Monday 28 March 2016

Closer To Home

After my excursion into unknown territory last weekend, the return visit took place this weekend. Saturday was the warmest and sunniest day we've had all of March (I believe), and of course we made the most of it and went walking for somewhere around 5-6 hours, including a break on a bench where we ate our sandwiches and drank our water (you hear me, YP?).

I only took a handful of pictures, and you've seen the places all before. But I still think these photos convey something of how wonderful the day was.

Before we took off, we enjoyed a luxurious breakfast of apple and plum cakes my guest had brought:



We walked to and around the lake (some would say it is only a pond) near my hometown, Monrepos; I have only just realized that I've not yet posted properly about that pretty part of the area, in spite of me being there rather often.

From there, it is a more or less straight line towards Asperg, the actual goal of our walk. You've seen Asperg before on my blog, at different times of day (and night), for instance here and here.


Click here for a night shot of this same gate.

Now for some panoramic views, looking east and south from the top of the hill towards Ludwigsburg: 


The arrow on the left points to the "rocket" you saw in this post first. The arrow on the right points more or less to where I live; you can't see my house from this angle.


Nearly the same view, just without the tree.


In this picture, the arrow points to the water reservoir you can see close up here.



This tower is called Schubartturm, "Schubart's tower". Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart was a poet, composer and journalist who lived from 1739 to 1791. More than once, he got into trouble for writing critically about religious and political institutions of his time. In the end, he was arrested and spent 10 years imprisoned in this tower. He made good use of the time there, studying and composing music and poetry. (If you want to know more about Schubart, wikipedia has an entry in English.)


The tower is not open to the public, but I think special guided tours are offered every now and then.


We spent some time exploring the place (not new to me, but to my guest) and then walked back. By the time we arrived home, the sandwiches were but a distant memory, and we were very much ready for our dinner. All that fresh air and walking makes one tired in a good way, I find.

On Sunday, my guest left after breakfast and I sat down to finish my translation assignment.
Today, there'll be a small family gathering for Easter with coffee and cake at my parents'. I am looking forward to that, and hope you are having a good Easter Monday, no matter what you are doing and whether or not you celebrate Easter.

18 comments:

  1. Glad you had an enjoyable Easter weekend. Wow, walking 5-6 hours... No way I could manage that nowadays. (Did I ever? I can't remember!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We took a break on a bench and every now and then stopped for the views and/or taking photos, so it wasn't just walk, walk, walk for 5-6 hours. But I can certainly walk for 3-4 hours without needing a break, it simply is the natural use for the human body, the way our spine, hips, legs and feet are designed.

      Delete
  2. That sounds like my sort of walk!
    After the excesses of yesterday's Easter lunch, I think that today will be for walking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds good, Pondside! I hope you'll have walk-friendly weather :-)

      Delete
  3. I love that you have Easter Monday, a legal holiday. It is a straight back to work day for most Americans.
    I well remember your post showing us the gate at night, when you met your friends. I looked at your post and it was from August of 2011, and that was the month that I began blogging, thanks to you, Meike! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, I remember how I kept pestering you until you finally began your own blog, Kay! That was one of the best pestering (meaning, it brought the best results) I ever did :-D

      Delete
  4. I love the sound of your walks, and I love the photos!

    Normally I can walk all day long with ease, but lately I've been suffering from plantar fasciitis in my left foot. It's awful and I need to see a doctor but I dread the thought of cortisone shots in my heel. And I know that's what's going to happen!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jennifer!
      Sorry to hear about the painful problem with your foot. If the shots help, then I suppose they are "the lesser evil" to deal with... Wishing you a speedy recovery!

      Delete
  5. We don't do enough to make Easter Monday special over here! I really enjoyed reading about your amazing walk -I don't think I could quite manage that or anything close to it these days, but walking is such a blessing, especially when there are beautiful and interesting places to see. One see so much more walking than driving. And the apple and plum cakes look very delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed, being able to walk, and especially in beautiful surroundings, is a blessing. Flitting past in a car can never give you all the detail and impression as walking does, with the scents, sounds of birdsong and so on. But sometimes, a car is still the best option to get from A to B - quickly, and (almost) independent of the weather :-)

      Delete
  6. It was good to go back and remind myself of the old posts and lso to see everything in geographical context.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was in two minds about providing the geographical context, wondering if anyone would actually want to know. But thinking about how I like to know such things about places and people, I decided to add the arrows and explanations.

      Delete
  7. Yes, your photos do convey what a nice day you had, and those blue skies speak volumes. I am envious of your 5-6 hour walk though - with the kids we manage an hour, maybe two at the absolute most, because they (understandably) get so tired. I'd love to walk for longer. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am sure your kids will appreciate longer walks as they grow; we (my sister and I) usually did, until we hit puberty and all of a sudden spending time with our parents wasn't so attractive anymore - but that changed again after a few tumultuous years ;-)

      Delete
  8. Sorry that I have taken so long to check out this post. Another pleasant ramble through your lovely home territory - no doubt sponsored by The Ludwigsburg Tourism Authority! Also I have noted your advice about drinking when out walking. You are a very sensible young woman.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sadly, Ludwigsburg's Tourist Office does not know of me... yet. Maybe I should get in touch with them, as I have done with Ripon where I have had a very nice email exchange with the kind ladies at the tourist information.

      Delete
  9. I am glad you had a nice Easter, and such beautiful weather. The combination of lovely weather, physical exercise and interesting things can hardly be beaten!

    ReplyDelete