On Vacation: Breathing Emptiness

Most trees around the house show that autumn is over. Winter is waiting. Only a few tree branches are not yet bare. Everywhere during the past weeks the winds have blown most brown leaves down to earth. In a month time we will have Wintersolstice. I love the way this turning of the wheel of time is showing itself. So, this morning we rubbed our eyes out - look where we are! - and we made a relaxed and free walkaround downhill, over the Weserriver into town. Among the views and panorama’s we preferred the wellknown ones. But from there we switched our outlook and found new visions. As you see here above: the silent bare branch of a grey near-winter day. That suits well the atmosphere of closure and desertion that has slept into the old town center. From half November unto half of March tourists keep away, shops and café’s have a long winter leave.

We love this emptiness and silence that reigns through the old Karlshafener streets. Here we are free of big city turbulence, noise, smog and dangerous traffic. We can walk and stroll, make photo’s. In spite of all the fatigue of the past weeks and the long travelling day, serenity reigns this region in a way which can only be compared to the deep rest I can feel near the sea. Of course higher up in the mountain forest you will find even more silence. I do not pretend to have some unique experience, a feeling that easily can be surmounted by the experience of long distance and mountain walkers. A very different experience, they will say. But for me, for both of us this one will do. Perhaps tomorrow morning we will try to walk up the steep Sohnrey Height. In spite of the grey sky we might have a view. And we saw many yellow-brown trees up there. It will be a healthy walking tour and we need to get the weariness out of our system. Tomorrow: day of emptiness, vacation day, hurray!