Monday 14 May 2018

A Sunday Out

Today will see me returning back to work - I have never missed work for so long (4 weeks!) for health reasons, and the last time I was on holiday for 4 weeks in one go was in 2004 or 2006, more than ten years ago. And while I feel truly ready to resume normal life with all its activities, right now I can hardly imagine to be in an office for 8 or 9 hours, looking at a screen or reading text on paper all day. I am determined to take breaks whenever my eyes tell me they need it, and not overdo it - we shall see how successful I'll be at that!

Yesterday, Sunday, O.K. and I took the train to Bietigheim, a nearby town where he'd never been before. Somehow I woke up with the idea in my head that I'd like to visit there, and since the train journey is only about 10 minutes, we arrived there soon after breakfast.

Bietigheim is one of those strangely laid-out towns where the train station is rather far away from the town centre instead of right in it. There is a bus service, but of course we walked the 1,5 km or so. The path leads down to the valley of the river Enz, deeply cut into natural stone walls on one side and a relatively wide opening with the town surrounded by meadows and orchards on the other side of the river.


Arriving in town, we found out that there was a lot going on - shops were open (they usually aren't in Germany on a Sunday), there were booths lining the pedestrian area of the historic town centre, a brass band playing and food stalls spreading all sorts of smells. We had not known that (lack of preparation on my part, I'm afraid), and I offered to turn round and go somewhere else, but we decided to stay and just try to avoid the thickest crowds.

Instead, we took advantage of the fact that the old town centre has many hidden corners and little gems of "secret" gardens aside from the main street, and we even spent some time in the town museum, a house that was built in 1535 and is famous (in our area) for its richly painted interiors.






The weather wasn't quite as dreary as it looks in the pictures. The sun even came out hestitantly a few times, and then my light jacket was almost too warm, but there was also a sharp wind blowing which made me keep it on all the time.

Back home, I made us my own version of bacon-and-brie sandwiches before O.K. had to face the long drive home. Fortunately, the roads were less busy than we had feared. I am always glad and relieved to know he has arrived safely and without too much delay.

Right, time to get those old brain cells of mine working again!!

8 comments:

  1. The photographs today make me more than usually "homesick" for the two years I lived in Germany. Of course, I was in my 20s then and it was almost 50 years ago, so I may also be missing being young and carefree! I'm glad you are able to return to work and think your idea of being careful of your eyes is a wise one. Be well!

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    1. Thank you, Kristi! Just taking a coffee break after I have returned from a meeting with a new customer, then I'll do another hour or two of work for them.
      It is nice to know my photos evoke good feelings and fond memories in you!

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  2. Looks a lovely little place.
    Bacon and brie - Mmm - hope it was smoked streaky fried to a crisp.

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    1. It was nice bacon but there could have been more; I divided the entire package between the two of us and fried it to a crisp but I think I'll buy a larger one next time. Nonetheless it was a welcome semi-hot meal after we'd been walking for a few hours.

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  3. It looks a delightful place and I'm glad that you found some nooks and crannies to investigate. It's so long since I have stayed in Germany so I hadn't realised that shops were still closed on a Sunday as a general rule. I hope that your days back at work have been good and I hope that all keeps going well.

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    1. Thank you, Graham!
      Every now and then, there are attempts to loosen the regulations about shop opening times. They always trigger a public debate about the pros and cons, and so far, shops remain closed as a rule. But "Open Sundays" have begun to appear over the last 10-15 years; Ludwigsburg has about 4 of them throughout the year, I think.
      Work has been good so far - but it has only been two days, of course, so I can't say much yet. Yesterday was tiring as I spent nearly all day at the computer. Today will be interspersed with meetings, keeping me away from the screen for some time.

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  4. What a gorgeous spot! Secret gardens, you know I would love that. And I am not worried one bit about your brain cels!

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    1. Yes, you'd love those hidden places, off the main street! Well, the brain is a bit like a muscle, isn't it; if you do not exercise it, it will go weaker... that is what I was fearing.

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