Schlossberg and Nature in Freiburg

 My first fifteen days in Freiburg have convinced me that I would gladly spend the rest of my life here. In the first few days of orientation week, Karin from IES introduced us to the concept of "Wellness Walks". Starting from the first Wednesday, IES takes students on weekly walks that help students de-stress, detox, and feel connected to nature and each other. On our first Wellness Walk, we went to Schlossberg. In English, "Schlossberg" means "Castle Mountain".


One of the main reasons I came to Freiburg was the abundance of forests and mountains around it. As soon as you leave the city, you are in the Black Forest, which is exactly where we went on our Wellness Walk. Although the Schloss (castle) wasn't nearly as impressive as other castles in Germany, the views from the Berg (mountain) were breathtaking. After a short but steep hike, we got to a flat viewpoint. And that is when I fell in love with Freiburg for the first time. I could see the entire city from there. Blanketed within tall, grassy mountains, the narrow city stretched into the valley. I could see many vineyards, some of them on the Schlossberg itself. In the distance, I could see the tallest building of the city, the Münster (a historical church). That's when Karin told us that the government does not allow anyone to construct buildings taller than the Münster in order to preserve the beauty and "old town look" of the city.


I found this very fascinating. Having grown up in New Delhi, India and then moving to the US, I have seen nothing but tall skyscrapers in cities of this size. I enjoy the lively and active atmosphere of cities and the natural beauty of the countryside. And Freiburg offers the best of both worlds! I never thought it would be possible to access forests and mountains in an urban setting. Back home, I would have to drive several hours just to go on a hike. But in Freiburg, the Black Forest is just a few minutes away. And although it is a city of almost 250,000 people, it looks nothing like the typical American industrialized city.


I found it amazing how Freiburg and other cities in Europe are beautiful and lively at the same time. I think it sets the perfect example for urban planning in other countries. Looking at Freiburg peacefully seated in the valley, I was able to understand why it is called "The Green City".








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Deposit-Refund Scheme in Germany (Pfand)

Image
 The longer I live in Freiburg, the more I learn about Germany's success in environmental policies and initiatives. I would not be doing justice to Germany's progress in sustainability without mentioning the "Pfand" (deposit) scheme. I learned about it for the first time when I was walking on the streets of Freiburg with an empty bottle of juice in my hand, and a homeless man approached me. I expected him to ask for money but instead, he just pointed to the bottle in my hand. Slightly confused, I handed it to him. Later, I learned that that empty bottle was actually worth 25 cents. As I learned in my Environmental Policy class last week, the Pfand scheme is an example of a deposit-refund scheme. Under this system, consumers pay an added deposit on drinks packaged in plastic or glass bottles at the time of purchase. Upon returning these bottles through special machines which can be found at most grocery stores, the deposit is refunded to the consumers. The bottles are ...
Read more

SC Freiburg Football Club

Image
 One of the most memorable experiences of my semester in Freiburg came in the last few weeks. I decided to go watch Freiburg's soccer club, SC Freiburg, play a Europa League game. It was my first time watching live soccer, so it was a surreal experience. As a tennis player, I have watched many tennis matches before, but their atmosphere is the complete opposite of soccer. In tennis, spectators are expected to remain silent and seated during points, and to be respectful and responsible. In soccer on the other hand, all hell breaks loose! Freiburg fans were shouting and chanting all around the stadium and everyone was loud, rowdy and crazy. And I loved it! It seemed more like a party than a soccer game. Everyone was there to have a good time, and at many points I found myself paying more attention to the chanting fans than the game itself! My favorite part of the experience was the SC Freiburg song, which was played at the beginning and at the end of the game. That song has now becom...
Read more

Weinachtsmarkt und Auf Wiedersehen

Image
 Christmas in Europe is truly one of a kind. Come mid-November and markets are propped up all over cities. These markets, which offer food, drinks and all kinds of Christmas gifts, are called Christmas Markets or "Weinachtsmarkt" in German. Over the last month, I have been to Christmas markets in Germany, France, Switzerland and Portugal. While they were all different, all Christmas markets have delicious crepes, churros and waffles, as well as a hundred different kinds of cheese and chocolate. However, what is really unique about these markets is the hot wine, or "Glühwein" in German. It is prepared by heating wine up and adding spices to it. While I have enjoyed the food and drinks at Weinachtsmarkt, what I love the most about them are the lights and atmosphere. Once the lights are turned on after sunset, Christmas Markets look absolutely gorgeous! That is also when they get the most crowded, but it's still worth it. There are also a lot of talented live perfo...
Read more