river early in the morning you can see the  bakers at work through the windows under the roof top patio.

We were in the Black Forest so of course we had to try the Black Forest cake.

Delicious! 

I've had Black Forest cake at home in the US but it just wasn't the same. If you're anywhere in the Black Forest region please try a piece of this cake!

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte 

The cake was excellent but I have to say I love the coffee over here. I want one of these coffee machines for my house! We even stopped and got coffee at McDonald's on the autobahn and they had a coffee service just like this. We got a good laugh because we NEVER eat at McDonald's back home and we come all the way to Europe and where do we get coffee? McDonald's.
But I have to say that even at a fast food place the coffee was very good.

Next Stop - Lunch!

On the advice of some friendly ladies we met at the hotel we knew we'd have to have lunch at the 

Kornhaus.

Kornhaus cafe is on the square catty corner from the town hall. Reasonable prices in a family friendly atmosphere.

I can't even describe how good the pumpkin soup was. I've had pumpkin soup before but this was different. Milder and so creamy. Topped with real cream and sesame seeds. Oh my gosh. I want a bowl right now!

Kürbissuppe - Pumpkin Soup

John ordered the pancake soup. He said it was very good and I tasted a little bit and agreed with him. A rich beef broth with thin slices of crepes.  The only issue is that you have to eat fast so the pancakes don't get soggy.

Every meal was accompanied by beer (we're in Germany of course!) or wine. Staufen has its own vineyard rising above the town. 

They also have a bottling co-op where several locals produce and sell their own wine.  We stopped and enjoyed a sampling of the best Staufen has to offer.

We couldn't pass up tasting a little schnapps at the Schladerer shop. Even our hotel had a distillery in the back room for making their own schnapps. I learned I can't drink schnapps. It makes my ears burn!

We've come to the end of our time in this perfect little medieval town with its vineyards, castle ruin, delicious food and drink and friendly people.

When you do most of your traveling by foot you don't have to worry about drinking and driving!

So lace up and enjoy yourself!

If you want to see more of Staufen, Germany in the southern most part of the Black Forest check out my other posts...

Gasthaus Zum Hirschner, Staufen, Germany

A Walk Through the Vineyard to Castle Staufen

A Walk Around Staufen, Germany

The Legend of Faust and the Pack With the Devil - Staufen, Germany

Gasthauf Zum Hirschen in Staufen, Germany

Our first taste of Staufen came after arriving at our hotel the Gasthauf Zum Hirschen. It took us much longer than we thought to make our way from Neuschwanstein Castle to Staufen and we arrived late. But it didn't matter.  We were greeted with a warm welcome, sent up to our room and told to get settled in and come back down for a little something to eat and drink.

Beer and onion pie was the perfect end to a very long day.

Even though it was late the small restaurant  on the ground floor of Zum Hirschen was crowded. It appeared to be a friendly bunch of locals. 

John and I shared a slice of onion pie. It was like a frittata with bacon and cheese and onions of course. A great late night snack.

Nancy, Charlie, John and I shared an apartment on the top floor of the hotel. Two bedrooms and one full and one half bath gave us privacy and the common area was a perfect place to plan each day's adventure. 

The bedrooms were small but comfortable.

Views from our apartment.

This is the view looking out the bedroom windows. Beautiful view of the vineyards and the castle ruin on hill.

This is the view from the living room window. Such a variety of rooftops.

Table set for breakfast

 I think it was almost my favorite part of each day. 

This is pretty much what I had for breakfast every morning on this trip. 

A wonderful, crusty hard roll with lots and lots of butter and jam, along with radishes, cucumbers, coffee, juice and an occasional egg. 

I have to say I'd never eaten cukes and radishes for breakfast before but it was an interesting addition to the morning meal.

Dinner

We ate dinner at the hotel outside on the front patio. It was a relaxing, casual atmosphere. 

Zum Hirschen has been in the same family for three generations.  

Dieter along with his wife Isabelle run the hotel. Very nice friendly people.

We are a happy group of traveling companions.

Veal Scaloppine with Lemon

Tangy Potato Salad 

Gasthaus Zum Hirschen is located on the main pedestrian street in Staufen's old town. Just a few buildings down from the town hall and the town square. 

If you're in the Black Forest and make it down to Staufen I highly recommend Zum Hirschen. We hope to go back one day. 

Zum Hirschen

To see more of this lovely town check out these posts.

If you'd like to see more of Staufen see my other posts

Gasthaus Zum Hirschner, Staufen, Germany

A Walk Through the Vineyard to Castle Staufen

A Walk Around Staufen, Germany

Eat, Drink and Be Merry in Staufen, Germany

The Legend of Faust and the Pack With the Devil - Staufen, Germany

A Walk Through the Vineyard to Castle Staufen

Apparently castle ruins are pretty normal throughout Germany. For us though they're a new sight and  provide an interesting destination. As if the town of Staufen wasn't perfect already they have a castle that sits in ruins on a hill, surrounded by a vineyard, overlooking the town.

It's a lovely walk up. 

UP.

 There's that word again! This was a running joke while on this trip. 

Everything was just a 15 minute walk up.

The castle on the hill was built in 850 and given to Lord Staufin in 1111. In 1634 right in the middle of the 30 Years War it was nearly destroyed by the Swedes. Amazing that parts of it still stand.

It was so interesting to see the vineyard on the side of the hill. If we had hills in Florida the first good rain would have washed everything down. Those grapevines must have so pretty strong roots.

OK I'm not sure what to even say about this guy. 

He's guarding the entrance to the path through the vineyard. A little too much fruit of the vine maybe?

This was the view of the castle from our hotel room. So pretty.

There was two ways to get up to the castle. The path straight up and this one that meanders back and forth up the hill. Nancy and Charlie choose to go straight up. John and I took off meandering. It was a nice walk. Steep but not too bad.

It's unbelievable to me that you can just walk up to someplace this old. Walk around at leisure, climb the stairs, walk around the walls. No guards, no admittance fee, no cameras watching you! 

A beautiful view of the town of Stuafen from the top of the castle. I love the variety of rooftops.

Nancy and I enjoy a little rest while the guys explore.

Of course I'll have to tell you about the food in Staufen. But I'll save that for another post!


Lace up and go exploring!


Check out these posts to see more of Staufen

Gasthaus Zum Hirschner, Staufen, Germany

A Walk Through the Vineyard to Castle Staufen

A Walk Around Staufen, Germany

Eat, Drink and Be Merry in Staufen, Germany

The Legend of Faust and the Pack With the Devil - Staufen, Germany

A Walk Around Staufen, Germany

Have you even visited a place and thought to yourself "I could live here"?

That's how I feel about this little town of Staufen at the southern edge of the Black Forest region. 

Staufen is a town that dates back to the Middle Ages yet is modern and up to date.  Full of history, hospitality and great food.

The train station is just a short walk from the town center. 

The town center is a pedestrian area. The only cars allowed are for deliveries and for those staying in a town center hotel. Once you're here you don't really use a car since everything is close by.

The main street of Staufen. 
Cobblestone road and old buildings. The shops are not your typical tourist traps. To maintain the historical integrity the town strictly monitors not only what the shops sell but the color of the buildings and even the type of shutters. This attention to details allows Staufen to shine as a jewel of a town.

This is a close up of the Bachle or little canals that run along the main street. The original purpose was to do with fire protection. Now they are more for the charm and for the children to play in. 

There are several family owned guesthouses or hotels on this main street.

Gasthaus Krone 
This mural tells the story of Gustav Struve and the end of the German Revolution in 1848.

Puppenstuben Museum - Antique Dolls

During the 1800s and early 1900s Germany was a leader in the production of bisque dolls. Many of which were exported to the USA. This little museum on the second floor was stuffed full of beautiful examples of German artistry. The woman running it was very knowledgeable but she spoke very little English and my German was probably even worse. Even so the look around was worth the 4 euro
admission.

The Puppenstuben Museum was right across the street from our hotel.

Hotel Hirschen 
I loved this hotel so much it deserves a post all it's own!

Just a few buildings down from our hotel is the town square.

Marktplatz

Next to the Rathaus Cafe is the Town Hall here you'll find the tourist information center and a small museum


Signs posted around town show the distruction that was caused by an air raid during the war.

The way to the church was blocked with rubble.

 As you can see the area recovered from the air raid. 

The big red bandages are a different story.

As you walk through the old town you'll notice cracks on many of the buildings and these red stickers.

Staufen must not break!

It seems that when the Town Hall was renovated it included the installation of a heat pump. They drilled into the ground behind the Town Hall for the  heat exchanges. Unfortunately the drilling punctured a layer of mineral in the ground that began to soak up water and it swelled like particle board does when it gets wet. As the ground swells it's pushing the buildings up.

They are now drilling behind the Town Hall again hoping to fill in the puncture and stop the problem.

It's a shame that a town that's survived since the middle ages including being bombed during WWII is slowly being destroyed by modern technology.

I'll leave you on a happier note. There is an actual babbling brook that runs through Staufen. You can cross it on one of the many walking bridges in town.

There is so much to see in Staufen.

You can see my other posts about Staufen.

Gasthaus Zum Hirschner, Staufen, Germany

A Walk Through the Vineyard to Castle Staufen

A Walk Around Staufen, Germany

Eat, Drink and Be Merry in Staufen, Germany

The Legend of Faust and the Pack With the Devil - Staufen, Germany

I'll be sharing in a later post about the castle on the hill, the wine production and the food we enjoyed here.

The Legend of Faust and the Pack With the Devil- Staufen, Germany

Staufen in the Black Forest region is a quaint town complete with little canals lining the streets, family owned hotels, a bakery that serves Black Forest Cake to die for and a castle ruin situated on top of a hill surrounded by a vineyard. Toss in an graveyard, an antique doll museum and an old legend and that makes Staufen a perfect place to visit. 

I'll go into more detail about Stuafen in another post but for now I'll share the legend.

Take a leisurely stroll through the lovely little town and just before you reach the main square you'll see the Gasthaus Zum Lowen.

The building is now a guest house but in 1540 it was home to Johann Georg Faust. He was a sort of jack of all trades. Doctor, scientist, fortune teller and alchemist. You know one of those guys who claims to be able to turn ordinary metal into gold? Well the town thought he could do just that. Unfortunately the only thing Faust could do was to blow himself up while attempting this magical feat. 

Of course this was the middle ages and the town folks were sure the devil was involved in this tragedy and a legend was born.

The legend captured the attention Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and he turned it into his famous tragic play Faust. In the play Faust makes a deal with the devil. The devil will serve Faust on earth and in turn Faust will serve the devil in Hell. All kinds of trouble ensues and the devil ends up breaking Faust's neck which is depicted in a mural on the front of the building.

A close up of the mural

You can stay in the Gasthaus zum Lowen and sleep in the very room where Faust lived almost 500 years ago.

Although with the devil and all I'm not sure I'd want to...Would you?


To see more of Staufen check out my other posts.

Gasthaus Zum Hirschner, Staufen, Germany
A Walk Through the Vineyard to Castle Staufen
A Walk Around Staufen, Germany
The Legend of Faust and the Pack With the Devil - Staufen, Germany