Balingen

we=129:2-on the way

And because the love of my life still has some free time, I'm off to Balingen for the State Garden Show. Sometimes the journey is the destination and every car journey comes to an end. When this then led over the federal and country roads, I was thrilled. There is something magical about seeing Hohenzollern Castle in the distance. We'll definitely take a closer look at them at some point.

We have never been to Balingen before. Parking is free at the train station; really an unknown service. Admission is affordable and, as always, there is a stamp right at the beginning of the circular route so that visitors can leave the site and return to the site a little later at another entrance. Not a new invention, but apparently some people need an explanation for this.

Right at the beginning of the park, women in traditional costumes work on wool fleeces in order to spin them in different yarn counts. Since we also had sheep at home, I am familiar with what happened. The old "scratch" tools used to "comb" the wool separate any impurities from the wool that are still present. Our wool was only cleaned with water beforehand and then "scratched". As a result, the wool fat was preserved. This is also the case in Balingen. The spinning wheels also remind me of my childhood. The ladies are great for chatting, as long as the dialect does not require any further questions.

But then enjoy the beautiful flower borders. The Eyach now and then delivers a soft murmur. A special experience is a "keep cool" station. Cold water mist is sprayed here every two minutes from many small nozzles. It doesn't last long either, but it's pure refreshment.

On the meadows, seating under large parasols invites you to linger. A red plastic house standing on thick, smooth branches is particularly fun for children. Well screwed, it looks like a nest of a different kind. It recreates the water tower of the Zollern Castle. Great idea.

In some places, Stadtwerke Balingen supplied electricity for mobile phones and the like. It didn't work equally well everywhere. In some places, water prevented the sun from charging the modules. Just wipe and it works again. Balingen is much smaller than Mannheim, but has put so many good ideas into this garden show that a trip there is worthwhile.

The accumulation of beanbags, on which the state garden shows BW can be seen for the next few years, is also funny. was fun Even if Balingen is "only" the Landesgartenschau BW and the comparison with Mannheim is more than just limping - a trip would still be worthwhile. And staying overnight is not a big challenge either.

See you soon