Those of you who have been reading my blog for some years may remember that, when my parents still had their allotment, my Mum and I used to have a favourite walk together: We took the train for the first leg from Ludwigsburg to Marbach and then walked the rest; about an hour of up and down hills, between fields, orchards and vineyards, through the pretty old centre of Steinheim and on, out of the small town and up the last steep hill until we reached the allotment. There, my Dad would usually be expecting us, table ready with coffee and Brezeln or cake; we would spend the afternoon there (often with me going for another walk on my own towards the nearby woods) before packing up and my Dad driving us all back to Ludwigsburg.
All of this has ended a few years ago, but I fondly remember those times and, for sheer nostalgia, re-walked the same paths earlier this year on my own. Now, at the beginning of September, I suggested it to my sister, and so two Saturdays ago (4th of September), we met up at the train station and took the short train ride to Marbach.
It was a beautiful day, warm enough for shorts and sunny enough for me to wear my sun hat (I don't have sun glasses). My sister had prepared sandwiches for us, I brought drinks, and off we went.
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Looking back towards Marbach shortly after we set off.
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The photographer being photographed :-)
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Autumn crocus - the meadows were full of them!
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A few things along the way have changed, but the walk is still very much as I remember it. We stopped on a bench in the welcome shade of a large tree to have our sandwiches, and then decided not to walk all the way to the allotment (it would have been busy with many people chosing Saturday to work at their allotments, and we did not want to appear like snooping around). Instead, we took a different route back, past Castle Schaubeck (a lived-in castle and winery; click here for their website in English).
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A glimpse of Schaubeck from the road.
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An old gate to Schaubeck park, obviously not used often.
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Old house in Steinheim; a fairytale character could live there.
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We also chose a different route back to Marbach, along the river and skimming the small town of Murr. By the time we reached Marbach, we had almost an hour before the next train would go towards Ludwigsburg. What better way to spend that time by having a refreshing shandy at a beer garden by the river, and a very welcome rest! You can tell that I would have been ready for an afternoon nap - I am not grumpy, just tired, finding it hard to keep my eyes open. But the shandy did its job, and we made our way up the hill to the station well in time for the train.
I saw some sort of bottled "shandy" at the store the other day and immediately thought of you! I didn't buy it but maybe I'll go back and get it one of these days.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful walk!
The best shandy is your own mix, Jennifer - just take a beer you like and mix it with a lemony soft drink, such as "Sprite" or "7Up" or something like that. The proportion is up to you, whether you try a 50:50 mix or 30:70.
DeleteThat seems a long way away to have an allotment - i.e. an extra piece of garden usually for growing vegetables. Most people who have them here prefer them to be as near home as possible. Does "allotment" mean something different there?
ReplyDeleteNo, it's the same meaning here. My parents searched long and hard before they found this one, since they wanted something not too close to busy roads but connected to the water mains and with a little hut where one could even sleep, if so inclined. It was acquired after my Dad retired, and he didn't mind the 30-40 minute drive out there. Had my parents still both be working, it would have never been this one.
DeleteLooks like it was a good walk to share with your sister. I commiserate with you on having a grumpy look due the light being too bright. I can't go outside without wearing sunglasses even on a very cloudy days--much less sunny ones.
ReplyDeleteIt was more like my eyes were drooping because I was almost falling asleep on the spot, Mary :-D
DeleteBut my eyes really are very light sensitive now, more so than before the OPs, and so the sun hat has been a great addition to my summer wardrobe.
It was lovely to share my Mum and my favourite walk with my sister.
Sounds like a lovely day full of memories.
ReplyDeleteIt was, and we made some new memories by taking paths where I'd not walked before, too.
DeleteI love the picture where the photographer is being photographed. I always do that to my daughter and she says I see the paparazzi is following me. Ha-ha, I knew you would say that, the blueberries changed my hair color. You know what happened, I cut my hair myself, I usually do, but this time I made it too short and it sticks out all over, it lookw like Roadrunner. It's also almost all white so I really don't like to take pictures. That's why this time I put on a Halloween wig. I had a beautiful blonde one which I got online but I cannot find it, I've been looking for a year but it's nowhere in the house. Also because my daughter has all those vintage clothing, maybe it's hiding there somewhere. Now she's not into vintage dressing anymore so guess who has to wear those clothes ?
ReplyDeleteThere's worse things than having to wear hand-me-down vintage clothes from your daughter :-) I hope you will show us some on your blog, Francesca!
DeleteBy the way, I forgot to tell you that you look great in your new hair style.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I am sure you look great with almost all white hair, too - I am so pleased that I have stopped colouring mine, should have done that years ago.
DeleteThat's a lovely hike and it is always fun to spend time with your sister! I love to hike with my sister too! :)
ReplyDeleteEspecially when she brings the sandwiches - hers are the best :-)
Delete(Only kidding, of course it is always good to spend time with her, with or without sarnies.)
Looks like a lovely day for it :)
ReplyDeleteIt was warmer than many a day we had all summer, and shade was welcome especially after the uphill bits :-)
DeleteWhat a beautiful and very special walk. Did you share the pictures with your Mum? I bet it brought back many good memories.
ReplyDeleteYes, my sister sent her some while we were still there, asking her to guess where we are. And she reads my blog, so she will also see all your comments.
DeleteIt may not look all that special to others, but to me, it is.
Hello Bonnie, yes, you are right, those pictures brought back many good memories, and I love it, when my daughters let me share their photos.
ReplyDeleteMeike's Mom
I kept telling my sister things like "this is the bench where we always rested for a while" or "this is the spot where we saw a heron" and so on. A true walk down memory lane!
DeleteMeike's Mom - You have two very special daughters and they have a wonderful Mom!
DeleteMeike - I love that it was such a special walk down memory lane!
Hello yonosoymillenium, welcome to my blog, and thank you for taking the time to read and comment. As for following, that is entirely up to you :-)
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what you mean by it cutting you into dice.
What a lovely memory you have of walking with your mother, it looks a lovely route. And what a good dad to be waiting with coffee, cake and car to round off the occasion!
ReplyDeleteMy Dad was always so caring and helpful, he used to do whatever he could to make things nice for my Mum and us. Now that he can't do much at all anymore, we miss our "old" Dad - but we are grateful for still having him!
DeleteWhat a lovely time out in the fresh air Meike - you look lovely in your sun hat BTW!
ReplyDeleteMemories of this type of family outing are so nice - I love how you have always been close to your parents and sister and shared precious time together.
Mary X
Thank you, Mary! Yes, memories are precious, and I guess I will walk that particular walk again every now and then.
DeleteI think that curiosity would have propelled me towards the allotments but that people perhaps wanting to chat might have deterred me. The idea of a refreshing shandy is very appealing though.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that kept us from looking at our parents‘ former allotment was the fact that the entire area is fenced in and not meant to be accessed by just anyone who happens to walk by. The gate is usually open during the day, but people look at you closely if you enter the grounds, if they think you have no business there, they might stop you and ask where you‘re going.
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