the dangling sun.
morning scenery on a wet april day.
sometimes i think of my walks as little pilgrimages, though i don't really intent to be a pilgrim in a religious sense. it's more like i do it to expand myself, to further my knowledge about things, to sharpen my eyes for details. there is always the possibility that this might lead to some kind of illumination, some insight, an awareness of something previously unseen and maybe this all sparking something new, an idea or a realization. it might also present a new-found appreciation of things normally overlooked, things that you get accustomed to and take for granted. in this sense, all of my excursions are basically pilgrimages, because it means i'm on a search for something, even if it has no big meaning, even if it is something tiny that stirs my senses. even if my intention is to slow myself down, to flee from my reality, to divert my mind from everyday annoyances.
in the first part of this entry you will see pictures from a walk around schierstein, one district i often visit ( mainly because it has the best access to the rhine river, which is the main reason why ). the district itself sometimes goes under my radar, even though it maintains a kind of fishing village charm that's hard to pass by. there are quaint little alleyways with old houses at the core of the district, actually, and the place breathes an air of the olde days, a little bit rusty, a little bit scrubby around the edges. since schierstein is very close to the borders of the rheingau region, it also is impacted by wine-making. there has been a champagne manufacture in schierstein in the past, which explains some of the more luxurious buildings you can also find in the district. overall, schierstein is a nice place, even though it is also a place of commerce and industry, with lots of enterprise zones surrounding the old core, which diminishes the loveliness of the district a bit, in my opinion. when i visit schierstein it's mostly just because i want to visit the harbour and the rhine river promenades, not because of schierstein itself. this sounds cruel, but that's the way it is, these sights are just what makes it the most attractive. that doesn't mean though, that i don't give it any other chances to win me over. sometimes i purposefully revisit districts after a while to rediscover them, and it happens that the re-discovery brings things to light that i actually find awesome, that suddenly pique my interest. sometimes revisiting places opens up your perspective on them again and makes you appreciate them.
the protestant priest office of the christophorus parish.
this pathway leads from the priest office towards the harbour. the area has once been an old cemetery that surrounded a church, but none of it still stands, only some enclosure walls.
there's also a school nearby and a playground for kids ( both built much later in history - the school is from the 70ies and the playground is constantly being revised and renewed ). that's why i like this part so much, it doesn't show the modern surroundings at all, like it was frozen in time.
one of the many colourful streets of old schierstein. most of these homes were once fisher cottages.
brickstone buildings are always indicators for old industrial activities, many of them being homes to the working class. they were relatively inexpensive to build, therefore perfect for everyone who could not afford luxurious housings. i really like the mood of brickstone buildings, they have something raw going on, something coarse and crude. i always like to imagine them covered with green plants, i think bricks and nature make such a good combination. i liked this corner, with the power distribution box painted so happily by kids' hands.
the protestant st. christophorus church is a baroque/roccoco building from 1752 - 1754, and it's hidden quite well inside the labyrinth that is old schierstein. it's a really lovely gem, shining warm in the sunlight. it was built after plans by johann wilhelm faber.
some stately sculptures were put up in front of the church, almost turning the lawn into an elegant garden.
the lindenbach ( linden creek ) is enclosed in a vary narrow concrete streambed that runs underneath the old champagne factories. it's not pretty, but it's charmingly grimy ;)
in the midst of a modern residential area hides a relict of the past - the schierstein water tower. it was build for the champagne manufactory söhnlein in 1914, because they needed higher water pressure to clean the bottles for distribution. there is no champagne manufactory in schierstein anymore ( though the factory buildings still exist ), which renders the water tower useless these days. it's listed as a historic building, though, and used for residential purposes.
this picture is slightly canted, but it shows the water tower better ;P
at last, an often overseen gem of schierstein is this little villa - the kettenborn palais. it was probably the living quarter for the founders of the söhnlein champagne manufactory. unfortunately there's no back history on this building anywhere, so this is basically an assumption. these days it houses a computing consultant.
in early may i made my way to the little village district of heßloch, a place i have never been to in all the years i have lived in wiesbaden. it's basically a small village with about 640 inhabitants, nestled into a small undulating valley ( wäschbachtal ) where the biggest hill, the steinkopf, is overlooking the village with its 332 m elevation. heßloch is maintaining its super rural character, which i found to be very charming! my hike around the village was filled to the brim with special animal encounters, and the paths leading through the woods and the orchard meadows were gorgeously idyllic. heßloch has a few hiking routes, which is a rarity with small villages like this in general, which just shows you how active the inhabitants are when it comes to the presentation of their village. i had the feeling that heßlochians are quite proud to live in that quaint little valley, sheltered from the big city.
i will definitely return to heßloch to check out more paths!
right at the start of my little hike i met these fellas! momma sheep with baby sheep 🐑
the baby sheep were quite rambunctious, climbing on top of their caretakers.
i mean, why do they do that? is it fun? did nature intent them to do that? or were they simply just reckless? the momma sheep didn't look displeased, more like they were enjoying it, like it was a massage for them. it was quite funny to watch.
i eventually left the sheep ( reluctantly haha ) and kept moving on. these blossoms belong to the scotch broom plant.
the hiking path started out to be of medium width, but it narrowed down soon enough.
the next surprise was quick to come, i discovered some roe deer hiding in a big patch of grassy meadows! i first saw only one, but that was about to change quickly.
( can you spot the second one in this picture? ) i loved how they were frolicking around in a sea of dandelions, it was a picture of the gods ❤
not only were there two roe deer, no, there were three! after watching the first two for a while i suddenly made out a tiny movement in some really high grass and what do you know, there was a roe buck hidden in there!
the one i spotted first discovered me and left the dandelion field to walk up to a thick bushy area.
it looked back one more time before vanishing in the bushes. the other ones felt safe enough to stay hidden inside the grass, but after watching them for at least 10 more minutes i decided to continue my way. you have no clue how this meeting elevated me, especially because all of the deer were super calm and didn't run away at all! even though one clearly was aware of me! i spent at least half an hour watching them all before resuming my walk. i could've watched them all day.
tiny scotch broom path :3
i was clearly fascinated by these plants. i actually really like brooms, their tiny blossoms look so exotic to me. it is a toxic plant though, so despite the allure i feel towards these, they won't ever land in a tea of mine or will be used in any other way. i could technically use the dried twigs as part of a besom, but ya know, something like this would only be useful in outdoor areas, not in the tiny flat i live in ;)
they remind me of orchids somehow.
by the wäschbach creek. it's only a teeny-tiny creek here, still very young ( it sources not far away at the steinkopf hill ).
walking around the corner i met ( or re-encountered? ) a deer again, this time in a sea full of yellow blossoms! i was really lucky that day with the deer rendezvous ❤ i only had the time to shoot one picture before it bounced away very quickly, but it's a sweet one!
after leaving the woods i came upon some fruit tree meadows. this landscape is a dying one in germany, it is often protected by law. oftentimes these orchard meadows are neglected, though, which sadly means that some of the old trees will die down eventually, because no one cares about cultivating them. i love these meadows especially in summer time or autumn when they all bear cherries, apples, plums and mirabelles and i get to collect a few fruits for my own consumption. because unfortunately a lot of the fruits growing on these trees go to waste, which is a real shame, that's for su0re.
some of these trees are probably over 100 years old. i like when i see mown grass around them, because that means someone is caring for them. a little tip: you should definitely refrain from plucking fruit from places that are obviously cared for, it is considered theft if you are caught doing that ;P
it was pretty overgrown in some places, mostly with brambles. that's also a typical sight in rural areas. with ripe brambles you need to be careful about the low-lying twigs and branches as they can be infested with eggs of the echinococcus multilocularis bandworm. you should not eat wild berries without washing them before ingestion anyway, but it is especially important with fruit that come from the low-hanging branches.
skeleton plant in the middle of the green jungle.
i am a sucker for dead trees and bushes, even though of course it'd be a lot better if they lived. i guess i just like the contrast and how clearly this sight proves that death and life are closely knitted to each other. the old trees are often an integral part in the ecosystem as well, they might look dead but be assured that there probably is a lot of life going on inside them still, bugs and crawlies living in there, birds, insects, small animals building nests in hollowed out trunks, parasite plants and organisms utilizing what is left for their growth. looking at dead plants in this way helps you realize that a dead tree must not necessarily mean something ominous, but can be the start of something entirely new just waiting to emerge out of it!
plus, lichen-covered trees are pretty much a gorgeous sight in my opinion and lend a rustic, ancient mood to the place.
and that's were my little hike basically ended, because i re-entered the village shortly after! i only went for a short hike first, and now i am quite excited for the longer ones!
until next time,
stay curious!
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