我们在德国继续南行,来到了以城堡与大学闻名的海德堡。
海德堡大公曾经娶了英王的女儿,为了庆祝公主的十八岁生日,大公用了一个晚上建立了这个拱门。
有这样一个老公真好,既有爱心,又有能力,这座拱门堪比天上的月亮吧。
我们进了拱门,来到古堡的第一层,从断垣残壁可以推断当年的气势。
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站在第一层的平台,整个海德堡尽收眼底。
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又穿过几道拱门,来到古堡的第二层,那里的楼层更高,房间更多,看得更远。没有想到砖头的地上有个脚印,据说是偷情的帅哥跳窗逃跑时留下的。噢,女人哪,有了豪华的住宅,体己的老公,还嫌不够啊!
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第二层还有一个大酒窖,大得可以让所有的游客酩酊大醉。
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儿子喜欢吃黑森林蛋糕,我喜欢看黑森林景色。位于莱茵河边,黑森林的最高峰是菲尔德山(Feldberg),黑森林地區以布谷鸟钟、黑森林蛋糕、黑森林火腿、蜂蜜和猪肘等而出名。说起布谷鸟钟,女儿眼睛都亮了,整条街都出售布谷鸟钟,去哪家点店好呢?
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当然遵照导游的推荐啦,看看这家店有多气派,房屋上的钟比真人还大。
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这些是传传统的布谷鸟钟,内部有设计精巧的齿轮装置,每到半点和整点,钟上方的小木门就会自动打开,并且出现一个会报时的布谷鸟,发出悦耳的“咕咕”的叫声,所以这种钟也被称为咕咕钟。
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这是现代型的德国钟。
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这些更是不像钟的钟。
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我与女儿商量了一下,决定不买布谷鸟钟。这些钟不仅价格高昂,整天叫着惹人注目,不容易维护啊。
钟店的对面是啼啼湖,湖水清澈,鲜花簇拥。一阵风,一阵雨,什么也阻止不了好玩的女儿,先是在边上涉水,然后干脆脱掉鞋袜下水了。我没有女儿勇敢,只是用手试一下水温,稍微冰凉了一些。
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我们每天跟着导游走,匆匆忙忙地上车,猜测下一个美景是什么。莱茵飞瀑是一个惊奇,不知道有这么一个激流的瀑布,中间还有几块挡道的岩石,岩石上面居然还长着树木,树木居然还绿得非常健康。
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傍晚的时候,我们到达瑞士的第一大城市,知道是那里吗?苏伊士。这是一个漂亮整洁的城市,被称为金融之都,知道什么最特别吗?利马特河中的天鹅!这些洁白神圣的天鹅,为整个城市带来祥瑞之气,女儿则被它们迷得流连忘返。
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17 day trip – day 5
Hotel: five out of five
The hotel was a huge improvement over the last one. Although the room size is about the same, I think that overall the rooms are better. There is a desk, a water cooker, and open-air shower, and… hot chocolate! This was what helped change my mind the most. The open air shower is very interesting. It is a shower, with a mostly flat floor and with no glass and no shower curtains. It also has no wall stopping water from spilling out.
Black Forest: five out of five
Black Forest is a place in Germany. This was the main highlight of today's trip. I went to a small village inside the forest. It is very small, with only one main road, but charming. There is a family inside the village that owns a lot of the buildings there. That includes a hotel inside the village, a hotel outside, a gift shop, and numerous restaurants. Many of the gift shops there, including the one that they own, sell cuckoo clocks. My mom and I went to look at them. Whenever the minute hand is at a particular time, a door in the clock will open and a bird will come out. Some of the fancier varieties also have figures chopping wood, pulling a bell, walking, and other things at certain times. There's even a clock with a water wheel that has actual water! The secret of these is the decorative-looking pinecones at the bottom. Pulling on a chain attached to them will wind up the cuckoo clock. I didn't just look at clocks, though. I went to a lake and waded into a shallow part of it! The water was very cold.
Zurich: five out of five
Zurich, Switzerland, was the next stop. I went there and walked around. A river flows through the city, the way the Thames flows through London. There is a major difference, though: swans! There are many swans in the river. I even saw one up close. They are the size of Canadian Geese, but whiter. They like to preen themselves a lot.
Average: five out of five