GERMANY - Feeling a Little Flushed

Today I have been exploring part of the Schwarzwaldbahn - Black Forest Railway - that cuts across the bottom left hand corner of Germany from Offenburg near the French border to Konstanz on the Swiss border.

First stop on the line was Hornberg, a small town, home to German sanitary ware manufacturer "Duravit". They have a Design Centre there that showcases some of their product designs but the thing everyone vists for, is the ability to stand in the world's biggest toilet.

Designed by Philippe Starck in 2004, the world's biggest toilet is a viewing platform from which you can look out. For novelty value you probably can't beat it. 

I've included a pic that has cars in it so you can get an idea of size.

Feeling a bit flushed after that, I got back on the train to the next stop down the line, Triberg and promptly walked into a heavy rain. Needing to stay dry, I did the only thing that you can do in the Black Forest and that's head to a tea shop for some "Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte"

Interesting Cream to Cake Ratio

Triberg is very touristy, blighted by heavy traffic and cuckcoo clock central but I was here because of the railway line. Around Triberg the Schwarzwaldbahn has to undertake a series of large loops to enable to train to climb up to the next station St Georgen, which at 805 metres is the highest on the line. There is a circular hiking trail starting at Triberg station which allows you so safety get up close and personal with the line, with special viewing platforms that allow you to see the line and therefore the trains at three different levels as they wind their way up the hill. The problem is of course at each viewing point you want to see a train go by so you can easily spend a whole afternoon completing the circuit.

Bottom Level

Middle level - You can see all three levels from this viewpoint

Top level

Only one thing to do after that was to get a train to ride up to the summit of the line at St Georgen.

Oh and remember I said Triberg was cuckoo clock central .... Well having visited the world's biggest toilet I just had to stand with the tourists and wait for the world's biggest cuckoo clock to do its thing at 4pm didn't I?