More than eight years ago, in March 2012, I wrote a post entitled "The Longest Walk". I have not been back to that specific place more than once or twice since then, but have been meaning to go for a while now. Last Friday, everything seemed to work in my favour: I had plenty of time, expecting O.K. only on the Saturday; I managed to finish work early enough, and the day was not quite as hot as it had been lately, when it was not a good idea to walk in the sun for hours.
If you want to compare my pictures from March 2012 with the ones of last week, you can click here for the old post.
The motorway was packed nose to nose - Friday late afternoons are not the best times for travels, which is why O.K. prefers to drive the 150 km from his place to mine rather late when we spend the weekend here:
View towards Asperg:
My goal, the "Kaiser":
At this point, there was nothing left of the gentle breeze that had been so pleasant to walk in before. I was down at the bottom of this vast sloping field - the photo does not show how long and steep the slope really is - and it was really hot and dusty down here. Good job I had a bottle of water with me.
Much closer to home already, view of Pflugfelden, a suburb of Ludwigsburg:
This reading lady sits on the village square in Pflugfelden:
The runmeter on my mobile phone said I had been walking 18.82 km (about 11.7 miles). It felt good, but I must admit that for the last 2 km or so, I was really, REALLY looking forward to my dinner!
What a lovely walk on a lovely day - and I love the reading lady.
ReplyDeleteShe is good, isn't she! The walk this time was so different from back on that cold, wet spring day eight years ago.
DeleteAn interesting contrast of walks in your area vs. O.K.'s. Seemingly flat in your region, but as you note, that one road is actually one long incline. Can well imagine how happy you were to reach home and a good meal.
ReplyDeleteThe fields in my area can be a bit monotonous compared to the beautiful woodland, hills, orchards and vineyeards in O.K.'s area, but at a closer look, they have their own beauty and interest.
DeleteThat meal was so welcome, Mary!
I love the sunny pictures especially, and the sunflowers. But probably my favorite is that reading lady.
ReplyDeleteShe's great, isn't she!
DeleteThe light was constantly changing that day, along with the fast-moving clouds.
That is a long walk. These days once I seldom get beyond 12 km. The sunflowers doubtless made it pleasant and that lovely lady reading her book was there to greet you at the end of the journey!
ReplyDeleteA distance of 10-12 km is good; it seems to have become my average after-work walking distance, and I predict that will shorten considerably with fading daylight over the coming weeks and months.
DeleteThat lovely lady always has her nose in a book!
That was a beautiful walk but also a long one considering that you had already put in a full day's work on your job! I love the sunflowers and also the reading lady. I bet you really enjoyed your dinner after that walk!
ReplyDeleteI definitely did, Bonnie! (enjoy my dinner)
DeleteMy job requires a totally different kind of effort than walking, it is so good to get up and out after a long day at my desk with a series of telephone and video conferences, reading and writing all sorts of documents.
I especially love the sunflower picture, with the dark sky and white clouds in the background! I don't think I've ever in my life been for a walk as long as that. (I probably would remember if I had!)
ReplyDeleteThe longest hike I have been on in many years was earlier this year, just over 30 km. I enjoyed every step of it - but I also enjoy my much shorter daily walks.
DeleteLovely open skies, and a well-deserved meal after such a long walk!
ReplyDeleteLooking at those skies does such a lot of good, as does the walking itself. The meal could have been anything - I would have appreciated even just a piece of stale bread :-)
DeleteNo way can I walk that far any longer - too many bits in the hips and lower back are wearing out!!!! The photos of the fields and skies are just delightful Meike - such a feeling of openness. Some fields ploughed under now, but nice to see sunflowers still blooming.
ReplyDeleteIt all looks very much end-of-summerish, but I like it - looking forward to cooler nights and better sleep, although not to the much shorter days.
DeleteThose wide open skies and fields make a big difference to my wellbeing after a day at my desk!