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。

站在第一层的平台，整个海德堡尽收眼底。

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！

第二层还有一个大酒窖，大得可以让所有的游客酩酊大醉。

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？

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。

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。

这是现代型的德国钟。

这些更是不像钟的钟。

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。

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。

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。

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