A very special guided tour brought us to some different initiatives in eastern Brandenburg, where we learned, how people from the city and from the villages live and work together on the countrysite and engage actively in village live. I was most impressed by the story of Trebnitz.
My brother Daniel is mentally handicapped and lives is an institution not so far from where my Mom lives. He comes home from time to time and my Mom frequently visits him. The institution is located on the border of a forest and there are plenty of possibilities to have great times outdoors. We had a very nice afternoon with ice cream and a lot of lazy lying around in the sun.
We have been there as teenagers at night to have mystic parties and campfires. For a very long time the ruin of the Wildenburg was and still is a magic place in the middle of a typical Odenwald forest. It was built in the 12th century and destroyed by Götz von Berlichingen (well known from Goethes stage play) in the 16th century. Since, it attracts hikers and today even some corny dressedup instagramers find their way up to the castle ruin.
Beautifully situated in the Taubertal is the Monastery of Bronnbach a former Cistercian Abbey founded in the 12th century. The surroundings are great for hiking, the Nibelungensteig and one of the German Saint James Ways lead right past the forest just next to the Monastery. It’s a wonderful complex of buildings, above all if it’s the first days of spring.
Spring is kicking in and the magic begins. I just took pictures from places where you can already see it. In reality, everything is still quite brownish and winterish.
We made a “culture day” this day and saw the exposition “Berlin Global”. And for the first time we have been to the newly built Humboldt Forum aka the Stadtschloss. The castle in the middle of the city has been rebuilt at the place were once the Palast der Republik stood. The latter has been contaminated by asbestos and has been the government building of the former GDR which was a dictatorship. But at the same time, a lot of people identified with this state and this building and I still think, it was wrong to tear it down and build some kind of Disney World from the past at its place.
We had a nice day strolling through forests and fields. Pavlov is afraid of horses, since he touched the electrified fence, while sniffing one. Pobrecito!
Still during the dark times. A Sunday at Flughafensee turned out to be a birding day. Pavlov was not amused by the Swan hissing at him.
This was in January and very, very cold. But Pavlov doesn’t mind at all.
Sunny, cloudy, misty, rain and shine – this hike was very divers and beautiful.
hikeminded 