THE LAST CLIMB
Senior Chris Englert and PeeDee hike through the Black Forest
On the last day before our departure from Europe, PeeDee and I wanted to make it a good one to remember.
We both got a good night’s sleep as we were able to wake up around 9 a.m. for the first time in a couple weeks. After a nice egg and bacon breakfast, we were ready and fueled up for a hike through the Black Forest.
Chris Englert in the Black Forest (Contributed photos)
We took a short train ride to a bus that drove us to the Schauinsland cable car. The cable car then took us to the top of the mountain in small groups of seven per trip. From the cable car, PeeDee and I could look down and see the dense trees that gave the Black Forest its name.
Once the entire group made it to the top, we headed to the restaurant for lunch. Not only were the views from this top of the mountain amazing, but so was the schnitzel. This was the first time I had ever tried it, and from the picture you can see how amazing it was.
Schnitzel from a restaurant in the Black Forest
PeeDee takes a break and enjoys the view.
After lunch, we started our hike that would eventually lead us to the Schniederlihof Museum. Along the way to the house, we stopped by a tower that took five minutes to climb. In one of the pictures, you can see PeeDee on the railing and behind him you can see that the forest goes on and on.
The Schniederlihof Museum
After we left that tower, we made it to the Schniederlihof Museum. The museum is actually a house that was built in 1593. Since 1972, it has been operating as a museum that demonstrates a typical house in the Schauinsland region.
From just walking around this house, it was easy to see the differences between people then and people today. The first thing was the blatant height differences, as it literally caused me to hit my head on the ceiling.
Once I got adjusted to the height differences, I could learn about how hard it was to survive in the past. There was no way to keep the rooms lit, so once the sun went down, the day was over. During the harsh winter, a small bed that is barely a full-sized bed today would be where two adults and three children would sleep just to keep warm.
There are so many things that I learned today and so much that made me grateful for the technology, and high ceilings, that we have today.
I think that this was a great way to end our trip to Europe as it brought the entire group together for a hike, we learned about how people lived in the past and it made me grateful for how we live today.
–by Chris Englert, senior from Cary majoring in finance
June 15, 2018