Freiburg Reflection

I found Freiburg to be one of my favorite places that we visited on this trip. Partially because of its natural beauty and proximity to the Black Forest, but also because of its relaxed nature and convenient public transport system. This may have also benefited from the small size of the city. I was really impressed with the passive houses and the surrounding district. I have never seen such a large and sustainable area in one sitting and was shocked at the high quality of living that went with it. Walls covered in vines gave the area a clean and fresh look while providing area for biodiversity to flourish. I believe that a key part of sustainability comes from the ability of humanity to cohabitate with other species and provide room for their development. Our tourguide Hans touched on this in the green industry area with his discussion of the local flora and fauna. Particularly, his discussion of how the city protects a specific species of beetle by allowing patches of greenery to grow uninhibited while protecting local species from invasive or introduced plant species. In fact, all across Germany I continued to see life flourish around human development. In Titisee I was amazed at the quantity, variety, and size of the local fish swimming in the waters. As a big fisherman I was quite jealous of how quickly I probably could have caught something, if I had only a rod. while I had assumed that Humboldt county was a biodiverse place, I was wrong. The quanity of aquatic life across the black forest was refreshing and gave me hope for our waterways. While stopping by the atomic cellar, I wandered towards a bridge and saw massive trout swimming underneath.