After the rapidly dropping temperature and change of weather on Sunday, the 8th of September (as described here), we have made the complete transition from summer to autumn within a day - all of last week was chilly with some rain nearly every day, and palpably less hours of daylight than only a few weeks ago.
My trains from Offenburg to Ludwigsburg were nearly on time on Monday (09.09.2024), although I had to run across the length and width of Karlsruhe main station in order to catch my connection there. That was my early morning sport done!
After work, I walked a circuit I had not done in many months, to Asperg and back via Eglosheim, in the rain for the last quarter or so. It never got warmer than 18C/64F that day.
After a wet start, Tuesday (10.09.2024) turned out a beautiful early autumn day. I spent my lunch break by having a massage at the nearby day spa, and after work walked to the lake where I'd also not been in months. I enjoyed that two-hour walk in the late afternoon sun very much.
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| The carp are the length and width of my thighs - I am not kidding you! |
Wednesday (11.09.2024) was mostly wet and chilly at a max of 11C/52F, making it an ideal day for the office. It was good to see my Mum after work and spend a few hours at her cosy flat, with a good view of the beautiful sunset that ended an otherwise not exactly beautiful day.
It was more than chilly on Thursday (12.09.2024) morning - only 7C/44F when I got up just after 6:00. The weather was unsettled with sun at first, then rain, and a return of the sun later on. I made use of the sun's reappearance by going for my standard after-work walk to Benningen, which was very nice.
For various reasons, O.K. and I were spending the weekend separately, and so on Friday (13.09.2024), I neither had to prepare for a weekend away nor for a house guest. That allowed me to spend the entire afternoon with my Mum, who so far this year had been to the palace grounds only once.
We met at the bus stop just outside the grounds and had a leisurely stroll from there, stopping every now and then for a little rest. My Mum is 80 now, after all, and can't walk long stretches without a break. But she did really well, and we enjoyed drinks of pumpkin secco (which we insist tastes of apricot, not of pumpkin) at one of the cafés in the park.
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| The large horse chestnut trees are typical for Ludwigsburg. |
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| Roses are still in bloom. |
Of course it is pumpkin season, and what is officially labeled the world's largest pumpkin exhibition is in full swing. There is a different theme every year, and for 2024 it is "Women". We didn't walk close up to each and every one of the many exhibits, but some looked rather good (I liked Marge Simpson!) while others left us indifferent.
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| Pumpkin secco - should be labeled apricot lemonade! |
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| There seems to be an endless variety of pumpkins. |
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| They really do come in all shapes, colours and sizes! |
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| One of our favourite parts of the palace grounds is this "farmer's garden". |
It's been a while since we have visited the Fairytale Garden, which takes up the entire north-eastern part of the palace grounds and is a magnet for families with children. I have been coming to this special place ever since I was a baby and have many fond memories of visits with my parents and grandparents, and later on my own with school friends.
We were disappointed at how neglected and run-down some of it was, though. At least three or four scenes weren't working, but only one had an "out of order" sign. And this was not the last week of the season, when they'd be forgiven not to put in a great deal of effort but wait with repairs and maintenance until before the new season starts next spring.
For us season ticket holders living in town, it is easy to simply visit again (hoping that repairs have been done by then), but many tourists come from far away and pay good money to enter the park - it's not fair on them, and does not convey a good image of the grounds and of Ludwigsburg as a whole.
My Mum and I still had a nice afternoon together.
On Saturday (14.09.2024), my sister and I were invited to a friend and her husband's birthday do (one of the reasons why O.K. and I did not see each other that weekend). The gathering was at a small museum less than 10 minutes walking distance from where I live, with the large open-plan ground floor being set up with tables and chairs. We didn't know any of the other guests before, and had a very interesting afternoon and evening getting to know them a little, the conversations spanning everything from the funny to the serious and inspiring.
We also greatly enjoyed the food; after coffee and cake, in the evening a buffet of Turkish specialties was set up, and I went twice to fill my plate.
Hard to believe, I had NOTHING in my diary for Sunday (15.09.2024) - and it felt great! I spent the morning on a few household tasks, blogging, reading and playing my favourite computer game for a while.
A little before 2:00 pm, I was on my way to the station for a train to Marbach. By now, the cold morning (6C/42F) had given way to a beautiful sunny afternoon at about 16-18C/60-64F - very nice for a substantial walk.
You may remember that my Mum and I used to have a favourite walk from Marbach station to Steinheim where my parents had their allotment. I still love that walk, even though I now have to walk it alone, and enjoyed every step of it.
When I used to do this with my Mum, we only walked one way, then spent the afternoon at the allotment and rode home in the car with my Dad. Now of course I have to walk all the way there and back, but that's fine; adding a loop in the woods makes the whole circuit about 16.5 km long. I go at my own pace and usually rest for 10 minutes or so on a bench, having a sandwich and a drink of water, and then walk back to Marbach in time for a convenient train to Ludwigsburg.
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| Many more autumn crocus were in this orchard than what you an see here. |
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| Partly abandoned vineyards line part of the way. |
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| To the right is the village of Lehrhof, to the left (in the valley) a venue for seminars and courses. |
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| Cormus domestica, also known as service tree or sorb tree (thanks, wikipedia!) |
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| My grassy path...! |
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| Into the woods |
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| Forest warden's house |
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| View from the bench where I had my sandwich |
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| On the way back, crossing the river Murr to leave Steinheim |
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| Orchards between Steinheim and Marbach |
The leaves are only just starting to turn, and there is still plenty of green about, but all things considered, it really was a proper autumn week - I even turned the radiator on in the bathroom on Sunday morning, for the first time since spring.
A lovely set of early autumn photos - and a very impressive display of pumpkins! :)
ReplyDeleteI like the variety of colours, shapes, textures... of course not all of them are edible, but one can buy the edible ones there, too (very expensive, though, and not organic, which I prefer).
DeleteA long read which I have just enjoyed and a long and beautiful walk at the end. It sounds as if you had an enjoyable weekend.
ReplyDeleteI missed O.K., but I don't mind being on my own as such, and of course I knew he was well and we spoke several times over the weekend.
DeleteThank you for making it through the long-ish post! I was considering splitting it up, but once I started to type and added the pictures, I just went through with it from Monday to Sunday.
Your photos are so nice and autumnal! I love the thigh-sized carp, too. I've seen goldfish and koi that big, and I know what monsters they can become!
ReplyDeleteMy friend Martina is back in Germany today, visiting her grandma. Schweinberg is the name of the town, I think. I wish I could accompany her one of these days and make a special trip to see you. Maybe one day!
Could it be Schweinfurt? That's in Franconia, a part of Bavaria and in the south of Germany, the neighbouring federal state to mine.
DeleteThose carp look at you with their weird round eyes and make smacking sounds with their large mouths - I find them fascinating!
Yes! Schweinfurt! I had a feeling I got the name wrong.
DeleteOh, your photos are lovely and your week sounded very nice. I wish our weather would cool off as it has been in the upper 80s (F) for several weeks now and no rain for at least a month with none predicted for 10 more days... I love Autumn and am looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great photos and happy post, Mieke!
Thank YOU for reading and commenting, Ellen!
DeleteI love autumn, too, and am very much looking forward to walks and hikes in the mountains - from Saturday onwards, O.K. and I will away for nearly two weeks.
Your walk to the allotment is very much remembered! I recall how nice it made me feel to have your parents waiting for you there, you wrote of it perfectly which made it so easy to picture. Your Mom looks lovely in green, by the way! I love the pumpkin display! Now, the Fairytale Gardens....if I ever get to Rock City Gardens, which are in Chattanooga where our son lives, I will be able to show you the photos from there. There is a section related to Fairytales, and it also forms nice memories from MY childhood. My Dad loved Rock City! The couple who owned it, the woman was from Germany! She had ideas for beautiful gardens and in that one section, it was in sort of a rocky cave area, and there were all these recesses in the rock with wonders to look upon. Little gnomes with sweet faces and sparkly bits. I WILL get there one day and take photos, I hope!!
ReplyDeleteRock City and the cave area sounds like something I would have loved as a child, too (and probably still would now). I am not surprised that your Dad loved it, he had the good-natured sense of humour and wonder preserved from his childhood.
DeleteMy Mum and I would usually walk to the allotment together, with my Dad waiting for us there, the table in front of the garden hut laid with a tablecloth and a small vase of flowers picked straight from the garden, coffee ready in a thermos.
Precious memories.
Thank you for some very nice photographs. It does suddenly look autumnal where you are but so far I haven't noticed that happening in England yet. I have never had pumpkin secco and in fact can't really imagine it . Is it a seasonal thing for pumpkin time, or can you get it all year long? Is it just a German thing, or could I maybe seek for it when I go to Austria? (as you see, I'm intrigued!!!) I noticed you and your mum were respectively dressed in orange and green - was that a special colour scheme for the pumpkins or just coincidence? Whichever it is, I liked both garments. Orange wouldn't suit me but your mum's green outfit is very striking and stylish. Orchards always look nice when the fruit is out, the abandoned vineyards looked intriguing (Why are they abandoned I wonder?) And I really liked the kitchen garden and the old cottage. Oh, and the Turkish meal looked fab. What a nice few days you have had! Thank you for sharing them.
ReplyDeletePumpkin secco is probably a seasonal thing, but like rose secco, it can be found all year round in some shops. I have never looked for it anywhere else but the palace grounds and therefore have no idea whether they have it in Austria.
DeleteMy Mum will love your comment about her outfit! We had not coordinated before, but I certainly felt autumnly with my favourite orange padded vest and the rosehip pattern on my shirt 😊
Abandoned orchards and vineyards are a common sight here. People don‘t want to work them anymore, as it is hard physical labour without promising much profit. It‘s a real shame, but personally, I would not want it as a permanent job, either.
A sorb tree -- how interesting. I've never heard of such a thing!
ReplyDeleteI wondered whether the flooding had affected your area. It looks like you got some of the rain but apparently not as much as areas to the south and east...? In any case, you did get some chilly weather. I don't think we've been as cold as 44º F yet this year!
Quite a variety of pumpkins -- also a surprise. I'm curious about Marge Simpson!
The carp must be an introduced species, I'm guessing? They're all over the world these days! (Even in the lake behind the house where I grew up in Florida -- introduced to eat aquatic weeds.)
I‘d not heard of sorb trees until I researched the tree for my post, either.
DeleteNo flooding in my immediate area, but there was severe flooding not all that far away.
Marge Simpson was done like all the other exhibits: a mix of wooden parts (face, hands, feet) and a rack of wire whith pumpkins fixed to it so as to form the body of the figure. Maybe I‘ll take a picture next time I‘m in the palace grounds.
Carp are native to Germany, as far as I know. They have been around for centuries, and up until the 1970s, were a popular dish for Christmas and/or New Year (never in my family, though).