Freiburg, Wednesday 14th May

We got up earlier and there was more choice at breakfast - a seemingly important consideration when staying in a hotel where breakfast is free and a bigger deal than at home! 

We had a day planned at Weil am Rhein, visiting the Vitra campus home to Vitra furniture and the history of design gurus Ray and Charles Eames.  The sideboard in Southwold is made by Vitra and designed by Eames - though disappointingly there wasn't at example in the museum.

Vitra helter skelter

We managed to buy our tickets from a machine at the station in Freiburg and got out at Weil am Rhein and eventually located a very discreet sign pointing to the Vitra Campus.   There was a long walk in the sunshine and plenty of notices direction you to parts of the campus, but none that were very helpful to us. We found a cafe (and had a cold drink), and a Piet Odoulf garden and smart loos, but the first design museum building we found was holding an exhibition about Nike trainers which was not what we were looking for.   We understood that there was a collection of Vitra furniture to see and the helpful woman at the desk directed us back to the start of the campus.  We wandered back past the helter skelter (not tempting!) and found another cafe that we had pretty much ignored at the start.  Now ready for lunch we enjoyed poached eggs on sourdough toast with iron crusts and very good iced latte.   At last we were ready for the furniture but it turned out to be a vast warehouse of shelves, a bit like the reserve collection at the Sainsbury Centre, but firmly behind glass with just a couple of places where you could peep through!   We has to content ourselves with a small exhibition of 'science fiction' related furniture and some chairs and a quick look round an expensive shop!   Altogether a slightly disappointing day, but there were certainly some very interesting buildings on the campus.  Another long hot walk back to the station at Weil am Rhein and then the train to Freiburg. 

In the evening we ate at The Kartoffel Haus where everything contained potato!  It was OK, but only just! 

Evidence of two long walks! 

The Vitra Museum and cafe