October Mix

The perfect Saturday, Oct. 9, was not all of that beautiful weekend: On the Sunday (Oct. 10), along with a couple of friends, we were booked for a small open-air wine fest, held at a winery near Durbach.

In late spring, at the height of the asparagus season, we had already had an online wine tasting with them, and had liked their wines matching the suggested asparagus menue well enough.

So on that sunny Sunday, O.K. and I got on our bikes and rode to Offenburg, where we met with our friends, and then on towards Durbach, occasionally on designated cycling paths but mostly on narrow country lanes winding through orchards and fields until we reached the winery.

It was a pleasant ride and nowhere near as exhausting as I had feared - it was only the 2nd time this entire year that I was cycling, and although I am reasonably fit when it comes to walking, different muscles are needed for cycling. Also, I know that our friends cover almost everything by bike, from going to work to shopping to leisure, and so I was worried about me being able to keep up with them. All the more did I enjoy the ride when I saw that it was actually rather easy!

These days, one can not simply turn up at such events, but has to book a place in advance. We arrived at the winery, checked in with the hosts and were lead to a table underneath the covered shed - away from the gorgeous sunshine. It was all done very nicely, with pretty autumn- and wine-themed decorations, proper tables and chairs etc., but... it was FREEZING!! 

Five minutes after we'd arrived, the cold crept up our feet and legs from the stone floor. A hot soup would have been more interesting than glasses of well-chilled white or rosé wine!

The young woman who took our orders apologised for the cold (not her fault!) and offered to bring blankets, which we gladly accepted. Soon afterwards, we were huddled in our blankets (and put on every bit of extra clothing we had wisely packed in our rucksacks), and once we had our food and drinks, the cold became bearable.

Some time later, other visitors left, and we had the chance to change to a table in the open courtyard, where it was a little warmer.

All in all, it was a pleasant few hours; the food and wine were good, as was the company of our friends.

Eventually, we were back on our bikes, and I enjoyed the ride back even more - not only because it was warming me up nicely, but also because after we'd said good-bye to our friends who live in town, we decided to ride back to O.K.'s village on a different route.

There is a good walking/cycling path along the river Kinzig, leading out of town towards where the river is joined by a small stream. It is a popular spot with a beer garden to one side and a beautiful view of Ortenberg castle.

Here is O.K.'s old bike that I can borrow when I'm there:

Another lovely day, and I am pleased to say we did not catch colds!

The working week started as usual, but on Wednesday (Oct. 13), I had an on-site day in Marbach, which I enjoyed. The day was foggy, as this view from the Literature Archive's terrace above the river Neckar shows:

I was back at O.K.'s again for the weekend, and there will be pictures from yet another Black Forest walk we undertook.