LEG 2 – THE NURBURGRING TO GRINDELWALD
We stayed at a lovely resort near the ‘Ring, and if not for its fame among petrolheads, you would be forgiven for not knowing the existence of a racetrack in the area. Besides the purposes of racing, the region is also known for its stunning natural beauty. Many people come here for hiking and cycling.
And many more folks come here for driving – hard. You’re able to hear the sounds of passing cars on their way to the entrance of the Nürburgring.
Because of its immense size, it’s not possible to see the track in its entirety. You’ll catch glimpses here and there as you watch from the car, but you can never quite grasp the scale of it. It is a mystical and immensely humbling experience to be driving to the Ring – and we haven’t even gotten onto the track yet! That experience itself warrants another article altogether, but here’s my quick summary: It lives up to its reputation of being the most dangerous racetrack in the world!
With the riskiest part of the whole trip behind us and the Alps awaiting ahead, I heaved a silent sigh of relief as we headed to the Black Forest, which was where we would stop before entering Switzerland.
Having eaten lots of Black Forest cakes in my lifetime, my impression of their geographical namesake was of a dark, shady nature reserve that’s quite cold and uninviting – but one that sells rather good cakes. The real Black Forest turned out to be very different – it’s an unendingly sunny and inviting area full of well-manicured hamlets, plus free beer on tap at some walking trails! The cake wasn’t that good, however.
The road to look out for here is Route 500 – from start to finish, it brings you to some of the most scenic parts of the Black Forest. However, nothing prepared me for the Alps when we entered the Jungfrau region, where Grindelwald lay…
