Last of October, First of November

With the onset of November comes the distinct feeling that we're not far from winter, and that the four weeks of Advent and then Christmas (all of which I love) are just round the corner. But in spite of a wintry chill in the air some mornings and nights, we still enjoyed mild days and a mix of sun and rain.

Monday (27 October) started rainy, but the previous weeks' high winds continued and soon blew the clouds away; I even saw a pale rainbow from my kitchen window:

I didn't have time for a walk - for a very good reason:

My friend A who first introduced me to The Thursday Murder Club and keeps lending me the sequels as soon as they come out (and she has finished them) was coming over for our very own Movie Night. She doesn't have Netflix and therefore had not yet seen the film based on the 1st book, and although I saw it on its premiere night in September, I asolutely didn't mind watching it again.

I prepared a few snacks that the members of the Thursday Murder Club would certainly have approved of, and A brought an apple pie. We enjoyed the evening a lot, and should there be more films based on the sequels, we want to watch them together as well.

My team and I were booked for the pub quiz at "my" Irish Pub on Tuesday (28 October), always an evening to look forward to in spite of the VERY noisy pub. I managed to fit in an hour of walking between finishing work and going to the pub, which may (or may not) have contributed to us coming second although there were only four of us instead of the usual six. 

As usual, I spent Wednesday (29 October) at the office in Weilimdorf. It was a lovely autumn day of golden sunshine, and so on the way home I decided to stay on the train until Freiberg and walk from there to Benningen. It's not far, only about an hour, but because it was already late in the afternoon, I didn't want to get off the train earlier and walk longer, as the last 20 minutes or so would have been in the dark on the unlit fields.

Sunrise on Wednesday from my kitchen window, 7:00 am.

It wasn't as dark yet as it looks here, but the sun was definitely setting.

Another day at the office followed on Thursday (30 October), and afterwards, I met my Mum at the central bus station. 

From there we had only a short walk to a café where were invited to attend a reading of short stories and discussion about Freedom. One of my colleagues has a friend who writes stories, and she had put together some of them under the topic Freedom. The participants were invited to note their thoughts on what freedom means for them individually and on a larger scale.

A good idea and an interesting setup, but unfortunately, the café was busy and very noisy accordingly. We weren't in a separate room and had the full "benefit" of the background music, chatter of all the other guests plus the hissing and rattling of coffee machine, ice crusher and so on. 

Still, my colleague (who read to us the stories her friend had written) did very well, and we could more or less hear the stories and talk about them among us. 

Friday (31 October) would have been my late husband's 57th birthday, and of course I was thinking of him.

The following four pictures were taken that morning from my kitchen window in the half hour between 6:30 and 7:00 am:

O.K. had the day off and planned to catch up on jobs around his mother's house and garden, making use of a day without rain, and more daylight than what is left by the time he gets back from work.

He did plenty and was on the go until evening with only one short break, and by the time he usually would have packed his weekend bag and driven to me, he was quite exhausted and we both agreed it made more sense for him to rest at home and drive the 150 km to me the next morning.

Saturday (1st of November) was dull and grey, but dry; there was a faint promise of sun but it never materialised for us. It didn't matter, though; soon after O.K. arrived at my place in the morning, we set off in his car again.

Sunrise on the 1st of November

Just over half an hour from Ludwigsburg is the small town of Maulbronn, famous because it has a Cistercian abbey which became a UNESCO World Heritage site in the 1990s. The wikipedia article (in English) about the abbey is here and gives you all the dates and facts as well as more photos than what I am showing you here.

I have been coming to this special place for as long as I can remember, my parents often made it the destination for a family outing on a Sunday. We nearly always combined it with a visit to the lake you'll see further down, and sometimes we took a guided tour or, when my sister and I were old enough to appreciate it properly, attended concerts. I have many memories of Maulbronn and was happy to visit now with O.K.

But actually, we weren't here (mainly) for the abbey, but because a circular walk found in a book my sister gave me years ago starts and ends there, and we intended to walk it that day.

Once we had left the abbey grounds behind and climbed uphill, we reached the woods with the autumn colours lighting up the otherwise grey day.

The description in the book mentioned a viewing point and showed it on the map, but we didn't see the path that was supposed to lead there from the main path, and had it not been for a couple of helpful cyclists who showed us where to go, we would not have completed the walk in the way it was meant to be done.

With the guide book having been originally published in 2014, it was obvious that a lot had grown in the past 11 years, nearly obliterating that particular path! But we did find it in the end, and since we were wearing sturdy hiking boots, a bit of mud and thorny brambles didn't stop us, let alone the trunk of a tree that had fallen right across the path.

The views were rewarding, and we found a bench in surprisingly good condition where we had our sandwiches and a drink. 

Continuing through the woods (at one point startling a deer, which ran from us only a few yards next to the path), we arrived at the bottom of the slope. 

At the top of the hill is the hidden place where we had our sandwiches.

This bright yellow field is not rapeseed - that only grows here in April/May. It is mustard.

On through a few residential streets of Knittlingen and across fields, we reached the lake "Aalkistensee", literally meaning "lake of eel boxes", referring to the wooden crates used in the past to catch eel, once upon a time very popular for eating.

From there it was not all that far to the parking lot in Maulbronn, where we changed into regular shoes and went to a café for coffee and cake. After a brief visit to the souvenir shop (where we didn't buy anything), O.K. drove us home.

For our evening meal, I made Kässpätzle; a dish I like in autumn and winter especially, because it is done in the oven and so makes the kitchen really warm and cosy. I have showed Spätzle (the base for Kässpätzle) before on my blog, and Kässpätzle, too; so if you don't know what it is, you can click here.

Sunday (2 November) was wet and grey, but we still managed a walk in the early afternoon. Later, we and my sister were at our Mum's and enjoyed her Szegeden goulash (a Hungarian recipe), another typical autumn/winter dish.

O.K. left for home, my sister and I walked to our respective homes, and I ended the week with a combination of watching TV and reading.

A Beautiful Week

Last week saw a continuation of the previous week's colourful walks (and two equally colourful car journeys), stormy weather with a mix of sun, clouds and rain and a birthday party combined with a mini-break.

My trains back from Offenburg on Monday (20 Oktober) were on time. It was raining for most of the day, and apart from my customary back & shoulders massage at lunch time with a quick food shopping at ALDI afterwards I didn't spend time outdoors.

Tuesday (21 Oktober) was split in two work-wise: In the morning I worked from home for my main employer, and after lunch I travelled to Marbach and spent a couple of hours there at my favourite client's, the Literature Archive. I'd not been there since April and was really looking forward to my visit - and the intended walk home.

Approaching the Literature Archive, the Schiller Museum can be seen through the trees.

View from the museum's terrace towards Ludwigsburg, with "the Rocket" clearly visible.

View from the same spot across the river Neckar towards Benningen.

Friedrich Schiller, poet and playwright, who was born in Marbach and is the reason for the museum and Literature Archive here.

Things went as planned with a constructive and pleasant meeting in Marbach, and then I started on the longish walk home. There is a comfortable lane along the river, and while I would not advise anyone to walk there on a weekend when it is overrun with cyclists and other groups of people, on a weekday afternoon it is the best way to walk between the two towns.

What I didn't know was that there are road works underway, resulting in a complete closure of a crucial part of the lane and signposted detours for cyclists and walkers. 

The detour's signs were pointing to high above the river, running parallel to it on paved lanes. Knowing the area relatively well, I was sure there was another parallel path leading between allotments and vineyards; unpaved but good enough to walk. Thinking myself cleverer than the people who had signposted the detour, I enjoyed wonderful quiet walking among gardens and vineyards in their autumn glory... until I reached a dead end, with fences and closed gates on three sides. There was only one way to go from that spot, and that meant backtracking for almost 1 km before I reached the point where I had deviated from the signposted route.

Viaduct across the Neckar linking Benningen and Marbach by train.

The Schiller Museum

That cost me maybe half an hour - but I wasn't angry, since I had seen those beautiful trees and hedgerows and shrubs along the way, and many birds as a bonus, as well as a rainbow which I would not have spotted otherwise:

From then on, I stuck to the signs...!

There's no escaping The Rocket when you walk in these parts!

Closer to home - the back of the deer park.

Three hours after leaving my client, I was home; happy but rather tired and in need of water and sustenance.

On Wednesday (22 October), I worked at the office and went to my Mum's afterwards. 

That morning at 6:00, I had hot water and the heating worked as usual. Half an hour later when I went to have a shower, there was only cold water, and the heating felt lukewarm with only residual heat remaining.

I didn't have time to look into the matter and check on the therm up in the attic, which provides us with heat for water and heating, but on my way to work I sent an urgent message to one of the two brothers who co-own the house with me. He replied almost immediately that he was going to go over and check on the therm and, if he couldn't fix it, call the company who had set it up originally and had done maintenance on it only last Thursday.

While I was still at my Mum's, he let me know that he had not been able to fix it but that someone was coming on Thursday at 10:00 am - another day at the office for me, so I wouldn't be there to let them in or learn what was wrong.

As planned, I went to the office on Thursday (23 October) and was hoping for the best. In the morning I had used the kettle so that I didn't have to wash myself with cold water. For centuries, that's what people did every morning, but I am so used to having a hot shower that I was glad for this being only temporary.

It was a day of high winds but mostly dry. I took advantage of that and did not go straight home after work; instead I remained on the train until the next stop after Ludwigsburg by the deer park, and walked to Benningen from there.

Back home, I was happy to find my flat warm and hot water coming from the taps, but I didn't know what had been wrong with our heat system.

Therefore, I rang the company on Friday (24 October) morning, but the secretary didn't know; she said she'd ask the colleague who had been to my house and would call me back... that call never came, but the co-owner and I have scheduled a meeting with them on Tuesday for a different reason anyway, and that's soon enough for me to find out.

Following a stormy night, it was a beautiful sunny day, but I didn't go for a walk what with work, cleaning, washing, food shopping, cooking and getting everything ready for O.K. spending the weekend with me. 

His Mum grows butternut pumpkins among many other things, and a couple of weeks ago O.K. brought me one - you can see it in this post where I show my bit of autumn home deco.

I now used it to make a thick creamy soup, supplemented with a few spuds and one large parsnip, spiced with coconut fat and ginger so that it would have a slightly "Thai" kind of taste without overdoing that. I was quite happy with the result, and by 9:00 pm when O.K. arrived, it was good to sit down to a warm, filling home-cooked meal.

On Saturday (25 October), O.K. drove us to Pforzheim, a city about 50 km from Ludwigsburg. We were invited to a friend's birthday party there. She had turned 60 earlier that week and was celebrating with her family and friends at a building normally used by the city's Youth Association.

The drive there was beautiful through the autumnal countryside with a mix of sun and rain. We had opted to spend the night at a nearby hotel, not wanting to have to drive back in the night and (maybe) after a glass or two of wine. The hotel was nicer than expected, especially the view from our room on the 3rd floor over the river Enz and the city of Pforzheim.

The view that shocked us, stepping out of the elevator.

I must admit we were both a little apprehensive when the doors of the lift opened and we were confronted with shocking purple carpeting and a sofa and lamps that could have been props in a porn film, but thankfully, our room was much easier on the eyes (and spotlessly clean).

A fifteen minute walk took us to the party venue. It was good to see the birthday "girl" and her family. There were about 25 of us altogether, plus four dogs which got along well enough except for one who had to be kept at a distance from the rest.

Our hostess gave a beautiful speech, using parts of the manuscript for a speech her father had written for his own 60th birthday 30 years ago. He would now be in his 90s but died a few years back; it was amazing how so much of what he wrote about himself and what it meant for him to turn 60 was exactly what his daughter felt now, 30 years later. I found it really touching and a lovely tribute.

We had the most wonderful cake buffet - not classic cakes but pâtisserie of very unusual combinations of all natural ingredients, no artificial colouring. It was difficult to choose which ones to try, as there was no way anyone would manage to try all the different kinds. We shared between us so that we could taste a few more, but there is a limit even to the most delicious food.

Next were some games - all of them reasonably funny and short enough to keep the few children engaged as well. 

At around 6:00 pm, dinner was served, with a vegetarian and a meat option. 

It was all very good again, but after the lovely cakes and a rather large starter, I struggled to finish my main course. 

Astonishingly enough, I managed a sorbet for dessert nonetheless.

Conversation around the table was varied and interesting. 

Apart from when we were eating, people wandered, changed places, played pool or table football (all part of the regular equipment of the Youth Association) or simply chatted. 

Among the guests was a wide range of ages and interests, so that there was no shortage of topics.

Since the party had already begun as early as 1:30 pm, those with small children as well as the birthday girl's 88-year-old mother were gone by around 9 pm, and the rest followed not much later. O.K. and I were at the hotel by about 10 pm.

After a good night's sleep, we enjoyed the hotel's breakfast on Sunday (26 October) morning - quite amazing, considering the feast we'd had the previous afternoon and evening!

Morning sky, as seen from our room

Our overnight bags were quickly packed, and soon we were on the road back to Ludwigsburg, once again admiring the autumn colours of the woods and fields around us.

At home, we rested a little before going for a walk. It was another day of blustery winds, driving heavy clouds fast across the sky, and some of their wet load caught up with us occasionally. The walkdid us good, and roughly 8 km later we were back at my place for coffees and cakes - leftovers from the birthday buffet that we had been urged to take home with us.

We then went to see my Mum before it was time for me to start on our evening meal. I made a salad of Romana lettuce, pear, feta cheese and cashew nuts for starters, followed by pan-fried spuds and broccoli with diced bacon.

Having changed back from Summer Time that same morning, sunset came early at a quarter past 5:00 in the afternoon. When O.K. left for his home, facing a 150 km drive, I was glad I didn't have to go out again in the cold and dark.

Sunset from my Mum's balcony on Sunday.