Ilmenau, Erfurt

Sooooo friends of the sun,
Well, more like snow fans.

Another stop on my trip to Germany was my old hometown of Ilmenau and the state capital of Thuringia, where some of my friends still live.

I started with a short stopover in Ilmenau. Here we went through a wonderful snowy landscape to the Lindenberg. One of the most famous bobsleigh routes in Germany ran here and some of these curves are still there and continue to be maintained in order to preserve this route culturally. And I have to admit that I wouldn't have dared to go down these curves. They were really quite narrow and high.

Another walk through the other side of the forest was scheduled that afternoon with another friend and it was a day full of snow and friendship. (Oh - it was pretty frosty too!)

After so much nature and fresh air, the body naturally needs to regenerate and recharge. What better way to do this than with fat and sugar? Exactly - more fat and sugar and a touch of mulled wine on top!

In addition to the walks in Ilmenau and the visit to the Christmas market, I also spent a few hours in the climbing and bouldering halls in Erfurt.

Another great experience was a whole day full of upcycling and product development of our own chalk bags. I can say that I really improved my craft skills that day and it was great to tinker a bit.

It is also a refreshing and empowering feeling when something is repaired by your own hand or made completely new from old things. Another step towards sustainability and I think I may have found another hobby here that I would like to pursue after my travel time.

At the end of my two weeks in Erfurt there was one last visit to the Christmas market and I can sum it up by saying: friendships are so important and an existential part of my mental health.

Thank you for being here!
Your Britta