A small hand reached into the big one and was held tightly by the big hand. “It’s great that you can come together!” The 5-year-old girl whispered to her grandmother and moved closer to her. However, the story told by my grandmother is really creepy: “A huge black hand is groping at the bottom of the lake. Once a swimmer appears, it will catch him and drag him to the deep bottom of the lake.”
Completed in 2014 The forest ranger Kirsten Musuo of the 10,000-hectare Black Forest National Park quietly told us about the terrifying cry of the gray forest owl in the dark. In this ancient shelter forest, we are sitting on the edge of the ice dipper lake, the natural scenery is beautiful, and adults can also instantly quiet down-in this mysterious place, people will clearly see their past. This is the source of many legends and stories. We let our thoughts float on the lake, observing the harmonious movement of water, shadows and light almost religiously.
We, my parents and children, my husband and I-the so-called “multi-generation family”, that is, a large family that does not live in one place. Families like us who can only get together during short holidays have been listed as the target customer group by the tourism industry. We want to vacation together. This is an attempt full of uncertainty. Grandpa and grandma like walking and food, and the two children love adventure. My husband and me? Just want a good night’s sleep and a good rest! Can all these needs be met at the same time?
We started our 5-day short trip in the northern Black Forest: strolling in the idyllic scenery, tasting exquisite food, and children can run and play. This is our vision, everyone can get something from this trip. When on vacation, choosing the right destination is the most important thing.
Nowadays, it has become rare for extended families to live together, but our lifespans have become longer and longer, and the duration of various family relationships has been significantly longer than before, such as the relationship between grandchildren and grandparents. At the same time, life-long employment relationships and life-long living in one place have become rare. Often grandparents live in one place, parents and children live in another place. Once children go to college, they usually leave their parents to live elsewhere. The flexibility of where people live has been greatly enhanced, and more and more people hope to feel unity and stability in their families. In recent years, the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren has also received more attention: now about 80% of children have regular contact with (foreign) grandparents, and the demand for “high-quality companionship” is increasing.
Therefore, the most important principle for everyone on vacation together is: a good plan is half the battle. Only when everyone clearly realizes that they need to participate in activities that they are not interested in but will bring happiness to other family members, can the trip go smoothly.
In the scenic “Forest House” hotel, a family house has 3 bedrooms and a balcony overlooking the green scenery. Even the family pet dog Pippa got his own towels and snacks. Dinner is a sumptuous game dishes, accompanied by local wine, it is simply the ultimate delicious. The breakfast buffet also meets everyone’s needs. “Mom, there is a huge juicer here, you can squeeze orange juice!” Teo shouted. The dining room is full of big family like us.
”For us, planning a multi-generational trip is very simple.” Patrick Schlepp said. He has been a local tourism director for 7 years, and he is also the father of two children. “For example, when strolling, the’family package’ is very important.” The 9 experience trails lead to the local history and legend. Wearing the explorer’s vest issued by the Tourism Information Center, we set foot on the “Wooden Road” and collected wood along the way. Children like it and adults find it interesting.
”Barres” in the valley in the middle of the forest is a local five-star high-end hotel, very happy to host multi-generation families. Our 3 children came to “Barres” to participate in children’s cooking class and learn to make “deceive God dishes”. “Monks from Maulbronn tried to deceive God hundreds of years ago because they didn’t want God to see them eating meat during Lent, so they hid the meat in the dough.” Chef Felix Hanika told the children They explain. The children were wearing chef hats and aprons, spreading flour in front of a relatively short workbench, and putting the dough into the noodle machine.
The “Wild Grass Roaming” in which we all participated has also achieved great success. The guide Ingrid Geiser picks plantain for the children, helps them heal their injured skin, and prepares dandelion soju for the adults.
We stayed at the “Romantic” hotel established in 1927. In the hotel’s two-Michelin star restaurant, my husband and I spent an unforgettable night because the child’s grandparents took on the task of looking after the child. Long live the big family! Under the perfect service of the sommelier, waiter and chef, we enjoyed 13 dishes, talked a lot, and experienced a lot, and we really got a break.
The next day, the luggage is ready. When he was about to leave, Mick asked: “Mom, when shall we come to the Black Forest again?”
