february: in the land of vines.

on most of my sundays i decide to take walks or hikes all around the area, because when do i get to do this other than on lazy sundays? in my work week i rarely have the time nor desire to do so, and since i rarely have things planned on sundays, it's the perfect moment to break out of my routines. i love rewiring my brain this way, as nature and fresh air are important components of my well-being. if i am stuck too long in the city, i kind of get crazy.

there's a curious friendship going on in the parks of wiesbaden - that of two egyptian geese & a mandarin duck. the geese protect the duck and the duck is always happily waddling alongside them. whenever a passerby walks towards them the geese start to chatter really loudly, until the intruder is shooed away from them and their little friend.

whenever i see them i'm totally in awe of such a strange companionship.

so... on a sunday in late february i decided to drive to rauenthal, a district of eltville city. i read that there might be some nice hiking trails - one of which led to a hill called bubenhäuser höhe. it was a really chilly and windy day, but that never prevents me from walking. you never know what you may encounter, especially on days were close to no people are around, because, yeah, human beings dislike the cold! i am always very glad for that fact. and because of that i mostly have nature for myself and can better concentrate on my surroundings.

i started at an ever present vine yard ( we're in a vine region after all! ) with a small view onto the rhine river.

the dark woods of the pre-taunus mountain range.

i love it when skeleton-like trees are emerging out of a uniform looking wood section.

i met a shetland pony withstanding the bad weather.

i love the looming darkness at around this time of the year. even if its bright outside, it still really isn't.

mossy rocks! i think i'll never tire of rocks and cliffs.

the path was quite beautiful.

and right next to it you could easily fall into some kind of abyss.

encountered a little chapel. it wasn't open.

high seat views. yeah, i climbed into one, and no, i haven't seen any wildlife.

after approximately 2 hours of walking i got back to my initial starting point. but that wasn't the final. i still wanted to have the great view onto the river.