The (almost) accurate quote from Goethe’s Faust describes it best. There is this side of me, enamored by the rolling hills of the Odenwald,
and then there is the other side, that loves the excitement of the city of Frankfurt with its highrise buildings and modern side of living.
And this is the compromise, I guess. A view from one side of the Upper Rhine valley, where I live, all the way across to the hills of the Palatinate (Pfalz), with the twin cities of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen on either side of the Rhine in between. The distance from the Odenwald to the other side is about 50 kilometres at this point.
In the Lautertal, a valley in the southern part of the state of Hesse in Germany, is the “Felsenmeer” or sea of stones. The geological processes which created this natural phenomenon happened almost 400 million years ago, over time erosion laid bare these boulders. Romans quarried them, and there are about 150 work pieces left from these times which were left behind.
For Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: rocks, boulders, stone. More rocky and stoney photos can be found here.
This wayside shrine is called Kalter Herrgott (Cold Lord). It is found near the village of Ritschweier in the Odenwald, Germany, on the brow of a hill where cold winds blow.
The barren looks of the fields after the harvest point towards the autumn
even though it is still hot.
With the wind blowing over the stubbles, autumn isn’t far away anymore:
Wenn der Wind über die Stoppelfelder weht, ist der Herbst nicht mehr fern.
Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge had an opentopic this week. Mine was After the Harvest.
Click hereto see the contributions of other bloggers.
I kind of got lost yesterday (not really but I had a hard time of finding the my car again). Luckily I had my camera with me and going through the photos I found four that would go with the Pick a Wordchallenge from Paula at Lost in Translation.
canicular
Here I was still on track. The gentleman saw me taking pictures and shouted and cajoled me until I had snapped him up. He told me afterwards (after he’d crossed the road and we started talking) that only on the hottest days of the year would he go to the shops dressed like this.
scenic
Then I drove into the Odenwald with its beautiful scenery, parked the car and a few hills later I didn’t remember in which forest clearing I had left it.
splash
I came across this pond and for a moment thought I caught a lizard baking in the sun fully expecting the animal to disappear in the water with a splash. It didn’t.
feathered
What a beautiful little flower, it truly reminded me of a bird.
Little wonder that I didn’t find anything remotely related to marine considering that the Odenwald is the German mountain range that is furthest away from any saltwater body.
My little envisaged stroll of 15 minutes fresh air had turned into a two hour hike, with so many ups and downs that it was quite strenuous. I’m not sorry, though.
For Lost in Translation: Pick a Word in July.
For more splashy, feathered, scenic and canicularphotos, possibly also marineones, click here.
This is the view from the Vierritterturm (four knights tower), located at the western side of the Odenwald between Nieder-Liebersbach and Hemsbach, looking toward the East.
For One Word Photo Challenge: panorama. More panoramic photos can be found here.
pictures imperfect blog 