These holiday homes are suitable for groups of 4-8 people

Don't worry – the house doesn't need a deep clean after this game. Instead, it's a relaxing massage game for rainy days or for unwinding at home in the evenings.

Age of players: 4 – 140

Number of players: 4 – 20

Required: Blankets

Game description: One player is chosen to be the Black Forest cherry cake. This player lies on their stomach (or on their back, if that's more comfortable) on a blanket. Another player is chosen to be the pastry chef. Now, 4-5 other players sit or kneel in a circle around the "cake." On the pastry chef's command, everyone massages the cake in a manner reminiscent of the baking process of a Black Forest cherry cake. The "dough" is kneaded (kneading massage strokes), cherries are placed everywhere (light pressure on different spots), the cream is gently spread (stroking motions), chocolate sprinkles rain down (drumming with the fingers), and – oh dear – the cat walks across the cake on its velvet paws! (cat paw movements).

For larger groups, several cakes are "baked" simultaneously.

The Black Forest, with its tall conifers, is shrouded in mystery. No wonder ghosts love to dwell here. Fortunately, there are brave ghost hunters who capture these eerie beings!

Age of players: 5 – 125

Number of players: 4 – 20

needed: Pebbles, sidewalk chalk, flexible branches, possibly some tape. Sidewalk chalk, willow branches, one pebble per player, possibly tape, possibly an hourglass/stopwatch.

Game description: All players paint a (preferably flat) stone with the spooky face of a Black Forest ghost. Then, the players twist flexible twigs into circular ghost-banishing circles, which can be secured with tape if necessary. If suitable twigs are unavailable, straight twigs about 30 cm long can be used as substitutes. The ghost stones are then placed on the forest floor, spaced a short distance apart. Each player receives a ghost-banishing circle and stands – depending on age and dexterity – 50 cm to 1.5 m away from the ghost stones. And then the ghost-catching begins! The ghost hunters throw their banishing circles towards the stone ghosts. If a ghost stone is surrounded by a banishing circle, the ghost is considered captured and removed from the game. If straight sticks are used, the ghost is considered captured if a stick touches it. The game continues until all the ghosts have been captured by the brave ghost hunters.

Variation for larger groups (10 or more people) with an hourglass: The group is divided into two teams of ghost hunters. Each person paints two stones instead of one and places them on the ground. Important: Only sleeping ghosts can be caught. And when do they sleep? That's right, while the hourglass is running! Once the hourglass has run out, it's determined which team caught the most ghosts in that time.

Whee, how the wind whistles when the witches ride their broomsticks around the Kandel mountain! Ever since the summit of the Kandel – Waldkirch's local mountain – cracked open on Walpurgis Night in 1981, an old legend has been revived. According to this legend, the Kandel is the Brocken of the Black Forest, around which the witches ride every year on the night of April 30th. This year, they seem to have learned a new spell of mistaken identity. Are you clever enough to still know who's who? Then try this game, which is just as suitable for a family holiday in the Black Forest as it is as a warm-up activity for groups or seminars.

Age of players: 7 – 127

Number of players:8 – 16

Instructions: Arrange a circle of chairs around one of the sofas in your holiday home. (Tip: Our holiday apartments naturally have enough chairs for bookings. However, if you have additional guests, for example, for a party, just ask.) You will always need one more chair than there are players. All players write their names on slips of paper and fold them. A previously chosen "Head Witch" (or Head Wizard) collects the slips and redistributes them so that everyone has a different name. If the Head Witch is playing, she doesn't look at the slips beforehand and distributes them randomly.

Now divide the group into two teams by drawing lots or counting off – for example, the "Weather Witches" and "Potion Specialists." Then, have two players from each magical team sit on the sofa. The goal of the game is to use witchy cunning to fill the sofa only with your own magical team.

After the head witch calls out, "Abracadabra, Toadleg and Elderberry, nobody knows who's who anymore!", the spell of confusion takes effect. And then it begins! Whoever is sitting to the right of the empty chair can now conjure up a new neighbor by calling out their name. Easy, you think? Hehehe – you have new names and, of course, only respond to those. Now you have to remember who has which name. The sofa counts as four chairs – so you can also request to be placed there if there's an empty seat. Players are conjured into the empty seats until one team has filled the entire sofa and bursts into loud witchy giggles. The winning team then becomes the head witch for the next round, in case you fancy more confusion spells during your family vacation.

For particularly cunning rounds of play, an additional difficulty can be introduced in which the person making the wish and the person changing places each exchange their name cards.

No holiday in the Black Forest is complete without the famous Black Forest cherry cake! To ensure you have time for other things besides baking, even if you're staying in self-catering accommodation, here's a simple and quick, but equally delicious variation of the classic cake that can easily be prepared the day before.

Ingredients for six people in a holiday home

4 chocolate muffins or a similar amount of chocolate cookies,
1 jar of sour cherries,
2 x 500g cream cheese,
1 organic
2 packets of vanilla sugar,
chocolate sprinkles,
sugar or honey to taste.
If no children are present: 1 small glass of kirsch.

preparation

First, mix together quark, vanilla sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice to make a cream, which can be sweetened with sugar or honey to taste. Crumble the muffins or cookies and spread half of them on the bottom of a bowl. If no children are present, the crumbs can be flavored with kirsch. Add a layer of drained sour cherries. Then add a layer of cream, another layer of crumbs, more cherries, and more cream. Finally, generously sprinkle the whole thing with chocolate sprinkles and decorate with a few cherries.

The mock Black Forest cherry cake tastes best when it has chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours.

These snails are made in a flash, as if by magic. On rainy days indoors, they can also be a fun "cooking craft" activity to contribute to a successful family vacation. Kids can help by crafting snail heads and antennae from leftover dough. These puff pastry snails are also a delightful treat after a hike for wild herbs. The Black Forest is rich in meadow-fresh wild herbs. Sorrel, for example, enhances a cheese spread, or a wild herb salad with dandelion and wild orache transforms your plate into a veritable snail meadow.

Ingredients for eight people in a holiday home

1 egg,
2 rolls of puff pastry,
1 tbsp honey (preferably Black Forest honey or fir honey)
, salt, pepper, thyme,
two handfuls of walnuts
, 1 lemon,
2 packages of cream cheese,
1 small wedge of Parmesan cheese

preparation

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-assisted, 200°C conventional). Mix together the cream cheese, salt, pepper, honey, thyme, and lemon zest. Grate the Parmesan cheese and stir in half. Chop the walnuts and add them to the mixture. Roll out the puff pastry, spread it with the cream cheese mixture, and roll it up again. Cut the roll into pieces about 3 cm wide and place them spiral-side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Beat the egg, brush the pastries with it, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for approximately 15-20 minutes.

Alternative for wild herb gatherers: If you have found sorrel during a wild herb hike – e.g. in the Kinzig Valley – you can add a few finely chopped leaves to the cream.