A Week of Respite

Last week was a very welcome respite of the previous week's record heat. In the early hours of Wednesday a thunderstorm brought some rain, and for the first time in about two weeks the thermometer reached below 20C/68F during the night.

The lowest we had was around 11-13C/52-55F before sunrise on Saturday morning - so chilly that I actually had to wear a long-sleeved zip-up over my nightdress for our morning coffee on the balcony!

Monday (29 June) already was and felt much cooler than the weekend had been, at a max of 29C/84F during the day. There were about ten drops of rain in the morning and some wind, which added to the relief. For the first time since the last heatwave had begun, I felt like walking to Benningen after work, and although it was still warm enough for me to break out a sweat, that was fine - it IS summer after all, and it's perfectly legitimate to sweat on a warm, sunny day.

A slightly apocalyptic scene

On the way to Benningen

Sunset from my Third Room

The moon, as seen from my bedroom. In reality, it was much larger and golden, almost like the sun.

The moon, as seen from my sister#s flat.

The thermometer was hovering around the 30C/86F mark again on Tuesday (30 June), but it was bearable in my north-facing Third Room, where I sit when I work from home.

I went to my Mum's after work, and she had prepared a delicious fresh salad for us.

The above mentioned thunderstorm arrived at 2:00 am on Wednesday (1st of July), bringing rain & relief. We still need a lot more rain, but it was at least a bit of a freshener for a couple of hours or so.

I worked at the office in Weilimdorf and enjoyed my walk home from Zuffenhausen.

Thursday (2 July) was wonderfully fresh in the morning at 16C/60F. Of course, each and every window in my flat had been wide open all night, and for the first time I used the thin summer duvet for the night and not just bed sheets.

It was sunny and warm again during the day but remained below 30C/86F. My sister and I met after work for an ice cream, a brief visit at the city museum and a leisurely stroll in the palace grounds before relaxing over a Limoncello Spritz at the open-air bar in the abandoned industrial complex by the train station.

Temperature-wise, Friday (3 July) was the "best" day of the week, with a low of 15C/59F and high of 25C/77F - a perfect summer day; lovely but not too hot.

I worked from home, did my usual cleaning etc., and late afternoon/early evening made the usual train trip to Offenburg where O.K. picked me up and drove us to the village.

On Saturday (4 July), O.K. spent most of the day gardening around his Mum's house while I made sure to do the ironing early, as long as it was not hot yet, and then made our late breakfast of fresh fruit and cold joghurt which we had on the balcony.

A man from our wider circle of friends/acquaintances is moving to a different part of Germany and had invited everyone to a good-bye garden party, and we went there briefly to hand over a little something and wish him all the best for the next chapter in his life.

We were back in time for my sister-in-law and her husband to pick us up for the short drive to the next village, where they had booked a table at a pizzeria for a family meal. We had a table in the shady garden and enjoyed our food, drinks and conversation.

O.K. and I had to be up early on Sunday (5 July). The three villages forming an administrative unit were holding a "Wandertag" (hiking day), with a designated route of about 12 km taking in all three villages and the beautiful countryside in between. 

Along the route, various clubs and associations from the three villages had set up stalls where they offered snacks and drinks to the walkers and hikers, and some (like us, the village band) also had live music playing.

The event officially started at 10:00 am, and we arrived at our spot at 8:00 am to set up everything. Most important were our pavilions so that people could sit in the shade - it was going to be another mostly sunny day at around 30C/86F.

We who worked at the stall were also glad of the shade!

Around 7:45 on Sunday morning, walking from the village to where our stall was to be.

Setting up finished, with not much time to spare before the official start.

The view from our spot along the route

After our not too busy shift ended at noon, O.K. and I walked most of the official route, stopping for something to eat at one place and for drinks at three different places. It was all rather nice and low-key, and of course we "ran" into several friends and acquaintances.

Storks in their nests on top of buildings are a common sight in the villages here.

Along the route

A particularly picturesque place is this old winery and mansion.

I love this tiny attic window - I imagine a fairytale character living up there!

By mid-afternoon, very dark clouds were gathering, and it was hard to tell where the rain they carried was going to come down. Luckily for us and everyone else who was still out and about on the hike or working along the route, the rain did not hit us - on the other hand, O.K.'s area needs rain just as much as where I live.

Anyway, we made it home dusty and exhausted and rested for about an hour before we could muster enough energy to cross the street to see my mother-in-law and tell her what the day had been like.

O.K. and I ended the day - and the week - enjoying refreshing drinks and a plate of light cold snacks on the balcony in the calm evening light.