Back at the campsite, for birthday breakfast, we had pancakes from probably the best pancake maker in the world (that’s me). Due to a lack of brown sugar, we had only 'normal' pancakes and no cinnamon roll pancakes 🤤🤤🤤, but what can you do? The birthday girl also received gifts, including such amazing gifts as an empty box that was supposed to contain a Ninabella hairbrush. Well, Amazon will handle it. 

Otherwise, this day was mainly one thing: calorie-rich. Besides the pancakes with powdered sugar and maple syrup, there was also a homemade Omnia marble cake (if you don't know what an Omnia is, you haven't missed much), delicious ice cream sundaes in Lechbruck by the lake, and to top it off, a gigantic schnitzel with fries for Mia, a super cheap onion roast for VonVon, and cheese spaetzle for me.

Since nothing works without AI these days, the whole thing is also presented as a comic strip for the lazy readers.

A summer vacation of firsts: our first summer camping trip within Germany (and even in our Swabian homeland), and also the first vacation at all in 13 years not as a family of five, but just as a trio (at least for two of the three weeks). Alex prefers to spend her holiday with her BFF in Cologne while Emma-Sophie stays home alone. Only Mia has managed to overcome her reluctance to go on vacation with her parents. So at least one tradition remains: Mia's birthday is celebrated abroad. 

Monday, August 10: Setup Day

The arrival day or setup day is always a bit 'critical' at the Appenmaier household. The master of the house, usually the epitome of calm, tends to be a little irritable during both the arrival and the subsequent setup of the awning. On the other hand, one must ask: how can someone react when the precise command 'Hand me the pole!' is met with a blank look from the wife, who naturally does not bring the correct pole, or when the daughter, receiving the equally precise command 'Push that', does everything except push the right thing in the right direction? Exactly, one reacts peevishly. Especially when it's over 30°. Ultimately, this setup was also survived without major insults or fights. Let's see how the takedown goes...

Since the arrival was only possible from 2 PM and the setup of the caravan, awning, sleeping tent, camping furniture, grill, fridge, table, chairs, lighting, gas, water, etc. does take a little time, not much traditionally happens on the first day otherwise. Nevertheless, I couldn't resist conducting an initial water check. Result: top. In the evening, we had a first round of Yahtzee and Binokel, and then went to bed early.

Tuesday, August 11 and Wednesday, August 12: Bathing Days

Tuesday and Wednesday proceeded almost identically: early in the morning, my wife and I went to the bakery in Schwangau (30 minutes there, 30 minutes back), followed by a leisurely breakfast, then in random order: chilling, grilling, swimming, playing Yahtzee, playing Binokel, gaming (Darksiders 1 on the Switch 2 (was on sale)), reading, sitting on the phone, and answering the occasional WhatsApp from Unemployed-Arne (the only reason for this blog). 

Plans for the coming days and weeks: Mia's birthday, Neuschwanstein, some hikes, sightseeing in Füssen, Zugspitze, and much more.

However, at today’s “Experience Airport Hanover,” this wasn’t really necessary: there isn’t much going on at security. 😅

The most exciting thing so far: the small Scorpions Museum – including the band’s first cash book. 💸🎸

With six departures in three hours, the chances are pretty good that we’ll arrive in Frankfurt on time. 😇

And from there, things will get serious: Johannesburg and then on to the Victoria Falls. 💪🌍

Africa, here we come! 🐘

Before we can embark on the adventure in Namibia, we unfortunately have to say goodbye to our sweet Raya. Have fun at her vacation spots Gerbrunn & Kirchfembach.

Departure at 14:45 from Wiesentheid, luckily no traffic jam 🥳. Therefore, we arrive at the airport way too early 😅

Now we are waiting for boarding ✈️

So we rolled, sorted, discarded, and broke in the new packing cubes. What a fantastic invention!

Shoes were weighed against each other, the travel pharmacy was put through a strict review, and every item had to face the question: Do I really need you? 😂

The preliminary result:
8.20 kg bag + 3.35 kg backpack = 11.55 kg.

With a permissible 20 kg, there’s still plenty of room to spare.
A rather dangerous thought just before departure. 😇

Tomorrow it begins. 🌍🐘

Unfortunately not for long, as a glance at the weather map subtly warns me: It's going to be a hot 30 degrees with a cloudless sky today.

But first, I enjoy breakfast in the former classroom. It's the best I've had on my journey so far, and I highly recommend it. Here, the sausage isn't displayed all morning on the board but is fresh and local. Today, there's also pickled trout. Super tasty. The star chef Daniel Schmidthaler is personally cooking here. I don’t know him yet, nor have I seen him, but what is offered here is delicious.

Moreover, when you are greeted by the kitchen boy by name, you know you are welcome.

I drink my cappuccino on the terrace, and then we're off. It's already 10:00, darn it.

I put on a jacket, hat, and gloves (socks repurposed) just in case.

The route takes me over Tornowhof-Lichtenberg-Neugarten-Grauhagen-Göhren. The hills in this area are wearing me down. Only the downhill rides compensate a little. My biggest worry, however, is losing my cap. My helmet is safely hanging on the handlebars. 😬

The milestone of elevation is, however, far from reached, as I will later learn from my own experience.

Around 12:00, I want to give my bike a break. By then, I should have reached Woldeck.

There, I inquire about a swimming lake. The local one has poor water quality. No chance or a good sign. I seem to have left the Feldberger Seenlandschaft behind. I try again, and this time a cyclist stops next to me and gives me the tip to head to Helpt. However, with the warning ⚠️ that I would have to conquer a mountain. “Young man, do you know how many mountains I have already left behind?!” “So, this one mountain should be manageable.”

He, however, doesn’t clarify things for me, and together we ride towards my midday destination. Perhaps it’s a guilty conscience or genuine helpfulness that makes him accompany me for a while. I will never find out. Just before he says goodbye, I ask for his first name. I do this to include people in my blog.

In that moment, as he is just about to turn, he seems a bit overwhelmed to me; he starts wobbling with his bike, and for a brief moment, I worry he might crash into something. “Eberhard,” he quickly says, and just like that, our paths separate.

The route to Helpt isn’t in my plans but seems shorter again and thus a hidden gem.

I am really looking forward to the cooling off because I’m already sweating from every pore of my jacket.

Suddenly, I catch sight of a slight rise ahead of me, which, of course, only reveals itself as a significant ascent around the curve. Great… and at lunchtime, no less. I feel like I’m getting off every 10 meters to drink something. When I finally accomplish it and turn around, I can hardly believe it myself. As proof… a photo. My drinking water just about sufficed, but I'm still not at my destination. Where can I refill my water bottle in this little town? No one willingly steps outside in this heat. Only crazy cyclists.😚🚴‍♀️

At that moment, I see a woman smiling at me from a garden. She must have been sent to rescue me.🙏🏼

I ask for some water and am invited inside.

Elena is from Transylvania but has lived in Germany since 1992. Instead of water, she offers me a glass of water with ice cubes. At that moment, I could hug her out of sheer gratitude.🥹

After I’ve returned my body temperature to normal, Elena explains to me about the “rise.” “You’ve actually overcome the highest elevation in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern at 179 meters.”

Silence.

I am of course completely stunned. Eberhard, thank you for leaving me in the dark.

Maybe I shouldn’t have opted for this kind of “shortcut.”

We say goodbye and exchange phone numbers.

By the way, Elena transforms her beautiful garden into a café every Sunday.☕️🏡

A small note humbly hangs from a tree in front of her house.

Thank you very much for your hospitality.🙏🏼

I reach Helpter Lake in 800 meters and cannot believe my luck 🍀. I'm alone, and the lake belongs only to me for the next two hours.

With a blue cap, white ring, a proud drake swore loyalty. Mrs. Duck believed it. But the rascal lost love and patience.

As the lady sat on the eggs sweating and gazing into the water, the handsome drake zipped into the reed and was suddenly gone.

The boarding in Oslo was a bit cumbersome. No wonder with this crowd of vehicles and people. While waiting in line, we get to know Luckas from Haslach. He is traveling by motorcycle. We spend the afternoon on the sun deck. We watch the skills of a jet skier, the flying talents of the seagulls, and enjoy some pleasant acquaintances. We enjoy the evening with a pizza and later an Aperol at the music bar. In the morning, we arrive fresh and lively in Kiel. We quickly bike to the train station and head towards Hamburg. We cycle the last 25 km to Hamburg. Here we experience the thoroughness of the Germans. Part of the bike path is, 'well, not quite like in Norway.' Upon exiting the train station, we hear first, 'the damn cyclists should get out of the way, they are blocking the whole path.' But there are also friendlier people. At Motel One, there is a locked bicycle room in the parking garage with the option to charge the battery. We would like to see a bit of Hamburg, so we go to the Elbphilharmonie. However, the wait for a tour takes too long for us. We are also thirsty, so we decide to go to a bistro next door.

At 9:15 we set off. It was a bit crowded at check-in, but it was fine (it was more crowded behind us🙃). At the airport, we had to kill about 2 hours!!!!!! You surely know those cool conveyor belts at the airport, right? We walked back and forth on them the whole time. That's the best part of the airport. Our plane arrived at 12 o'clock, and by 12:30 we had taken off with the A 350. I watched two movies, Goat and Project Hail Mary. Overall, we barely slept. The snacks were very delicious 😋 🤤. It was cold up there. When we arrived, it was 6:50 in Singapore!!!! So it was already August 5th...

We are back in Germany and making a last stop in my hometown, where I was born 61 years ago in Rostock.

This year, the Hanse Sail takes place here from August 6 to August 9, so we booked in advance at the Baltic Camping and Leisure Park in Markgrafenheide. It is a very large and naturally preserved campsite, where you might have to search for your plot among all the tall trees and maneuver your RV quite a bit. So it's quite natural😉! We pay 45 euros for the night. The site is nice, and the staff is friendly and helpful. There are two restaurants, a self-service and a more or less Italian one, plus a café. The site even has its own cinema, which is fun for the kids. Several large playgrounds are available, making it very family-friendly; therefore, you see many families here! They also have a spa area with indoor and outdoor pools. The sanitary facilities are somewhat limited considering the size of the site, which can lead to queues and waiting times during peak hours. There is always staff on site for cleanliness during the day, which is very positive.

The transport connection to Warnemünde is also good; it's 5 km to the Hohe Düne ferry, and buses run every hour. With the S-Bahn, you can reach Rostock in 20 minutes, and it runs every 10 minutes. If you prefer a leisurely ride, you can take the paddleboat named Schnatermann through the Rostocker Heide to Warnemünde; it takes about 10 minutes to the harbor, and the docking point in Warnemünde is at the old stream.

There are two cozy local establishments near the campsite where you can eat delicious food, especially if you like fish.

I believe I don't need to say anything about Rostock and Warnemünde; these places, along with the entire Baltic Sea, are always worth a visit, even if it's quite crowded and expensive during the Hanse Sail. But just make your own impression.

The sun shines mercilessly even after swimming, and in Oertzenhof I nearly waver, as this little nest actually has a train station. I'm torn, but I reckon I can manage the 10 km.

They will be the hardest.

5 km before Eichhorst, I face a road without any shade in sight.

I remember it from last year, so I truly respect it.

While I assess my chances of survival, I receive a call. I dismiss it but check again just in case it's a life-or-death situation.

The Pasterhof, my next destination, is trying to reach me. So, I call back and am pleased to speak with the owner Elisabeth, whom I remember from last year. No, it's not Elisabeth but a Brigitte. She's actually just calling to let me know that no one is home. The key is here and there…

“Does this mean I won't get dinner or breakfast?” I ask.

Exactly, that's what it means. “But you can drive to the next village to eat.”

“Young woman, I won't be riding another meter on my bike today.” “I've already done almost 50 km, and moreover, I can’t go any further, plus I still have 5 km ahead of me with 100% sunlight.”

Never ever!!!

There’s a pause on the other end, hmm… “Conni will be bringing the animals into the barn later; she might serve you the zucchini soup and something for breakfast.”

A smile spreads across my face. That's what we'll do, and motivated, I take on the last 5 km.

I take the same room as last year, shower, and as it’s way too warm outside, I make myself comfortable in the breakfast room.

I quickly find the coffee machine and coffee.

In the former pastor's room, shelves filled with books adorn one wall, while the other hosts a piano, and in the middle stands an old seat with a curled backrest. Above, three black-and-white photos of former pastors hang.

I enjoy the silence in this large house and am no longer sad to be alone. After all, I can move freely in a stranger's house.😜

I read a few pages in my new book, and as it approaches 7 PM, my stomach makes itself known. I head to the kitchen and snoop around.😀 There are heaps of canned fruits lying around. The fridge is massive and well stocked. A handful of eggs also sit on the kitchen table; how long have they been out in the heat?🤔

If no one comes in the next 10 minutes, I’ll crack them into a pan. My antibiotics, which I still need to take, should definitely kill any germs.

Just at that moment, the heavy front door opens.

Conni, a small friendly woman, steps in and warmly greets me. She immediately begins to lay out the delicacies planned for me. For dinner, I can prepare gnocchi with the homemade zucchini soup. For tomorrow morning, she sets out rolls, bread, butter, cheese, and of course homemade raspberry jam. The eggs are fresh, and there are herbs and fruits in the garden. And just as quickly as she came, she disappears.

After the rain, I settle into the beautiful garden and enjoy my self-prepared meal amidst bleating sheep, quacking ducks, and clucking hens.

Relaxation spreads over me, and soon I feel sleepy. As the animals settle into their sleeping spots, like every evening, I head to my room.

As I visit the bathroom dressed only in my pajama pants and a minimal top, a man walks towards me. 😳

He doesn't introduce himself, but wishes me good night.

I am startled for a moment. Now it makes sense why there was a second key in the box.

Conni comes rushing back in again. She forgot something… oh, and then she says, “and there’s another guest, so you’re not alone, thank goodness.” 😅

No, not that, but a heads-up beforehand would have been nice.

I go to bed and turn my room key around just to be safe.

At night, I can’t really fall asleep. I keep hearing noises. The “stranger” goes to the bathroom three times. So do I. 

Could also be due to the three cups of coffee.🤭

Perfect for cycling and for me. I have become sensitive to light due to the antibiotics and need to avoid the sun. Actually, I should be wearing gloves since my hands are constantly exposed to the sun on the handlebars. At times, it burns like crazy and sometimes it also tingles on my skin like Ahoi Brause.

I set off around 9:00 AM and first head towards Himmelpfort. There I meet Bettina, who offers to accompany me to Lychen. Very nice, I think. But since she doesn't have nearly as much luggage as I do, to put it mildly, she actually has none at all since she lives in Lychen, she speeds ahead of me. I have to exert myself considerably not to be left behind, plus she is acting as the tour guide, from whom I only understand half of what she says due to the speed. I can hardly take any photos either. Still, I reach Lychen about 10 km away in half an hour instead of the planned time.

Altogether, I want today to cover 50 km, no must, to reach ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/yin/landregen-und-fallada-begleiten-mich-durch-die-feldberger-seenlandschafthttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/yin/landregen-und-fallada-begleiten-mich-durch-die-feldberger-seenlandschaftThu, 06 Aug 2026 20:12:00 GMT53.3975230142180113.328242818750011The suitcases have been packed for a looooooong time. 😉 But whether we can handle the journey is another question...            The rabbits are well taken care of, last dinner prepared, everything's ready!!!

Checklist for tomorrow:

• Get up
• Eat
• Change clothes
• Off to the airport 🛫
• Spend about 10 hours killing time
• Have a nice day in Singapore

So many things, can we manage all of this???

That’s the slogan when you look at the website.

From a knight's estate to a place to relax could also fit.

But let's start from the beginning…

My first vacation meal is supposed to be something very special, so I reserve a table on the terrace of the Gut und Liebenberg castle with a view of the park and order a “celery schnitzel with truffle jus.” 😅

And behold, it is unexpectedly delicious. 😋

The lady next to me is having the same meal, and when she, just like me, pulls out a book to read, I can’t help but smile and strike up a conversation with her.

However, since I am only drinking an apple juice spritzer that evening, it will be a rather short night. But perhaps the wine wouldn’t have paired well with the celery schnitzel anyway. 😝

After dinner, I take a little stroll, delightfully through the old park and I get sentimental again.

Don’t just reach for proud roses, don't think too much of it.

Know that even the small flowers make a beautiful bouquet. 💐

During my walk, I become acutely aware of my own personal time and take delight in the little things that often go unnoticed in everyday life. The trees providing shade, the animals enriching all our lives… in this moment of awareness, I am quite happy and content. Also, or perhaps because I am alone.

I sleep well in my old room next to the church, whose clock thankfully no longer chimes at the hour, half-hour, or quarter-hour.

After rolling out my mat at 7:30 AM as usual in the park and then having a more than generous breakfast (two croissants 🥐 with all the fixings)

I am set to travel from Liebenberg via Gransee to the stork farm in Blumenow.

35 km in total - 10 km more than yesterday. “Meh.”

The weather could not be better. A mix of sun and clouds.

Once I lose my way. Around noon, I want to take a break, primarily by the water.

It will be Lake Wentow. After cooling off, I reach a kiosk in Seilershof to recharge with a Bockwurst, coffee, and ice cream. I meet Anna, who is also traveling alone and pedaling her rented e-bike from Berlin to Warnemünde. Originally from Munich, she is also searching for places from her childhood.

Shortly thereafter, I reach the stork farm in Blumenow and am greeted by the clattering of the stork couple.

I check into my lodging, and shortly after a shower, I set off for Gut Boltenhof.

There’s still room to cover some distance from today's kilometers.👆

Also, one cannot have dinner in Blumenow.

3 km and half an hour later, I find myself indulging in, hold on tight, Königsberger Klopsen. Delicious. 😋

Barely finished eating, an older gentleman approaches. I suspect he has much to share, and hardly have I thought that when he stops beside me, and we start a conversation.

The conversation ends with a personal tour of his estate and the informal “you.”

“My name is Uwe. ” “I’m Kristine.”

That’s settled then.  

When we enter the manor, I learn something for life. 🤭

Yes, exactly… Caryatids, female figures that serve as supporting columns or pilasters in buildings at portals and windows. 😝

Teach you something, then you can do something.

If you can do something, then you achieve something.

If you achieve something, then you have something.

And if you have something, then you enjoy something.

Max Lindow

I must admit that I had my doubts at the beginning. Going out on the bike again, pedaling kilometers again, the same route again?

Well, last year with a car and a bike.

However, my ambition to cover the distance exclusively by bike was stronger. And my health has recovered after the rehab.

And indeed, once you are out on the bike, you regret nothing and are glad to have stepped out of your comfort zone once more.

I can literally feel the explosion of energy, and when a male cyclist overtakes me again and shouts to me as he passes by, “Quite an energetic karbid,” it’s evident.🙄

Yes, I am… fast, wild, adventurous. Thank God🙏🏼

25 km is the starting point today. After I start from Wischer at 9:00 AM, without saying goodbye to my neighbors since they are still sleeping, 🙄 I reach Stendal at 10:00 AM and am in Kremmen by 1:00 PM.

By train.🚃

There I take a break, visit my old school, places from my past, and reminisce about beautiful and wild times. Eventually, I find myself again at Doris and Gisela's garden enjoying coffee and cake.

By now it feels like coming home. Doris must be about the same age as my late mom. 🥹 Perhaps that's why…

Around 4:00 PM, I set off and embark on my Revival 2.0 bike tour.

There is a well-known shortage of many things in this country. Of kindness, skilled workers, but especially of confidence.

But not of soft serve ice cream. Blue and white flags are waving at me from everywhere. And just before I reach my first destination, I spot a sign reading: Soft Serve Butter Biscuit Lemon 🍋. I admit, it's a daring combination, but I really had a strong craving to try it. However, the thought of the delicious dinner ahead on the decadent castle terrace of Gut Liebenberg makes me act sensibly.

However, I didn’t know then that it would only be a “celery schnitzel.”😅

In fact, soft serve 🍦 is about much more than just sugar and flavor. It’s about the feeling of beaming back into the past within seconds. A smell can trigger it, a song. For me, riding over cobblestones and the stench of cow dung inevitably brings about that feeling. The familiar then becomes a luxury good in a constantly changing world.

And the soft serve is part of a whole world of vanished certainties.

Do you remember phone booths, video rental stores, catalogs in the mailbox? Or waiting for your favorite movie on TV?

Being sentimental is, fundamentally, a quiet protest against the passage of time.

And these stories, the more often they are repeated, become friendlier as well. The bad fades in clarity in retrospect, the good gains in color. A kind of survival mechanism of the soul. I don’t exempt myself from this. That's why, allegedly, it always snowed before. 🤭

Our present, after all, is anything but slow, stable, and reliable. Anyone living in such a time inevitably develops a longing for things that do not change. And I am definitely prone to addiction. Perhaps that's why so many old shows are experiencing a revival on television.

By now, not only companies are using this “mechanism.” “Things were better back in the day.” Populist statements are more positively received when sweetened with nostalgia.🍓

Individual soft serve ice cream sentimentality is still harmless.

Communities that collectively cling to an idealized past, trivializing dark capital and idealizing an idyll that didn't truly exist and is no longer contemporary, are stuck in a poisoned present.

What helps against that?

Maybe a “Flutschfinger” or a soft serve.🍦😜 

Flying to the warmth is generally known and popular.

This time, we're flipping the script and traveling north, to the coolness. To Iceland🇮🇸

Right after landing, we'll jump into our little all-wheel drive 'Jimny' and after 2 days of city life, we'll go around the island clockwise and start exploring.

Hotels are booked, bags are packed, and the flight takes off tomorrow.

We're in good spirits and looking forward to a new adventure!

Stay tuned!

Dine❤️Jeff

My shoes had worn soles in places. So I continue hiking northward in a new pair of hiking boots. 

Here I feel the need to look back once more, to remember the first half of the year...

Still in June, I met in the church in Rüeggisberg, Switzerland, two pilgrims who had just begun their journey and confidently declared to me that the way through Switzerland is considered the most beautiful part of the route to Santiago. I cannot accept that: the many kilometers in Spain (already a distant memory), the vast paths across France, all the different regions - each has its charm! And I wonder why there is a division into 'most beautiful area' and therefore also 'less beautiful area'. Why not let every place, every region, every moment stand alone and be appreciated?! 

The solitary, so very wet and rain-soaked (twice) beginning far in the south of Spain and Europe: sand dunes in Parque Natural Estrecho, circling vultures in the updraft, paths, meadows, and places underwater, prickly pears by the wayside, and asking for water at a goat farm high above the Atlantic coast (a beautiful view, but everything was muddy at the end of January), before the actual few kilometers of mud path over the mountain began, which ultimately forced me to give up – for now! By now, that was already half a year ago and seems almost unreal. Just like the second departure, the marches on the roads (as the footpaths were underwater) in the rain; the ride in the police car to the homeless shelter in Jerez de la Frontera. Before I set out again for Spain at the beginning of March, a friend asked me how I was feeling about it now? “I am more relaxed,” I claimed, “more relaxed in the sense of: just wait and be more careful with expectations.” However, at the same time, I was “more distrustful” and “uncertain”: what would await me this time? The lightness and excited anticipation from January did not set in at all. “The greatest danger in life is that one becomes too cautious.” I read somewhere – and I think: should we not gain more trust in life through the experience that it always goes on?! Since I was still holding on too tightly to the planning and the “But I want...”, my painful leg at the beginning of the journey taught me more serenity and a different approach to time, plans, kilometers... Back then, I doubted a lot and was several times close to giving up the entire “Walking through Europe” undertaking with “it obviously is not meant to be!” In retrospect, I think with deep gratitude of the rooftop terrace in Seville and the physically imposed lesson in trust and mindfulness for myself and for the circumstances and needs of the moment.

The closeness to other pilgrims, all the encounters on the Via de la Plata: That was very special and I do not want to miss it. The many skylarks, orange trees, palm trees, eucalyptus, moisture, and rain, the traces of the Romans, joyful rounds, e.g., at Easter in Salamanca - how long ago was that! I remember meeting A., who first asked me 'are you the lady sleeping outside?' - while until then it was still quite rare due to the weather: only later in France did it become more common and in Switzerland the norm...

The way over the Cantabrian mountains in cold, icy wind, snow, and loneliness - a memory from far-off times during the shimmering heat days in June, like from a completely different hike... At some point, the decision not to go to Santiago this time (the 'wrong direction' for this “project”), direction change at the coast - hiking east instead of west! Slipping and falling on the steep, rain-soaked Atlantic coast in northern Spain - how easily could I have injured my foot so badly that I wouldn’t have been able to go further! In deep gratitude, I sometimes look in wonder at my legs: so many steps; and always with a heavy backpack!

Again and again during the hike - especially when I want to take a photo - I become aware of how built-up the landscapes are. In everyday life, I no longer notice it that much; we have become so accustomed to it and overlook much of it: power lines and poles, wind turbines, signs, construction cranes, telephone wires, radio towers, fences, walls, silos, halls, biogas plants, advertising...

The pilgrimage to Santiago continues to enjoy unwavering popularity. Apart from the fact that I prefer to walk away from heavily frequented paths, it is also a kind of “lifeline” that stretches through often rural and deserted areas. However, it often does not seem proportional to me that so many people come repeatedly, over the years, for just a few days to the endpoint of the last section to walk a short piece again until they (some only after many years) reach Santiago. Every time needing a plane, among other things, to return to a place in France or Spain to continue the journey seems questionable to me. Then perhaps rather hike on site?! Those who really hike from somewhere in Europe to northwest Spain for many weeks or months radiate something that characterizes those who truly set out on a longer journey - and it does not have to be the pilgrim's path, nor does it necessarily have to be a marked pilgrimage route at all!

In Tafers, I found the following lines on a 'reflection path' board under the headline 'Experience prayer': 'If you gaze at the sky in wonder - that is a prayer. If you look at the flowers by the way - that is a prayer. If you feel life within you - that is a prayer. If you sense the person beside you - that is a prayer. If you hear a bird sing - that is a prayer. If you accept what the day brings - that is a prayer.' I really like this text. Interpreted like this, I pray almost continuously for all the days, weeks, and months! Only the line 'if you sense the person beside you' makes me thoughtful, because during my solitary hike, I often miss exactly that 'person beside me'. I think of all the many people I had the privilege to meet, even if usually only very briefly. And I think of 'the person within me': I meet myself more and more intensely in this solitude than usual. “The secretive path leads inwards. In us or nowhere is eternity with its worlds, the past and the future.” (Novalis) - in long solitary hours, wandering outside and going inward often blurs strongly, I sometimes return only laboriously from the inner to the outer world or an outer impression suddenly and violently brings me into inner realms, to memories, fears, feelings...

So often I have been asked and will be asked whether it is not dangerous, whether I have not had unpleasant situations, whether nothing has been stolen, I have not been threatened, harassed... whether I am not afraid? Sometimes it seems to me that we (perhaps through our newspapers and news?) are so accustomed to expecting bad, evil, danger. Not that I think they do not exist. Not that I am not grateful, feel safe, and aware of my guardian angels. But: I do not expect it. I set out. I practice trust - and I receive water, I find sleeping spots, I encounter kindness, wonder, helpfulness. Of course, I make sure not to expose myself to unnecessary dangers; but it saddens me that so many people seem to think it impossible for someone to hike for four months without severe or dangerous experiences!

By now, it was once again 'Buen Camino!', I am back on the road, this time in Germany. With the view from the tower of Konstanz Cathedral 'Our Lady' and the reunion with the Gothic figures around the 'Holy Grave' from the 13th century, as well as the crypt beneath the actual church space. On the island of Reichenau, I visit St. George again, this Romanesque church with ancient wall paintings that date back to the 9th century, making it almost the only one from that time preserved north of the Alps for more than a thousand years! Especially the two gossiping women fascinate: a devil marks this sin on a cowhide. The two talk so much about others: that 'doesn’t hold water'...

Shore paths; despite low water levels, continually swimming into the refreshing, clear waters of the lake; hiking over the Bodanrück, the wooded ridge that separates the Untersee from the Überlinger See; sailing on the lake towards the picturesque Überlingen and later walking on the 'Sipplinger Berg' high above the Überlinger See. Here, the glacier that shaped Lake Constance left steep walls of soft molasse sandstone. Here, I dash past the impressive 'glacier mill', a 10-meter-deep, almost circular 'hole' with a 20-meter diameter. Such glacier mills are formed by hard, grinding gravel in water eddies. In the meantime, the glacier mill here has largely overgrown, so its size or depth no longer seems as impressive as it did in the past - pity. Among the Seven Churfirsten, I am surprised by rain: everything smells so fresh! Again and again, there are violent thunderstorms. So I enjoy unique cloud and light moods while roaming in the Hegau volcanic landscape. On the way from Mägdeberg to Hegaukreuz, I encounter several hares and two playful deer. In the twilight of the evening, before the full moon rises big and reddish, the hunters take their positions in sitting stands around the corn fields: here the wild boars cause too much damage and should be 'discouraged'.

The summit of Höwenegg has been completely dismantled, so now a low-lying green-blue crater lake is to be admired. Along the Danube, all meadows were underwater in winter; now they are mowed and dry. From Windegg-Wittoh (almost 900 m high), the view expands over Lake Constance (unfortunately at this time of year without the view of Alpine peaks), into the Hegau, to the Black Forest and to the Swabian Jura. Around Emmingen, old 'plague crosses' stand at four places and remind of the dark times in the 17th century when the plague raged here during the Thirty Years' War. Deeply grateful, I continue towards Tuttlingen, glad not to have to be here in the 17th century!

The climb up was quite a substantial slope, but the effort was definitely worth it. The view from the Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge) was absolutely breathtaking. This bridge offers the most famous view of the fairy-tale castle of Bavarian King Ludwig II, which later served as an inspiration for the logo of Walt Disney Studios. For some of us, including me, it was quite an adrenaline rush because the bridge spans an impressive 90 meters above a deep chasm with a waterfall. With relief back on solid ground, we then bought souvenirs and returned to the car.

We had one last destination for the trip: Regensburg, or as it's known, Ratisbon. However, during the drive, nature called, so we had to find the nearest McDonald's, which functioned as a reliable rescue station. Before we ventured to the sights, we took a small detour out of the city. Béďa was tempting us with a famous ice cream parlor. However, our excitement was in vain as we were greeted at the door by a sign that read Montag Ruhetag (Closed on Mondays). Disappointed, we moved straight to Ratisbon, parked the car in the local shopping center's garage, where we at least got a quick snack.

Next was the exploration of the city center. We walked through a few churches and, of course, couldn't miss the Gothic Cathedral of St. Peter. It had special significance for us, as Berthold of Regensburg rests there, who is the unofficial patron of our previous trip. We eventually concluded our cultural excursion by returning to the car, where we stocked up on some local beer at the shopping center.

Then we just headed to Béďa's family, who provided us with shelter for the very last night of our journey. At auntie's place, we were already awaiting the best possible welcome – a huge tray of fragrant lasagna. They disappeared in no time. With satisfied stomachs (and chilled local beer in hand), we discussed the best experiences from the past days, and with shared memories, we definitively closed our grand traveling adventure.

Maty