One Day in Freiburg im Breisgau
I shall begin with the fact that Freiburg im Breisgau is my favourite German city so far. We fell in love at first sight in 2012 during one of my attempts to do Master studies abroad.
You know, for several seasons in a row I applied and got admitted to various universities all around Germany, but it was only after the fees for the foreign students were cancelled in Baden-Württemberg, and I got my admission to the University of Freiburg that I actually packed my stuff and decided to move.
Not easy as it seems it all went, and I spent many nights in the beautiful city of Freiburg crying my eyes out in a rented apartment. I wasn’t homesick, no. I never felt like home in Russia and was more than eager to stay abroad. The problem was the relationship that didn’t work out distantly and meant for me more than my own happiness.
Nevertheless, I loved the city dearly back then and keep paying my visits again and again, though it’s a rare occasion that I come back somewhere I’ve already been to while there’re still new places to explore.
This time, I wanted to show the city to my sister, as she was really curious about the place where my German life started. We also hooked couple of friends with us. In a nice company, the time went pleasantly fast on the train, and there we were, in Freiburg, the heart of Schwarzwald.
First of all, we (in fact, I) decided to see the Herz-Jesu-Kirche, which imho is the most beautiful church in Heidelberg. Funnily enough, before the very moment I started writing this text, I had absolutely no clue how the church is called. All these years it was known to me as my favourite (in terms of architecture) church in Freiburg.
While observing the church, we met a nice old lady who told us all about the history of it. As the conversation went in German, I obviously didn’t get all of it, but was charmed by the enthusiasm of the lady and nodded politely at every appropriate moment.
Further on, we explored the nearby streets, came by a little weekend market, and strolled across the Hauptbahnhof bridge in search of a decent breakfast. Luckily for us, Freiburg is a great place to be if you love matcha latte, salad bowls, gluten-free cakes, and whatnot healthy food. Right after the bridge we headed down and found the first café to enjoy, mm! Leckerbar. The place has a good variety of coffee and fancy choices of milk that go well with the healthy nutty cakes.
After the nice breakfast we lost ourselves in the Altstadt, and this is the best thing you can do to see all the sweet little streets around you. Mark the stone-block pavement as you walk around because it is unique, and Freiburg claims that no other city in Germany has quite the same paving blocks.
As you walk around in the Altstadt, come to see the Freiburger Münster — a Gothic cathedral founded in 1200. The cathedral looks quite different depending on the weather, from the gloomy dark to light-weight brown. It is definitely worth to have a look inside, and get on top at the observation tower (the thing I do in practically every city I go).
After the cathedral, we headed a bit to the north to explore little shops around, and got stuck in the area for quite a while (three girls on tour, what can I say). Then, we turned to the Schwabentor and curved to the Martin’s Gate. In quite a transcultural fashion (and very remarkable for me), the nicest old building at the gate is occupied by McDonalds.
But don’t hurry to get your lunch there, instead follow us and head down through the Martin’s Gate. As you pass several blocks, you’ll find yourself at the street along the river, at this point turn right and stop at Spaghetteria Pizzeria Bella Italia. This place is the best, honestly! I used to eat there nearly every day while I was staying in Freiburg, and it’s one of the reasons I would like to live there. Food is delicious and prices are surprisingly low.
After some nice food, we continued our walk on the other side of the Dreisam river, checked out Johanneskirche and immersed ourselves into the area of fancy mansions. I think when I move to Freiburg, I’ll live somewhere there. Still full of energy, we decided to finalise our trip with the panoramic views from the Schlossberg.
As you can see, Freiburg differs a lot from how I usually do the trips. No plan, no agenda; here I let the city surprise me and I never get disappointed just wandering aimlessly around.
