Freiburg is someplace I had never heard of before my friend John Neale moved there. I certainly did not have it on my list of places to go. But I am very glad that he did move there, because we enjoyed our stay very much.
Freiburg im Breisgau is located in the south western corner of Germany (map) , the Upper Rhine, capital of the Black Forest. It is 3 km to France and 42 km to Basel, Switzerland. The population is approximately 200,000.
We decided to take the train to Freiburg from Paris in order to see a bit more of the French countryside. I also thought it would be nice to stop in Basel, since I am one of those people who likes to get to any country within reach, even if only short while. I reserved our tickets and seats online, something I was quite wary about doing. It seemed entirely too easy and I was prepared to have to make other arrangements in case the reservations vanished. We had been given until at certain date to pick up the tickets, and our second night in Paris we headed over to the station to get them. We tried at the automatic machine but were directed to a clerk. I gave her our reservation number and she immediately produced our tickets, seat reservations and all. We were quite happy and felt that we no longer had to worry about getting to Freiburg.
Nope.
The next day John bought a paper and learned that the SCNF and RER train systems were on strike in some areas. Over the next several days we kept hearing about the strike spreading. In a totally uncharacteristic mood of optimism, I decided that it would all work out. It did, the day before we were to leave for Germany. Ahhh, the joys of travel!
The day we were to head for Freiburg, we got up early and got a cab to Gare du Nord. The system of train boarding is find your car, haul your luggage on board, try to figure out where to put it. Travelling with two suitcases is a bit of a challenge. However, we found our car and were quite pleased to find that we had an enclosed compartment with a large window, reclining seats and curtains, both on the window and the doors. We joined a Parisian couple heading to a family dinner about an hour out of Paris. They spoke very little English but we managed to converse a bit. They got off and we had the compartment to ourselves for the rest of the trip. Watching the countryside go by was very enjoyable. The fields were full of yellow flowers and it was beautiful. After several hours of this, we came to Basel.The Basel experience was ... interesting. The customs people were very rude and the people we talked to were unfriendly.
The train to Freiburg was very different from the Paris-Basel one. It was very high tech, all silver and glass. The doors were automatic, there were video screens everywhere and it was much faster. However, the air conditioning did not work and we sweltered for the short ride to Freiburg. By then we were happy to disembark and go to our hotel.
A view of Freiberg
I knew John from an insulin pump mail group I belonged to. He saw my pump website when he was setting up his and we quickly realized that we were kindred spirits (read: insane). We emailed for about a year before we decided to visit Freiburg, so I felt like I knew him pretty well. I relied on his guidance for the hotel, and I am so glad I did. We arrived at the Markgräfler Hof and were very happy with what we found. It was a very nice place, close to the Munster and within walking distance of pretty much everything. John came to the Hotel and he and his wife Julia (both opera singers) took us out for a lovely dinner at Greiffenegg Schlößle. It was terrific to meet John in person and we had fun comparing techniques on bolusing for a multiple course meal.
Unfortunately, I found that our room, at the front of the hotel, picked up the noise from the bar down the street (and the boisterous people leaving it at 2 am). In the morning, I asked to move and we were put at the back, in an even nicer, slightly more expensive room. It overlooked a canal and was very quiet. My newfound ability to have my lodging needs met is working out quite well.
We spent lots of time wandering around Freiburg, exploring the many side streets and shops. The streets are cobbles and there are many insets in the sidewalks. There are also waterways, which add up to make a very pleasant experience. 
In the mornings we went to the Munstermarkt for breakfast. The plaza surrounding the Munster was covered by a farmer's market, with lots of fresh veggies, crafts and dried flowers. There were also various food vendors. John worked his way through a variety of sausages on buns, while I stuck to one thing, crepes mit apfelmuss. They are very thin warm crepes, filled with applesauce. They were very good! I tend to find one thing I like and stick to it, which is good, since vegetarians often only get one choice. This started, or at least gets linked back to, 1976, when on a trip to Disneyland, I ate French Toast at IHOP every day for over a week. I just like to eat things I know I like! And won't make me sick, a worry I have much less, after having my very troublesome gall bladder out in May 2001.
The Munstermarkt.
So that was our breakfast routine and we ate lunch and dinner with John and Julia several times. Food in Freiburg was very good, especially at the Markgräfler Hof.
An example of the many insets that are set throughout the town sidewalks
We walked around quite a bit, taking in the lovely town and nice shops. I didn't buy too much. Really! John Neale dragged us through the forest and fed me Ritter Sport chocolate when my blood sugar crashed, addicting me to it. Thanks! He also took us up to Schauinsland, which is a cable car that goes up a mountain.
It was started in 1930 and is the world's first two-way large cable car. There were great views of the area and we had tea and hot chocolate at the summit. We really enjoyed Freiburg and would be quite happy to visit again. It was great to meet John and Julia, and we had a very nice time with them. It was good to have my suspicions about John confirmed - he is nuts, just the way I like my friends.
Then we took the airport bus to the EuroAirport in France, the closest airport to Freiburg. We took Air France back to Paris, which was the nicest flight of the whole trip. I would definitely fly them again for the courteous service and gourmet snacks. We waited at de Gaulle until our flight to London, trying to avoid people smoking, despite the "No Smoking" signs every 2 feet and constant announcements. We (I) did some shopping at Heathrow, almost missed the plane and eventually got home. It was a perfect trip, except that I am, even 2 years later, homesick for Paris. We are definitely going back to stay much longer, someday.
View of Freiburg and the Munster from the Kanonenplatz. More Freiburg pictures from our trip.
Freiburg links
The Muenster in Freiburg im Breisgau: information about the Munster
Freiburg Online: great site with lots of information and wonderful Virtual Sightseeing Tour of Freiburg.
Greiffenegg Schlößle Restaurant Rundgang (Panorama). Look around, because most pictures have one or more links embedded within. They have excellent pictures of Freiburg, including the one to the right (click on it for the link).
