So I guess that when you are 1,284 meters above sea level the air gets a bit thin and though the atmosphere is crystal clear on a blue sky day, human thoughts are not so much……
The Schauinsland Cable Car is Germany’s longest loop cable car. Compared with the funicular railway at Heidelberg it is uber modern and lifts each car 750 meters over 3.6 kilometres in just 20 gorgeous, peaceful, sublimely smooth minutes. For those with a leaning towards Acrophobia, just concentrate on looking up. Then again perhaps not, it is a very long way up. Better still contemplate the Black Forest and the swathes of tree varieties you see before you. Actually, better still, go on a misty or cloudy day. The view will be totally obliterated by the vapour around. This link will take you to detailed information about the Schauinsland cable car.
Gutsier broads choose the best possible sunshiny day. Once at the top, stop for refreshments or start the shortish walk up to the observation tower.
With a clear sky you can see across to France and the Vosges Mountains, Switzerland and the Alps and further into deepest Germany towards Munich and the Oktoberfest – in October of course.
The two wind turbines in the image are part of 100% green energy which drives the cable car.
Now you have two choices:
Option A
Amble, walk, hike, cycle or run down the mountain
Option B
Take the next cable car down the mountain or
Option C
Return to the Bergstation and have a light lunch – Google offers a 360 ° view of the restaurant Die Bergstation. The restaurant has varied options including a terrace overlooking the valley 3.6 kilometres below. Even on a bright sunny day this was an exposed and breezy place for lunch. We chose a small table on the sheltered side of the Terrace next to the door leading inside.
There are an enormous number of Italian restaurants in Germany. We ordered the Germans take on Pizza. The one on the left is leek and cheese, on the right is ham and onion. They are both on an unleven base which is extremely thin and both were delicious.
Whilst we waited for our lunch to arrive, I noticed wasps trouping into a gap under the woodwork. Having been firmly told to ignore them I watched as they came and left the nest. At times several hovered waiting for a gap in the human traffic before crossing to my left and within 70 centimetres of the table with sustenance for the brood growing within the timber structure. They came and departed without pausing to take advantage of the food and wine on the table top. Unlike their urban cousins these wasps seemed calm and focused.
There is an interesting post on Facebook which argues in favour of wasps – even the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris. With the lack of oxygen at this altitude and the presence of Rotwein a sense of guilt started to overwhelm and the moral dilemma of judging of the actions of other humans when I am guilty of insecticide. Humans have no more right to existence on this planet than any other creature. So, finishing the Rotwein I made a resolution not to trap members of the Vespula vulgaris family under upturned drinking glasses – much to the disgust of my off spring – and will from this point forward release them into the garden …… until I get stung again.
I expect you are wondering where Mount Everest comes into this story. Well bearing in mind the lack of oxygen at this extreme altitude and the effect of German cold beverages, we discussed the height above sea level at which we were dining and considered the comparison with Everest and indulged in a number crunching exercise.
We were sat at 1,284 meters above sea level. The peak of Everest is 8,848 meters above the oceans. Therefore we are sitting at approximately 1/7th of the height of Everest. In simplistic terms another six cable cars such as the one we have just ascended would lift us 8,988 meters – higher than Everest – in 2 hours plus transfers.
The oxygen levels were falling in this rarefied atmosphere.
Now don’t let’s be silly now! The Mad Hatter could be heard commenting at the thought of mustard in the tea pot.
This notion would never work. 8,848 meters closer to the jet stream, the winds would be far too ferocious for a cable car to operate. A far better notion is a tunnel, that is to say 4 tunnels with a significant number of drainage and air funnels. The key calculation is the maximum sea level height bearing in mind the effect of global warming. More number crunching to guestimate how much higher sea levels would be once both polar ice caps had completely melted and the effect of the maximum sea temperature which would add additional volume to the seas and oceans bearing in mind that water expands as it gets hotter. So we may need a geological mathematical engineer for this calculation.
Undeterred by such exactitudes, the project continued by adding a margin of 500 meters and so the entrance to the ‘In’ and ‘Out’ tunnels was determined. The tunnels would have a factor of x ° slope to allow for drainage. The tunnels would extend to the centre of Everest just to the right and left of the summit. At this point two vertical tunnels would create the ‘up’ and ‘down’ cavity for the express lifts. And finally, a glass bottom platform leading from one lift to the other right across the topmost tip of Everest. Tourists would not only reach the summit of Everest, they would be 50 centimetres higher! And literally walking on top of the world. What’s not to love?
Ah you say, but what about the spoil from the tunnels? Not a problem. This would go to level out the ground between Everest and Kathmandu onto which the tracks would be laid for the ‘To’ and ‘From’ railway line to get the Tourists to the destination and back again. And what is more, Kathmandu is 1,400 meters above current sea level so the residents would not need to relocate in the scenario of catastrophic ocean flooding.
What is stopping the tourist entrepreneurs?
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Now, it is a fact that many of the younger generation of Germans and a significant number of older members speak excellent English including the head waiter who, as well as a number of diners, had overheard this slightly loud and completely bizarre conversation. He instructed that two very strong cups of coffee, two oxygen masks and a buddy bottle of oxygen together with the bill were to be taken to Table 7 “Sofort”!
He was keen to reinstate calm order as quickly as possible.
Looking down towards the metal structure which leads the cable cars to and from the Bergstation and across the valley below towards Freiburg and France in the far distance.
Note the men working on this structure as it is suspended above the cable car below and next to the high tensile metal along which the cars travel.
I have a confession to make……. I think I have a florescent jacket fetish….. yikes! Don’t tell the kids!
The thing is, a yellow / bright orange florescent jacket is a warning. It is there to high light the fact that the wearer:-
- Is working in a hazardous environment
- Has authority at a time of danger
- Is controlling or limiting something very powerful
Best of all, if you volunteer to assist with marshalling at public events and wear one of these jackets you can legitimately prevent motorists from flouting the temporary restrictions and spoiling life for everyone else. Yes – ‘No Entry’ means you too!
The other reason florescent jackets are so interesting is that it is not unusual to find people who wear them doing the most bizarre or sometimes outrageously risky things such as working on a structure with no apparent form of restraint and no apparent form of protection in the event of a mishap.
Everything that goes up, must come down. Why it should be easier for a practising Acrophobiaist to descent in a cable car is beyond rational comprehension. However, it is and the views are stunning.
How to get to the Schauinsland Cable Car from Freiburg.
Using your WelcomeKarte take the number 2 Tram from Freiburg to Gunterstal. At the final stop you change and take the number 21 bus from Gunterstal to the Lower Station. The two are dovetailed so there is no missing either. When you get to the ‘station’ queue up to get a ticket which you will get for free when you show your WelcomeKarte. You will need this to pass the barrier which limits the number of people traveling in each car.
Visit the Schauinsland Cable Car website to check that it is open. It closes for a few days each year for routine maintenance. It also closes during bad weather for safety reasons.
If you can visit Schauinsland do, it is a great day out and the air is amazing.
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Next time…. Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
Claudia Bow 