October ended on a sunny and mild Saturday. We spent the weekend at my place and went for a walk directly from home. It had been quite some time since I had last visited Asperg castle, and we knew it was going to look nice with the vineyards in full colour and the old stone walls in the sun.
View from the hill of the town of Asperg towards Ludwigsburg:
On top of the hill is a small restaurant, but it was already shut due to the stricter corona-regulations. We brought our own sandwiches and water bottles, and I still had two small bottles of cider in the fridge, leftovers from the summer which needed drinking up, so we put them in our rucksack, too. The tables and benches outside the restaurant were there, and only one other couple sat at the far end of the seating area. We enjoyed our food and drink in the sun; it was one of those moments where you think you could stay there for ever.
A few hours and 16 km later, we were back home in time for coffee and cake. For the evening, we had home-made pizza and my last bottle of rosé; all very leisurely in front of the TV, watching "The Crimes of Grindelwald" on netflix.
One week earlier, on Saturday, the 24th of October, we had also been walking in vineyards - it seems to have been October's theme. This much later in the day, between coffee and sunset, around O.K.'s village; the first picture below was taken at about 4:30 pm, the last one just before 6:00.
That's it - finally, all my October posts are done!
All those vineyards take me back to my New Zealand life. All the sun lifts my spirits from the dreadful gloom, rain and gales we have at the monent.
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to know that my pictures are able to dispel some of the gloom and remind you of your life in NZ.
DeleteI will miss the vineyards too. It is very cold here already as we head into winter.
ReplyDeleteIt is a lot colder here now, too, compared to what it was like when we went on those walks.
DeleteLovely blue skies. Ideal walking conditions. We too take flask and snack with us during lockdown.
ReplyDeleteYes, ideal for walking - and for sitting outdoors for our snacks and drinks.
DeleteAll those blue skies look so lovely in your photos. Hope November will be filled with good hiking days for you (and us!). thanks for the photos!
ReplyDeleteThank YOU for reading and commenting, Ellen!
DeleteNovember has been off to a good start in terms of hiking.
I have an epiphany whenever I see any town from a hill: Your view of Ludwigsburg from Asperg is a thrilling example.
ReplyDeleteThe sandstone castle turret is a call to adventure, Walter Scott or R.L. Stevenson would have written a story about it. It reminds me of Carcassone and the enlightened Cathars, who were exterminated under orders from Rome.
It is a long time since I have stood in a country whose immensity engulfs me, and I miss that feeling. Wherever you are in Scotland you are only a short distance from the sea.
The quietness of these Keatsian autumnal skies haunts me like silent music.
Here is a haiku by Hattori Ransetu (1654-1707).
*Totsu* is a cry of wonder when a Zen student has an ephipany or a moment of enlightenment. Spoken aloud in Japanese, the poem imitates the dry crackle the pawlonia leaf makes as it falls to earth. (*I hate to see the summer go,* as Lee Remick said in the film, Wild River.
hitoha chiru/ totsu hitoha chiru/ kaze no ue.
A leaf falls,
Totsu! a leaf falls,
on the wind.
Others would say the opposite - they would not want to be where the sea is so far away. For me, Ludwigsburg and its surrounding smaller towns and fields are home; I was born here and have lived here ever since the spring I turned six, went to school here (apart from Librarian School) and began my working life in the middle of the city. My grandparents lived here, my parents and my sister live here, and some of my friends. I have been running and walking the streets for decades and seen many changes, not all for the better.
DeleteBut I am blessed in that I have three places where I feel very much at home: Ludwigsburg, O.K.'s village and Ripon.
PS: I forgot to say, if you want to see more pictures of Asperg castle, there are several older posts about it on my blog:
Deletehttps://librarianwithsecrets.blogspot.com/2016/10/mostly-golden.html
and
https://librarianwithsecrets.blogspot.com/2014/02/an-evening-with-friends-revisited.html
Both posts contain links to a few more posts about the place.
Thank you, Meike. I shall follow up these posts.
DeleteIt is a blessing to be living where your parents and grandparents lived, even if the changes are not always for the better.
What gorgeous autumn colors, Meike. And all of your meals with O.K. sound so nice! I like the idea of packing lunches and eating out in the sunshine. And every year I enjoy your beautiful vineyard photos. :)
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoy our vineyard photos, Jennifer! We seem to never get enough of them, and of the views from there. Our packed lunches are always something to look forward to and keep me going when I struggle with the uphill bits ;-)
DeleteYou've taken so many wonderful pictures here! The light was perfect for these pictures and the vineyards just look beautiful. I'm so happy you and O.K. were able to finish out your October in such beautiful weather.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bonnie, it made us happy, too. It was the perfect day for a walk in that area, definitely not one for staying indoors.
Delete