The Tale Of The Imposing Schwarzwald

As a kid, I was told the story of two small kids and how they wandered into a forest, narrowly managing to avoid being eaten by a nutty, old witch. I was also told the story of a little lady wearing a red hood who got eaten by a wolf and was rescued by a tracker. While the ending to the latter story, I now know, was a lot less-kid friendly than the modern variation, I know for sure that the setting, Germany's popular Schwarzwald, the black forest, is a prevalent element.

The black forest, called so because of the thick blanket that the countless trees form that immerses anything underneath in a great shadow, is located in the southearn area of Germany. The region in and around Schwarzwald is the birthplace of the beloved cuckoo clock, among a few other, less-known German things. While I found that there are a number of famous sites around the area, what appealed to me the most to the location had to be the forest.

The trees all seemed serene but, as you walk deeper and deeper into the woods, you start to feel just a little bit unsettled. The blackness inside the forest isn't really that bad but there's an eeriness to the place that I can only liken to being put back into your childhood and facing the creature under your bed. There's also a sensation of isolation that, for some people, can be very relaxing, even if you constantly get that nagging feeling that a wolf just might be waiting behind that bush, or the sweet scent you're smelling is coming from some old hag's cottage.