It’s all Deutsch to me…

I’m loving being in greater Germany. Although I loved being in Berlin, it is so cosmopolitan and such an international hub that you can easily forget you’re in another country, and the Lingua Franca is almost Englisch which also contributes to that feeling of a halfway cultural experience. So when you move out of that uber-cool, Cold War survivor you start to get deeper into German culture, stripped of any pretensions, and sense the groundedness of the uninterrupted flow of perpetual settlement.

I had a few particularly nice excursions in Göttingen. The bike ride to the lake was lovely. The slight give and soft crunch of the wheels over the dusting of snow reminded me of riding on a sandy path but there was not an ocean to be found. But a small lake with some birdlife and parts of which were frozen made for a peaceful scene.

The other was coming across the Camino markings outside St Jacobi’s church. I know that there are many roads that lead to Santiago in Europe but I always like to pay some homage to this Camino connection in my life.

I’m now in Bielefeld, and exciting news… there’s blue sky! This does not erase the fact that it is cold, it’s three degrees and windy outside. This is a distinct improvement on the past 4 days which have been grey and dim with misty showers. I’ve heard the Irish would have described those as “soft days”… personally, I do not find it soft, I find it hard, hard to bear. I am not acclimatised to this weather and was happy to have the morning at home yesterday while Rosie rode her bike off to uni. Rosie is keen to make the most of today’s blue sky and sun and get out for a walk.

… the next day…

My blogging has fallen by the wayside as I have been more engrossed in the actual travelling life rather than the recording of it. It has also been somewhat prosaic, which is totally fine with me. But now I will take advantage of the quietness of the apartment and a laptop computer (rather than my iPhone) to update this “kind of journal”.

Yesterday we did get out for a walk in the Teuterburger Wald, which is a large forest that stretches over a vast part of this local area and is conveniently located only 20 minutes walk from Rosie’s home. We walked a rough circuit that included permanent paths through farming land, past allotment gardens and apple orchards with the very last fruit hanging on the branches (definitely past their used by date). Then through the forest with redundant nests in undergrowth, now visible because of the lack of leaves to camouflage, up hills that had a dusting of snow near mossy rocks and spruce and conifers that are foreign to me. There were a few disused chalk quarries we passed, with large trees in their pits, telling of the years since the industry has been ceased. The signs of life in the winter of a deciduous forest are subtle and soft: some fungi, some moss and liverworts, the denuded branches with prepubescent buds, a flock of robins, some fallen pinecones, a cawing raven.

And onwards we went back towards the city of Bielefeld, over a road and through a suburb, or village, named Bethel where there was the disturbingly named “Gilead” hospital. I say “disturbingly” due to its association with the dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood (also a great TV series), “The Handmaid’s Tale” and if you are not aware of either of these, perhaps if I say that there were some connections to the Nazi regime’s treatment of disabled people during the holocaust at this same place, you may get some idea of the allusions the name may conjure. Enough to say that it was not the most pleasant part of the walk, but still part of the whole…

So over the hill and with more pleasant vistas, over a stream, past the local tennis courts with its strange winter attire of bricks on the line-markings. I find the strangest things to ponder…. I guess it is to stop them being effected by the cold weather and lifting and such, so that when the warmer weather is around the courts are ready for action immediately, and not in a state of disrepair. Somebody worked out that plan… good job!

Up the hill to the vantage point for a view of the city, and then further up to the rather fine old castle (built over 10 years in the 13th century), some of it reconstructed, some of it in ruins, and all of it with commanding views of a wide expanse of the city and the surrounding lands, streams, distant mountains, and even the Dr Oetker factory (more of this anon). The castle certainly would have been in a good position to site visitors and impending attacks. And for the present day folks, it is a great place for viewing the sunrise or sunset as I am reliably informed by Rosie’s flatmate, Maja. I can imagine that to be true.

After our 9km walk in some bracing weather, we were ready for some sustenance so back down into Bielefeld to a nice cafe for some warming food and a piece of German cheesecake (I can recommend this!) and then off for some retail therapy in the Altstadt before walking home for a night in.

Bielefeld is an interesting city and for me it is good to get to know it as my daughter will be living here for at least another three years. I mentioned Dr Oetker earlier, most people would know the name of this multinational company these days. It has its origins and headquarters in this city, and from its success the city has benefitted. There is a tram system that is not usual for the size of the city and this can be directly attributed to Dr Oetker as it was the transport system for the factory workers, I believe. Another thing about the tram system is that the more central tram stops are underground which is particularly nice in the inclement weather.

There are some nice old buildings that survived WWII bombing. I like how the old buildings get repurposed and then modernised without losing their facades. I went to the Kunst Halle (art gallery) the other day. It is currently proudly celebrating its 50th birthday. It is an austere red building with a cast of Auguste Rodin’s “The Thinker” guarding the entrance. It’s a bold museum with walls with colour blocking, which I have not experienced in an art gallery before. The art is interesting, mostly German (natürlich), mostly 20th century, with some well-known artists and some striking pieces. My favourite was a 12 minute video, “Daughter of Time” by a Japanese artist; she ties the bottom thread of her knitted red dress to a tree trunk and walks around it until the dress is then wrapped around the tree… a walking meditation of sorts.

Tomorrow Rosie and I will head off on a sidetrip to Aachen and Liege. There are some archaic family connections to this area so it will be interesting to see what this elicits within us. If nothing else it is supposedly a pretty train trip and both cities are similarly schöne.

So Tschüs for now!