Ripon 2025: Day 1

Tuesday (29 July) was our first day here. Neither of us slept as long as expected after the exhausting journey, but we had a deliberately slow day altogether.

My room is upstairs. Nothing has changed in here since last year.

The view from my room towards town centre, just a few minutes on foot away.

View from the same window straight ahead to a C of E primary school‘s parking lot. The school is being closed down because there aren‘t enough students to keep it going.

View top down of the bench and table in front of our front room.

Because my sister-in-law had provided us with a starter bag containing bread, milk, butter, jam, tea, coffee, orange juice and shortbread, we didn‘t need to go out before breakfast, but could enjoy a leisurely first breakfast with a view of the road in front of the house, once we‘d rearranged the furniture to suit our needs.

 Front room as we found it; the foldaway dining table can be seen behind the armchair.

We always set the table up in front of the window and move one of the armchairs to another corner.

Food shopping was next, and a bit before 1:00 pm, my sister-in-law arrived. The three of us walked into town and arrived at Oliver‘s Pantry, our go-to place for many a meal in Ripon, ten minutes later.

We pass the Workhouse Museum on our way to Aldi.

We had a table outside and the food was as delicious as always. 

After the meal, we returned to the cottage for tea/coffee and a biscuit. Then my sister-in-law had to go, while my sister and I walked to Mary, my mother-in-law. She lives not far from the cathedral, so it didn‘t take long to get there.

It was nice to sit in her back garden and chat; her cat joined us.

On the way back to the cottage, we went inside the cathedral and were quite impressed with an exhibition of large hand-stitched images depicting Jesus‘ life. Regardless of a person’s faith (or none), the art involved in the design and making the panels is worth respecting. It is called Threads through the Cross, and you can find out more about it here.

That first view of the cathedral is always a special moment.

Back home, it was my turn to prepare our evening meal. I put together a large bowl of leafy salad with bits of cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions and feta cheese. I also made avocado on toast. A nice white wine went well with that. For dessert, we had mousse au chocolat, and for entertainment we watched two episodes of Death Valley with Timothy Spall. It‘s a six episode series with (we think) good actors and witty dialog, very much our sense of humour.

A nice first day all around.

Ripon Road Trip 2025

Yesterday (Monday, 28 July) was supposed to be pretty much a repeat of last year‘s journey as described here.

Apart from us setting off 2 hours later than last year, everything was the same until we reached London.

Spotted in Paris and still wondering what makes that coffee poodleproof.

Getting ready for checking in and border control at the Eurostar terminal in Paris

Getting off the Eurostar in London.

There we were supposed to get on a train from King‘s Cross to Yorkshire. However, a person had been hit by a train between Stevenage and King‘s Cross, which caused a major distuption - no trains were leaving or arriving at King‘s Cross for the rest of the day.

What to do?

Back to St. Pancras, where we had just stepped off the Eurostar, and to the National Railway Ticket Office for information. There, we were told to board a train to Sheffield, from there on to another train to Leeds, and then a local train to Harrogate, where we were due to arrive at 23:16. 

It was the only feasible thing to do, or else we would have had to find accomodation in London for one night and try again the next day, something we really didn‘t want.

In situations like this, having a smartphone is vital - we kept my sister-in-law in the loop so that she knew when to pick us up in Harrogate for the last bit of the journey to Ripon.

It was all a bit stressful with so many people affected by the situation and needing to change their plans same as us, but I must say passengers were very civil, and staff was most helpful and kind.

A selfie of a different kind, taken at around 10:30 pm at Leeds station, before boarding the last of the six trains we were on that day.

Instead of around 10:00 pm, it was almost midnight by the time we opened the door to ‚our‘ cottage. Our landlord had left the lights on to make it more welcoming, and our landlady had put fresh flowers in a vase in the window; both such kind gestures which we appreciated very much.

It felt as always, like coming home.

We retreaded each to our own rooms, unpacked and then went to bed. I was beyond tired and read for half an hour before finally turning the light off at 1:00 am.

Rainy Week

As far as last week is concerned, I can not complain about a lack of rain - apart from Wednesday and Thursday, it rained every day at least for a bit, and some days/nights the rain came down in sheets so that the view from my kitchen window felt like standing behind a waterfall. How much this has actually made up for the lack of water we've experienced before, I can't say; having seen so many fields already harvested in the first half of July, about four weeks ahead of the usual time, makes me think it must have come too late for some crops.

Anyway, what was my week like?

I worked from home on Monday (21 July), spending part of my lunch break on the massage table. After work, I went for my customary walk to Benningen (part of it in light rain, which wasn't a problem since I was wearing my rain coat) and wasn't home long before a thunderstorm brought more rain - and a rainbow.

Reverse order of pictures - this was actually the last one I took on Monday, from my kitchen window.

The sky behind me on my way to Benningen

Harvested field near Benningen

Tuesday (22 July) was rather windy with a mix of sun and rain, and another day working from home. The rain meant that my friend and I cancelled the morning walk we had planned, but I was able to go walking in the evening.

For two days in a row (Wednesday and Thursday, 23 and 24 July) I worked at the office. I have the next two weeks off and therefore it made sense to see my colleagues face to face before that. Wednesday was the nicest day of the week in terms of weather, and I took advantage of the sunshine by walking home from Zuffenhausen.

On Thursday, I went to see my Mum after work. In other news, on that day I bought the first present for this year's Christmas, but I am not going to reveal what it was, or for whom :-)

Friday (25 July) saw sun and rain alternating again. I wrapped up work, which took me until about 4:00 pm, and did my usual cleaning. No shopping for the weekend, since I wanted to make sure to use up my perishable food before leaving for Yorkshire on Monday.

It was about 20 past 8:00 pm when it looked "safe" enough weather-wise to go for a walk which took in the sunset. 1 hour 15 minutes later I was back home.

Reverse order again - last picture of the day...

...and first. I rarely show you the industrial estates of where I live; this is between Ludwigsburg and Asperg.

My Mum and I met up on Saturday (26 July) at a bus stop in nearby Pflugfelden (a suburb of Ludwigsburg, originally a village and several centuries older than the town itself) for their village fête. 

We enjoyed a drink first and were deciding about what to eat when the rain that had been threatening for the last hour or so arrived in full force. There was no way we were going to leave the relative shelter of the pavillion we were sitting under! When the wind picked up and drove the rain sideways, we ended up wet in spite of raincoats and umbrellas, but it wasn't cold and we just remained put until it was over.

Field of barley between Pflugfelden and Ludwigsburg, ready to be harvested.

Afterwards, my Mum felt fit enough to walk home, and we briefly stopped at the cemetery. I was home a little after 5:00 pm and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening reading, playing my favourite computer game, watching TV and of course talking to O.K. on the phone.

On Sunday (27 July), my sister and I went to see our Mum at 3:00 pm for coffee and cake and good-byes before our trip the next morning. Mum had made apple cake, and we enjoyed that while looking out at the mix of sun and rain with rumbling thunder as a background noise.

By the time we went home, it was sunny again but very damp; my sister and I had decided to turn our way home into a bit of a walk, but the warm damp air made it rather hard-going, and so we cut the walk short.

I fetched my big black suitcase from the basement and brushed the dust off (it had last been in use in May, so it wasn't too bad) but started to pack a few things only after I'd watched the main news.

It is already Monday (28 July) as we speak, and I shall finish packing shortly and then make sandwiches for the long trip - it will be at least 10:00 pm before we'll reach Ripon tonight, provided all goes well, but we have planned very generously, allowing for delays.

Windy Week

It was very windy most of last week, and luckily we had some rain. The weekend was hot and humid, so much so that being out for walks really wasn't the best idea.

On Monday (14 July), my trains back from Offenburg were on time and I arrived just as a sprinkle of rain began. It was rather hot and humid, especially during the afternoon when the steam rose from the morning's rain. Still, I went on my standard walk to Benningen after work and enjoyed that, in spite of it being somewhat sweaty.

High Summer in my part of the world

Leftover pizza, fresh bell pepper with basil and avocado with salt and pepper was my evening meal that night.

Tuesday (15 July) wasn't muggy, just a pleasant sunny day with a good breeze - it almost felt a bit like being close to the seaside. After having spent all day at my desk working from home, a walk to Pattonville and back was a good distance to stretch my legs and clear my head.

I worked at the office in Weilimdorf on Wednesday (16 July), and the thunderstorm and short, but heavy rainfall that had been threatening all afternoon finally came down just as I was changing trains in Zuffenhausen. I did have a brolly, but it was no use - the wind was so strong that the rain came sideways, and on the platform, everybody huddled behind the large advertising boards. You can imagine what a crowded train full of people after a long day at work or school, all of them more or less wet from the rain, feels and smells like...!

Anyway, I was in for a nice evening, meeting my Mum and my sister in town. We tried out a recently opened restaurant offering modern Vietnamese cuisine. The food was execellent and the service friendly. 

Afterwards, we moved across the market square to "my" Irish pub; it had stopped raining almost as soon as we'd arrived at the restaurant, and so by the time we reached the pub, beautiful evening sun lit up the market square, and we each had a drink, sitting at a table outside before my sister and I accompanied our Mum to the bus stop and waited until she was safely on the bus.

Thursday (17 July) felt almost like early autumn; it was a windy, much chillier day with fast moving clouds and sun. The evening was warm enough, though, and it kept dry, which was important, since my Mum and I went to a Dîner en blanc.

Are you familiar with this particular type of event? If not, you can learn about it by clicking here - the link will take you to the wikipedia entry.

Many years ago, a Dîner en blanc was held annually in our town, and my Mum and I went a few times. We enjoyed it, although strictly speaking, due to its commercial part (local gastronomy of course wanted to do business), it wasn't adhering to all the "rules".

The person who organised it moved away, I think, and the pandemic would have put an end to it anyway. So for several years, we had not been to a Dîner en blanc.

A month or so ago, on one of my evening walks, I looked at the announcements and information outside the church in our neighbourhood, and found a Dîner en blanc scheduled for the 17th of July, organised by and for the community. The rules were simple - come dressed in white, bring some food; tables, chairs, plates etc. as well as drinks are provided for, to be paid as donations.

Therefore, on that Thursday evening, we arrived a little after 7:30 pm in the courtyard adjacent to the church, where a long dining table was set up, beautifully decorated with fresh flowers and white tablecloths. There was white bunting hung over the buffet tables at the side, and a few people dressed in white were already there.

We found seats, added our contributions to the buffet table and I fetched drinks.

What followed was a beautiful evening with lovely food, chilled drinks and pleasant conversation. There was nothing "churchy" about it, just an introductory speech by the lady who was the main organiser. My Mum and I knew a few of the visitors, but talked to others, too, as was the idea - to get to know neighbours and other members of the community, people you may not meet otherwise.

The evening sky provided soft light, swifts were darting about overhead, French chansons were playing in the background but not too loud; in short, it really was all quite wonderful, and we will definitely go again next year.

Friday (18 July) was a bit warmer, but all week it had cooled off nicely over night so that I could let fresh morning air into the flat, throwing open all windows. The day was spent same as most Fridays, working and then doing the washing and cleaning.

O.K. arrived a little before 10:00 pm, which meant we had our evening meal later than usual, finishing with fresh fig from my neighbour's tree (he's been sharing his harvest with everyone in our two semis for years) and goats cheese.

It was hot on Saturday (19 July), building up to a thunderstorm that didn't fully materialise over us, but we got a little rain and a rainbow in the evening.

For breakfast, we went into town to one of our favourite cafés where my sister joined us. We got a few things from the farmer's market and had an iced espresso. My sister went home after that, while O.K. and I had a stroll in the palace grounds.

You can tell from the state of the grass that we have not had much rain lately.

A rest at home followed. I wanted icecream then, and so we returned into town for that. The icecream was good but I was wary of the many wasps buzzing about - I will never understand why they think they have to buzz around my face and head when what they really want is the sugary stuff from the cup in my hands.

Back home, we had salad and bruschetta for our evening meal - and a rainbow, which of course looked much better in real life than caught on my mobile phone's camera:

Sunday (20 July) was just as hot and muggy as the day before. O.K. and I spent the hours after our late-ish breakfast by looking at places to stay during our September holiday - in fact, we looked at so many different places in the region of our choice that I kept forgetting which ones we'd already looked at and why we had discarded this or that one. We finally settled on one, even though they have room for us only for the second half of our holiday. Phew!

At 3:00 pm, we met at my Mum's (my sister, too) for coffee and cake. Mum is very good at keeping her flat cool even on hot days; it would have been impossibly hot on her balcony, but was good to be indoors and enjoy her freshly baked cake.

A pre-dinner walk afterwards would have been nice, but it started to rain and so we cut that short. By the time we finished our meal and O.K. packed his bags and started the long drive home, it had not really begun to rain properly, and so I thought I'd walk just a little more; but again, big heavy drops were falling, making me turn back after less than half an hour. 

A rather spectacular sunset, as seen from my Third Room/study; again, the colours were much more luminous and intense than what you see in the photo.

The rain arrived properly later that evening, and gusts of high winds were blowing things about outside, banging doors and windows. I kept my windows shut until the wind subsided, and the rain falling on the big leaves of the mulberry tree outside my bedroom window was the last thing I heard.

Read in 2025 - 15: Das grüne Reich

Das grüne Reich

Michael Waldegg

My sister and I were fortunate, growing up surrounded by loving parents, grandparents and rows and rows of shelves filled with books. Reading was always important, and as soon as we learned how to read (I learned it from my sister, who is a year older than me and therefore started school ahead of me), we practically devoured books. There wasn't a birthday or Christmas without books as gifts.

With some of them, I am not sure how we ended up having them. Certainly we did get discarded library books every now and then, as my Mum worked at our school's library from when I was 9 years old. This one could have been one of them.

"Das grüne Reich" literally means "The green realm", referring to the forest or woodland - not a particular one, but all forests/woods on this planet. The subtitle says "Ein Jugendbuch vom Wald und seinem Leben" - a book for young people about the forest and its life.

Printed in 1952, some expressions and the illustrations are a little outdated, but the message is perfectly up to date: Our forests are important, precious and need protecting! Where they are harvested for wood, it must be done carefully and with replanting of new trees. Where they are cut down to make room for fields, pastures, roads, houses and factories, that has to be done in a carefully measured way, with reforestation measures in place elsewhere.

Sounds familiar? Yes... and although people have known this for a long time, deforestation is going on and on and on, contributing significantly to climate change and the dangerous effects of extreme weather.

Back to the book:

It is neatly divided in chapters explaining about the trees and other plants that make up a forest, but also the animals - big, small and VERY small - that live there. An entire chapter is dedicated to fungi, this strange species that is neither "true" plant nor "proper" animal.

The book is generously illustrated, and there is even a fold-out in full colour showing typical middle-European woodland plants and animals.

I don't know whether this was a school book in the 1950s and 60s; it certainly would have made for good, well structured lessons. But it is equally good to just read it at home. For me, it was a nostalgic reminder of the things my Dad taught me about the woods - his favourite kind of place, where he felt very much at home.

During my childhood, I have read it several times, but at some stage it got lost or was given away or sold, probably in connection with moving house. Recently, I found myself thinking of it, and re-acquired it through an internet platform for used books.

There was precious little I could find out about the author apart from that he was Austrian and wrote several more books, not all of them aimed at children.

Busy Week

Last week, I was on trains every day from Monday to Friday. That doesn't sound unusual for many go to work or school using public transport five days a week, but I have been working from home a lot for many years now (long before the pandemic) and treasure those days when I do no depend on any other means of transport but my own two feet. So, what have I been up to?

On Monday (7 July), I took a regional train to Stuttgart first and then a long-distance one to Fulda. I have been there last summer, and it was for the same meeting with other data protection officers. This time, we were at a different hotel and the weather was rather unsettled, but apart from that, it was very similar to last year. The pictures and description from my 2024 visit to this beautiful city are here.

Our group was booked for dinner at the hotel's restaurant. The food was good, but the noise level nearly unbearable. The waiters yelled across the full length of our table to find out who had ordered this or that drink or dish, and people at the other tables were talking just as loudly as we had to. I could barely hold a conversation with the person right next to me, and found the meal not at all relaxing. By 9:00 pm, I was back in my HUGE room and enjoyed the peace and quiet - no walk, since it was raining.

Our meeting finished around 3:00 pm on Tuesday (8 July). Afterwards, with two of my colleagues I walked to the train station where we put our luggage in a locker. One of the two ladies has a dog and always brings him with her to our meetings; of course he needed a walk, and since I and the other lady had plenty of time before our train home, we came along.

The industrial heritage of the hotel is obvious in the shape and size of the windows.

An Irish Pub was next door - maybe next year I'll get to visit there :-)

Views from my room early on Tuesday morning

If you zoom in, you may see a ghostly reflection of myself in one of the windows across the street :-)

One of many churches in Fulda

It wasn't quite as beautiful and long a walk as what we'd done last year (same ladies, same dog), but it was still good to stretch our legs after sitting in a meeting most of the day and before sitting on a train for another few hours.

The train was half an hour late, and by the time I reached Stuttgart, the delay had increased to 40 minutes. Not really a problem for me, since there are usually several options for getting from Stuttgart to Ludwigsburg, but of course many other passengers lost a connection that was important for them. Well, that's the German railway for you.

Anyway, I was home just after 8:00 pm, which I consider a very civil time - enough to still have something of an evening and talk to O.K. on the phone before bed.

On Wednesday (9 July) I had my day at the office as usual. It was sunny, windy and comparatively cool; perfect for getting off the train in Kornwestheim on my way home and walking the rest. It was also the birthday of a friend of mine. She lives only a couple of streets away, and so it didn't take long to deliver my card and gift personally. She wasn't celebrating, but we had a chat, in parts joined by her husband and her daughters as well as one of her beautiful Maine Coon cats.

I was back at the office on Thursday (10 July) because the company I work for was holding its annual summer party for the employees. Last year's was fun, this year even more so. It was nice to see most of my female colleagues wearing pretty dresses; for some of them, it's an everyday thing, but many usually turn up in rather casual clothes (if they turn up at all), but it was as if everyone wished to mark the special occasion. 

The party began at 5:00 pm with official welcome speeches by our managers and some other formalities, and the official end was set for 11:00 pm. I left at about 10 to 11, and there was still a big crowd on the dance floor and by the drinks stations - I am pretty sure that most of them didn't leave at 11. I'd had my fill of food, drinks, conversation and dancing, and was tired enough to be looking forward to home.

On Friday (11 July), it was warm but not too hot; working first and doing the weekly cleaning etc. afterwards wasn't a problem (on very hot days, I switch my activities round and clean first, work later).

My usual train connection to Offenburg wasn't working, and it was all a bit chaotic and hectic, but in the end I reached Offenburg with only about a 1/4 of an hour's delay. O.K. and I had not seen each other for the past two weekends, and our customary Friday evening meal of salad, bread, cheese and rosé felt even more like a celebration than usual.

Saturday (12 July) was warmer but not unpleasantly hot, just a beautiful summer's day, sunny and with a bit of a breeze every now and then. It was nice to start the day with coffee on the balcony, and after a few tasks around house and garden we set off for a walk of a little under 11 km, taking in two of the closest villages before reaching O.K.'s village again.

Between Oberschopfheim and Diersburg

This is flax, the plant linen is made of, and linseed oil from the seeds.

Looking towards the village of Oberschopfheim

We rested for a bit before it was time to freshen up and dress for a visit to an Italian restaurant in another of the neighbouring villages, upon invitation of O.K.'s sister and her husband. We've been there many times before and know that they make good pizza, which was everybody's choice. Sitting in the shade in the garden behind the building was nice, too. Back home, we sat on O.K.'s Mum's patio for drinks and ice lollies.

Later, O.K. and I did some stargazing on his balcony; it was a clear night and of course the village is darker than the town where I live, meaning one can see a lot more stars than I can at home.

The warmest day of the week was Sunday (13 July). Breakfast was once more on the balcony. Early afternoon, O.K. drove us into town where we left the car in a shady spot and went for a walk, taking in some of the parks as well as a viewing spot (Lindenhöhe) which is rather grown over, limiting the views one is supposed to have from there.

By the old town wall in Offenburg

View from Lindenhöhe

Rose garden, a small public park I have not visited before

We had ice creams in town before driving back to the village.

In the evening, O.K. set up the grill, and we had a BBQ with his Mum, interrupted briefly when it began to rain - we quickly carried the table and chairs into the empty garage, and back into the courtyard again when it stopped.

Having our BBQ interrupted by rain wasn't a problem, and we were rewarded with a beautiful rainbow.

It was a lot more luminous in real life!

This is Charlie, O.K.'s Mum's cat. He found the discarded BBQ trays very interesting, but there wasn't really much for him left.

It rained again later, but by that time we had as good as finished and packed up.

The two of us ended the evening looking at possible hotels for our September holiday without yet making a decision.