My first week back after our Black Forest Holiday was filled with lots of different activities and events, quite typical for me - and it actually felt pretty much like pre-pandemic times.
Some of what happened during that week deserves a post on its own, but I do not have enough time for that right now; I am still catching up here, talking about the week from May 16 to 22.
The photos for this post start on May 15, the Sunday that marked the end of our holiday and saw me traveling home from O.K.'s early in the afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny day, and after I had finished unpacking, started the washing machine and so on, I went for a sunset walk on the fields:
Monday, May 16, was uneventful; it mainly consisted of work and a walk on my own afterwards.
On Tuesday, May 17, my sister and I met up with our Mum at the Ludwigsburger Brautage - "Ludwigsburg Brew Days", an inner city fest dedicated to beer. Funnily enough, neither of us had beer. Instead, I started with an Aperol Spritz and then moved on to white wine. My sister and I were happy to have our beloved Dinnede - the special food we usually only get at our Christmas Market, as seen in this post about the last one in 2019, before everything stopped because of the pandemic.
We bumped into a mutual friend there and spent a very pleasant evening out, not returning home late because my sister and I of course had to work the next day.
On Wednesday, May 18, I finally had a hair cut after work. My hairdresser is also my neighbour and something of a friend; we've known each other for many years, and there is always plenty to chat.Later, my sister and I went for a walk together after she showed me "her" garden - an allotment she shares with her neighbours, and definitely something worth its own post if she agrees.
Thursday, May 19, was sunny but very humid and hot. I did not even feel like a walk! Unsurprisingly, the night brought a thunderstorm.
On the Friday (May 20), the sun was back, and I wrapped up work early enough to attend the opening of the grounds of a former factory adjoining Ludwigsburg's train station. That area has been abandoned for some time since the factory closed, but a while ago the city of Ludwigsburg acquired part of the land and intends to create a space for everyone, with offices, shops and restaurants as well as places for cultural events, community meetings and so on.
To start with, a doorway has been opened between the station and the area; chairs and tables have been set up, bunting strung and food trucks brought in. Two of my colleagues of my volunteer work were there, too, and we listened to the speeches, had something to eat and drink and a good look round. See if you can spot me in the picture:
I took advantage of being here for the weekend and on Saturday, May 21, accompanied another of my volunteer colleagues to a workshop run by the city for citizens, "Zukunftswerkstatt". Zukunft means future, and the workshop was looking at various aspects of how things need to (and can) change in our city to make it more sustainable, environment and family friendly, and so on.
It was held in a building which used to be the oldest public baths in our town, with a large swimming pool in the middle and individual bath tubs in other rooms, quite popular during the times when many people did not have bathrooms at their homes.
When my sister and I were kids, we often came here to swim (and splash about) with our Grandma, but neither of us have been inside the building since it closed down years ago. I love how they have kept it still very recognisable, but all is clean and freshly painted now, with beautiful lighting and a clever use of space:
I never realised that mature, responsible women sometimes bounce on trampolines! As a mature, responsible man I think I ought to buy myself a pogo stick. It's great that they didn't knock down the old swimming baths and now the building can have a new lease of life.
ReplyDeleteAs a responsible, mature woman I had to make sure the trampoline was safe for use of any young person who might come visiting the allotment. Checking out a pogo stick sounds like something a mature responsible man would do.
DeleteYes, we are glad that the old building was not pulled down and the original features have been kept.
I love that you work with the volunteer group for improvements to your city. It must have been wonderful for you to be back inside the building where you used to swim as a child!
ReplyDeleteI may not have as much dedication and time to volunteer work as many others, but I try to contribute in a positive manner, and not just moan or complain about things.
DeleteIt was good to wander around in the old building, triggering many memories!
That dinnede looks yummy and I had to google to find out that it is a type of pizza! That's what I thought it looked like. I love the photos from your sunset walks! Are you the lovely lady in yellow in that crowd photo?
ReplyDeleteMy sister and I love dinnede!
DeleteYep, the woman in yellow is me. The man next to me is one of my volunteer colleagues, and another colleague was sitting on a chair somewhere behind us.
Sunset walks are my favourite!
Beautiful sunsets!
ReplyDeleteI never get bored with them!
DeleteLooks very summery, all of it. I couldn't enlarge that photo enough to really say, but I did guess the colour yellow might be a hint... ;)
ReplyDeleteYellow is always a clue with me, you‘re right :-)
DeleteThat photo is not very good in terms of resolution, as I have nicked it from the website of our local paper.
That dinnede looks truly good!
ReplyDeleteAnd your haircut looks good too!
Is that you on the trampoline? Wondering, what do you call it in German?
Back to that dish that you like so much, Richard makes a really good pizza dough, it's an unusual dough and I have often thought that a sour cream like topping would be good on it with savory vegetables, I think it might be very much like the dinnede!
Yes, that's me on the trampoline - who else? :-) And it's Trampolin in German :-D
DeleteNext time Richard makes pizza dough, try the sour cream topping and think of my sister and me when you're eating it! The dinnede dough is not exactly like pizza, it has a more "bready" character.
Trampolin! HA HA, almost the exact same!
DeleteNow I really want to try the dinnede since Richard's pizza dough is actually very "bready" also! I will let you know! (The dough is more like a Southern biscuit, not like a sweet English biscuit but more like my Dad's wonderful savory biscuits!)
And I meant also to say how much I LOVE that building where you used to swim as a child and now the great thing that they are using it for now. We need to have more groups to think about the future here in America.
DeleteI knew you would like the same-ness of our words for trampoline/Trampolin :-)
DeleteMy sister and I frequently come across old buildings (chapels, for instance) in England that have been preserved and given a new lease of life; we love that, too. Here in Germany, you often find people are quick to pull something down instead of renovating, but in recent years they seem to have learned!
I would love to see a post on the allotment. IT is great your city seems to be serious about revitalising old buildings and the involving the locals too!
ReplyDeleteI will ask my sister and I hope she won't have anything against me showing pictures of the allotment, as long as she isn't in any of them.
DeleteThere are plenty of new buildings around here, too; it isn't easy to balance the needs of an ever-growing population with climate and environmental concerns, and in some places they have succeeded better than in others.