february: howling wolves & medieval architecture.

one animal park i could visit all year round is the animal park in hanau. needless to say it's because of the wolves. they are the main attraction. all the other animals are attractive, too, of course, but to be able to see those wolves and listening to their howling practices is definitely an one of a kind experience.

the pheasants of the park are glowing in all kinds of exotic colours.

and sometimes, even the average dove attracts my eye.

those colours! sadly, i couldn't capture his whole glory, due to fence restrictions.

almost headless owl.

thuringian goat!

the polar wolves' favourite hang out place is one a little hill in the middle of the compound. they can see everything and everyone from up there.

and the howling began. it seems that you as a visitor or as a caretaker only need to start a howling session and soon they join in to howl back at you. so i tried it out and yes, it was true.

it's kind of magical to hear them howl.

reflections in puddles.

these are aurochses. actually, they are instinct, but people tried their luck at reproducing them again with the help of backbreeding and were fairly successful. wild living aurochses are extinct since 1627.

baby aurochs! it was so melancholic.

a peacock turning wheels.

storks always remind me of this children's song. also, they are quite beautiful creatures.

baby goaties! always cuddling and smiling.

this one wanted to eat me.

and this fat rabbit was indeed that: fat.

a deer head sculpture on a house wall near the park.

after the visit to the animal park it was decided we'd visit steinheim - a part of hanau. it's known for being the portal to the cider production region of hessia. therefore it's really old and medieval - and i really love them medieval little towns.

the river main meanders near steinheim and later will flow into the rhine.

perfect portal.

how german's protect old trees with hollow insides.

the alley to steinheim castle.

fountain figurine.

my idea of a perfect house.

clappers are THE vessels for cider serving only. hessian cider is not to be served in a different one EVER. it's a strict rule here in apple cider land.

they were practically everywhere.

birdie!

steinheim castle.

there's a museum inside, but it was closed that day. and finally, the sun came out for a bit!

november: kickelhahn, himmelblau & weimar cemetery.

i had a week off in november and visited my parents ( as i often do on my vacations ). on a sunday morning we headed to the thuringian forest to climb onto the peak of the kickelhahn mountain. the kickelhahn mountain is the landmark mountain of the city of ilmenau . johann wolfgang von goethe , the famous writer & philosopher, often visited ilmenau and also climbed the kickelhahn. oftentimes he stopped at a little hut in the woods to relax for a while and on one of these stops he wrote one of his most known poems. our little adventure didn't last the whole day, though, as we had a little date with the weimar cemetery to look after the grave of my grandparents and then to visit my cousin and his family. tiny peek onto the kickelhahn tower. thuringian woods - deep dark green. at the goethe hut. this plate shows the german version of the poem goethe wrote here. inside the hut. and here's the english translation. i love this poem so much, as ...

in the forests.

it's that time of the year again.

july '20: lake petersdorf discoveries and a plea against genocide.

the green wild meadows of malchow's sandfeld. in the west of malchow there is a big chunk of forest that spans towards plauer see, a widely 'uncultivated' area these days, but it hasn't always been this way. in my last post i mentioned the nazi munition factory that had been built in these woods, away from prying eyes of their enemies and where they also built an external subcamp for the concentration camp ravensbrück. exactly these woods we explored on a pretty sunny day, betraying the darkness that happened around these parts. isn't it weird that there are places in this world that were built or used by dark forces and horrible regimes and you vist them 80 years later and they are the most peaceful places you can imagine? sometimes my brain can't cope with the contrast of knowing what was in the past and what the present looks and feels like. it definitely leaves me with a strange impression often, kind of like a little sting in my heart and brain that is not ...

ghost of nature.

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