Best of Summer Week

Last week was mostly pleasantly warm without being too hot; only from Friday onwards the rising temperatures meant exhausting long days and short nights. Still, some of the best things about summer were happening for me that week.

On Monday (6 July), my usual morning trains home from Offenburg to Stuttgart brought me back from the weekend with my husband. The morning was a refreshing 16C/60F, and it didn't get above 28C/82F during the day.

My cousin from Nice/Nizza (France) had arrived on the Friday before, and the four of us - Mum, my sister, our cousin and myself - met after work at the Italian restaurant close enough to my Mum's place for her to get there and back on foot.

I managed half my pizza and took the other half home to fry up the next day for lunch.

We shared a pleasant and delicious meal at a table in the garden and then went back to my Mum's for cold drinks and more chatting. This cousin is from our Dad's side, and the three of us are very close in age; we spent a lot of time together when we were children, and the old thread is still there, even though I have visited her in Nice only once and she had not been in Ludwigsburg for 8 years.

I was working from home on Tuesday (7 July) and walked to Benningen after work in spite of it being 31C/88F; it was hot and I did sweat, but it IS summer after all, and a strong breeze kept blowing so that the heat didn't feel oppressive.

It was a bit cooler on Wednesday (8 July) at a max of 26C/78F, and the afternoon brought more wind and interesting cloud formations to observe on my walk home from Zuffenhausen after I had spent the day at the office as usual.

Thursday (9 July) was an exact repeat of Monday in terms of temperature. After work, I walked to my sister's to pick up my cousin; we walked to the American Diner (Kullman's Diner) near the train station where we had arranged to meet my Mum for a meal. Again, we had a pleasant chat and reasonably good food at an outdoor table in the shade.

For dessert, we went to a nearby icecream place where unfortunately it was VERY noisy from the busy road (many of our town's bus lines go through there) and people naturally talking at the top of their voices to override the road noise. We didn't last there longer than it took us to finish our icecreams/drinks. My cousin and I accompanied my Mum to the bus stop and, once she was savely on her way home, I walked my cousin back to my sister's and then went home.

It had been a very nice evening, and my cousin and I welcomed the opportunity for some more catching up.

Friday (10 July) was a very busy day for me, but pleasantly so. 

I played host to a meeting with colleagues from my professional association at the office in Weilimdorf. My boss, who had planned to attend and hold a presentation, was on sick leave all week which meant I had to do it all on my own. No problem... but until everything was set up AND my guests (about 20 of them) were all greeted and settled, it was a bit rushed for me - especially once I found out that my order for coffee, mineral water and snacks had not gone through with our in-house caterer! Fortunately, the caterer's employees are all professionals and were able to whip up the requested catering at the last minute. I was truly grateful to them and said so.

The meeting itself went very well with various presentations/talks, lively discussions and good conversations during our lunch break.

I had to make sure to leave on time and arrived home mid-afternoon with about 40 minutes to freshen up and get changed before I was off to the station again, where I met my sister and our cousin.

We accompanied our cousin to Stuttgart's main station and then got on another local train with her, making sure she was on the right one to the airport; she was flying back to Nizza that evening.

My sister and I got off after one stop and walked back down to Stuttgart's Schlossplatz (Palace Square) where we waited for a friend of my sister's. The three of us had tickets for the Jazz Open, an annual open-air music festival that draws big names every year, with tickets very much sought after and often sold out quickly. Our tickets were for Lenny Kravitz, mine was last year's Christmas gift from my sister.

Lenny Kravitz caught my attention in the 1990s, and I have been losely following his musical journey ever since. This was the first time we were going to see him live. And what a concert it was!!! Two hours straight of song after song, during most of which he accompanied himself on the guitar. He changed guitars about 10 times, and his brilliant band were a force on their own. I could go on and on about how great it all was; his voice, the music, the stage presence of a true artist and exceptional musician.

Our tickets were for the standing space, and as the concert was sold out, we were standing among a crowd of people - all of us sweating away in 34C/93F on a paved square in the middle of a big dusty city. I don't need to describe the... erm... scents wafting around, and that part of it wasn't exactly pleasant, but believe me - at some stage I managed to block most of it out, and only what was happening on stage mattered.

Neues Schloss (New Palace), Stuttgart.

Schlossplatz, Stuttgart

A young woman was translating into sign language the songs' lyrics and whatever Lenny said to the audience. She was positioned at the side of the stage, and he made a point of going over and personally thanking her for making his songs come alive for those hard of hearing or deaf. My sister told me that in an online article she read about this year's Jazz Open, apparently he was the only artist who acknowledged the presence of a sign language interpreter, let along thank them (there was one at every performance). That, in my opinion, says a lot about Lenny as a person.

You can read more about the festival (in English) here.

The three of us managed to catch a local train after only a very short wait, and I was home at about 11:25 pm.

On Saturday (11 July) morning, I did only part of my usual cleaning round, packed my little red suitcase and took three different trains to Offenburg, where O.K. picked me up at lunch time.

We had a quick light lunch at his place and in the afternoon went to see one of his uncles and his wife a short drive away. They had invited us after O.K. had told them of our wedding in May. I'd met the uncle before but not his wife, but once we got talking over cold drinks in their garden, it was as if we'd known each other for a long time. She was very pleasant to talk to, and I am glad we went to see them.

Back at the cottage, we chose to have our evening meal indoors; it was still too hot out on the balcony. Once the sun was behind the houses, we spent the rest of the evening out there, sipping well-chilled rosé and observing the stars emerge in the darkening summer night sky.

Sunday (12 July) allowed us to sleep in, but of course with the hot weather and all windows open, nobody stays in bed very long, and we were sitting on the balcony with our coffee mugs early enough to still catch a bit of the morning's freshness. 

I ironed before it became too warm while O.K. prepared our breakfast of fresh fruit and yoghurt. Early afternoon, we drove to a nearby village where the village band were booked at a small but very nice village fête. It was held underneath large old lime trees on the village school's playground - very welcome on what was another hot day of about 36C/97F.

We had a drink and a chat with some fellow band members afterwards and then drove home where we enjoyed a light evening meal of rucola salad and a platter of tomato and mozzarella.

Dining al fresco, open-air concerts, spending time with friends and family, never worrying about what to wear against cold or wet weather - it really was a week that brought some of the "Best of Summer"!

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.

A Night Like No Other

Yesterday was 26-6-26, a date that O.K. and I originally wanted for our wedding. It would have fitted our engagement date 25-12-25 so well, but of course we were about two years too late for the appointment with the registrar's, and married on the 8th of May instead. As you know from my blog, that day was simply perfect for us, also in terms of the weather. Had we indeed celebrated yesterday, the heat would have been very hard to bear in formal dress and all (keep in mind that our mothers are in their 80s, and of our small party I was the youngest at 58!). So, I am glad things turned out the way they did.

Now, what was so special about last night?

My Mum, my sister and I had tickets for a very special concert at Ludwigsburg's palace theater. It was my Mum's birthday present for me in March, and the date was in my diary ever since.

The location alone is special: Built in 1733, the theater retains most of its original stage machinery, backdrops and scenes. Please click here for photos and information in English. It is a small venue with no mod cons such as air conditioning or heating - we're happy to have electric lights! Tickets are very much sought after, and the concert we had tickets for (in the 1st row, can you believe it!) was a highlight in terms of music and artists, too.

The view from my seat. Can‘t get closer to the music unless you‘re part of the orchestra!

Have you heard of Bruno de Sá? He is an extremely gifted singer with a unique voice. Unlike most boys, his voice did not change during puberty, and so he uses his natural voice as a Soprano, while most male singers change to falsetto or use other techniques to achieve the high notes requested from Tenors and Counter Tenors.

Emmanuelle de Negri is also a Soprano gifted with a great voice. Together, the two singers had a wonderful presence on stage; they were completely "with" every note, every word and every emotion that the music meant to express.

The music was by Georg Friedrich Händel, brilliantly performed by the Basel Chamber Orchestra. 

Two cantatas were on the program: "Il Delirio Amoroso" and "Aminta e Fillide". Händel wrote them at the age of 21/22, and both became instant "hits" with the noble society of Italy. Between the two cantatas, an interval was scheduled. But...

...we never had that interval. Or, yes, we did - but not as planned!

A minute into the "Delirio", Bruno de Sá's singing was interrupted by a fire alarm. The entire theater, audience and artists alike, were told to leave immediately. Staff was very helpful, directing us out of the building in an orderly, unrushed manner without any hint of panic. 

Everyone gathered in the courtyard, witnessing the arrival of the firemen and a police car. None of us saw any smoke or flames, but Bruno de Sá (who stood near us) mentioned in conversation that there had been a smell behind the stage.

While we were all waiting for information and further instructions, we were free to mingle - audience and artists -, and my sister and my Mum took the chance for a "selfie" with Bruno de Sá, who was very kind and approachable.

After a little while, we were told that it was nothing serious and we would soon be allowed back into the building, but in the meantime, we were all invited to walk over to where the drinks for the interval had been set up and enjoy cold drinks which were of course VERY welcome (the temperature was still at about 37C/98F at that time.)

Mum pointing at Bruno‘s glass on our table. His lips have touched that! 😍😉🤣

We drank and chatted until we were asked to return to our seats. The musicians and singers had agreed not to pick up where they had left off or start again from the beginning, but move straight to the second part of the program. That was absolutely fine with all of us; it was getting late, it was hot, and the evening had already been particularly demanding for the artists, who had the heat of the stage lights to deal with on top of the high temperature in the venue anyway.

Walking back to the theater, which is reached via the family portraits gallery of the House of Württemberg. 

The music and the singing were simply fantastic. You could tell that these people do not only really, really know their stuff, they also LOVE what they do. More than once I was close to tears, because the delivery was so moving. As I am fluent in Italian, I had the advantage of understanding the words (but there was also a detailed booklet outlining the background and "story" of the two cantatas).

Hardly surprising, the audience gave standing ovations, and we were even treated to a short encore!

Afterwards, the three of us slowly made our way to the market square, where we stopped at the Irish Pub's outdoor seating for a cold drink before we accompanied our Mum to the bus stop. We waited until she was safely seated on the bus and then walked home across the still very hot town centre.

I was at my flat just a little after midnight, and of course the first thing I did was opening all the blinds and windows. What a truly wonderful, unforgettable night it had been!

The following pictures are from Bruno de Sá‘s instagram account, courtesy of my sister:

(By the way, we had been off to a bumpy start - my Mum had ordered a taxi that should have taken us to the venue with about half an hour to spare before the start of the concert. The taxi arrived TWENTY minutes late, making us rather nervous and leaving us with only a few minutes to rush through a cold drink and find our seats in the first row. But all anger was forgotten as soon as we were in there.)

First Week of June

The first week of June is over. For me, it was the second week of looking after my neighbours' pets (one cat and two rabbits), and because it was the second week of mid-term school holidays with many of my colleagues and clients away, it was also the second quiet-ish week at work in a row. The weather was a mix of sunshine and rain, plenty of wind, chilly mornings and nights but mostly warm days.

On Monday (1st of June), I arrived home on time from my weekend at O.K.'s. I picked up my neighbours' key from another neighbour who had been taking care of the pets on Saturday and Sunday. All was well except for Neo (the cat) having lost his tracker; the collar is designed so that it opens easily when it catches on a fence or in a dense hedge, avoiding potentially deadly accidents.

Neo was at home and eating with good appetite, and so while it was unfortunate that the tracker was nowhere to be found, we didn't need to worry about the cat.

I enjoyed my customary after-work walk to Benningen.

Tuesday (2nd of June) was uneventfully spent working from home, looking after my furry little charges and NOT going for a walk because of the unpredictable showery weather.

The usual day at the office followed on Wednesday (3rd of June). I had arranged to visit a former neighbour after work (she doesn't know yet that O.K. and I got married), but while I was still at the office, she sent me a text that she had forgotten that she already had an appointment and would not be at home that evening. We quickly agreed on a new date next week, and I took advantage of the sudden gap in my diary and walked home from Zuffenhausen.

That evening, when I was cleaning the rabbit hutch, Neo came running from one of the surrounding gardens, clearly happy to see me. He ate quickly, and then he insisted on being on my lap (for the first time). I sat on the step at the front door, Neo purring loudly as I was stroking and petting him. He closed his eyes, and at first his ears were still twitching and moving when he heard a bird twitter or a rustle in the shrubs, but after maybe five minutes he fell asleep. I sat there with him sleeping soundly on my lap for about half an hour, but when the church bells were chiming 9:00 pm (I had not had anything to eat since lunch at work), I gently woke him up, carried him inside to his refilled food dish, and as soon as he started eating again, I left.

It was a very sweet moment, a proof of trust and affection from the young black cat I've been looking after for a little and probably will do so again next time the family go on holiday.

Believe it or not, but Thursday (4th of June) was another public holiday in Germany - the last until October. Rain was forecast for late afternoon, but the morning was fine, and so I went to my Mum's and we walked the short distance to the gardening club's garden, where they were holding their annual summer fest. We found a table, and I brought our drinks and food for me; we listened to the music, talked to a few people we knew and a bit later were joined by Mum's friend R who had come by bike.

Before we could be caught in a shower, my Mum and I were back at her place where we had coffee and watched some TV together until I went home.

As had become my habit over the last 1 1/2 weeks, I had been over at my neighbours' to take care of the pets twice a day, but on this day, I did not see Neo at all, just filled his dishes.

Friday (5th of June) was the last day I was responsible for the cat and rabbits; the family were to return from their holiday late that night. Neo was in the house when I opened the door. He ate well and then went out with me, but once he realised I was busy cleaning the rabbit hutch, he looked for his own adventures and was gone by the time I finished.

I worked and then did my usual round of cleaning before packing my little red suitcase. The regular train connection was not running that evening, but a good one was going earlier than normal, and so I arranged with O.K. to meet me in Offenburg at 7:00 pm instead of 8:30 pm.

Since it was still sunny and warm then, we decided to have our meal not at the cottage but at a restaurant/beer garden with beautiful views of the area.

The Vosges mountains (France) are on the horizon.

Afterwards, O.K. drove us back into town where we had ice cream for dessert - very nice, and a true "summer feel" to it all.

Because O.K. was gardening around his Mum's house for much of Saturday (6th of June), I busied myself with a few household things, walked to the bank for some cash, walked to the bakery and to the fruit & veg hut just outside the village for fresh strawberries and green asparagus and spent good part of the afternoon resting and reading.

In the evening, O.K. and I went for a walk around the village before we prepared a large tray of oven-grilled vegetables.

Sunday (7th of June) was perfect hiking weather, and that was exactly what we did - not just the two of us, but with a couple of friends for a change. They had suggested the tour, and although I knew some parts from previous hikes, the tour as such was new to me, and I was really looking forward to the day.

We drove a short distance to pick them up and left the car on a parking space near a place called Höllhof ("Hell Farm") - nothing hellish about it, but a well-cared for picturesque cluster of farm and other buildings where aspiring foresters are trained, among other things. It being Sunday, all was quiet of course.

From Höllhof to Kalikutt (an odd name for a restaurant/hotel in the Black Forest, but it's been that for a long time) took us under two hours, and our friends had booked a table for the four of us for lunch, which by that time was welcome :-)

Foxgloves give a splash of colour in the otherwise very green Black Forest this time of year.

Approaching Kalikutt

Looking back at the restaurant; our table was with a view of the forest to the right.

I had Black Forest trout, freshly caught and grilled - very nice!

After our meal, we walked on towards the Moosturm, a place O.K. and I have been to a few times in the past but not since August 2024. You can look at the photos from that day here. Our visit now was almost exactly ten years since my very first visit, as you can see here.

Moosturm

A short rest, and on we went, arriving back at the car mid-afternoon. We drove our friends home and then went home ourselves. Because we'd had such a sumptuous lunch (it is unusual for us to have Sunday lunch, since we mostly have a proper meal in the evening), neither of us felt like eating much that evening. Instead, we sat on the balcony with a well-chilled rosé and snacking on crisps, bits of cheese and tomato, enjoying the evening light.

June has indeed started very well for me, wouldn't you say :-)