Sunday 1 July 2018

Sunday 1 July - Above Todtnauberg

Where's Bertie? He's in a car park above the village of Todtnauberg (exact location:47.85940, 7.93933).
Weather: Some cloud, but mainly sunny and warm.

Last night was too hot with too much noise, not just at the full Stellplatz, but around the town in general. As a result, it was a hard task to drag myself out of bed at 6.30 this morning, but I was soon glad I had: most of my 7-mile run was undertaken before the sun got high enough to heat things up. Moreover, it was still quiet out, with just a few handfuls of other runners and a few dog walkers. As I ran along, with the river on my right, I was treated to the sight, in the field to my left, of a buzzard, a heron and a stork.

Clear blue skies, but the sun is still low

By mid-morning we were gone from Freiberg, with Bertie hauling us slowly around the hairpin bends and over the mountain pass that lies to the SE of the town. Confusion reigned with some diversion signs as we approached our destination, but we found our way around the roadworks on our second attempt, and fortuitously found a level spot free in the otherwise busy car park.

Dozens of people came and went as we had elevenses, then lunch, after which we decided to find out why this is such a popular location for a Sunday stroll.

In our experience to date, you never need to take a sit-mat on a walk in Germany. There will always be some seating available, sometimes in the form of a picnic spot, complete with a shelter.

If it hadn't been obvious from the map, it was apparent almost as soon as we set off that this is a cross-country skiing area. There's quite a bit of 'up' in that 'cross' too, as we ascended some distance up to the top of a hill that may or may not be called Stübenvasen.

Passed on the way: an enormous tree trunk on which sun loungers have been built, complete with stairs to get up to those on the thick end of the trunk.

Not a bad view in front of which to sunbathe!

The summit of our hill was a rounded hump of a meadow and quite unremarkable, although a short side-trail did take us to views. I think this is Feldberg, the
highest hill in the region:


Completing a circuit, the final approach back to Bertie was unshaded and hot, however, it wasn't as unbearable as we knew it would have been in Freiberg today. When we left the town it was already 27 degrees out; when we arrived in this car park (which sits at 1140m) it was only 25 degrees. About an hour or so ago, the sun went behind a stand of trees that sits off to one side of the car park and it's already down to 23 outside (27 inside), which is cooler than it was at any point last night.

I've already tested the sleeping potential of the car park, having got the bed down and caught up on some Zzzzs after our walk this afternoon. Hopefully it will be quiet tonight, after the walkers and footballers (there's a football pitch sitting atop a mound to one side of the car park - it looks such an unlikely place for a pitch, but it's currently in use) have all left.

No comments:

Post a Comment