On the way to Köln, and now nearly across Germany.

Spring is well and truly on the way!  I am seeing, and hearing, signs everywhere.  The crocus and snowbells are blooming in proliferation, and now I'm seeing daffodils just starting to colour, and in plantings in the city they are actually flowering, along with plantings of pansies and polyanthus.  As well as these signs I think I can feel it!  For several days I have had only three layers on the top, and often no hat or gloves.  Yesterday the temperature got to 11° and today I noticed it was 13°.  Tomorrow the forecast is for 18°, though it won't be for long as the temperature is set to plummet in the days to come.

These are purple crocus, but I have seen white and yellow ones too.

Schneeglöckchen in bloom (Snowdrops)

 The first daffodils.

Spring flowers blooming near Köln Cathedral

Since leaving Marburg I have been obliged to make a couple of train journeys.  After spending over an hour in the Marburg Tourist Office and exploring every accommodation possibility I came to the reluctant conclusion that the only way to get to Siegen was by train - accomodation possibilities at this time of the year making it too difficult to walk.  Mind you, even catching the train was complicated as I had to go South to Giessen where I stayed overnight and then headed up to Siegen ready to walk.

This part of the journey has had a few more hill climbs than previous sections, with each morning seeming to begin with a particularly nasty ascent.  However, once on the top, the path mostly follows the contour lines, gently undulating through various forests and along the odd country lane.  On these ridges the views across the distance have been worth the effort, though the often biting wind meant the temptation to linger was dampened!

At the top of the hill, after leaving Siegen, I had icy snow to carefully traverse.

Looking back at the village of Oberfischbach.  As I walked up this hill a man called to me and while I tried to figure what (or rather, how) I could tell him what I was doing he came over with a chocolate bar in his hand - his actions said "to give you strength"!

Along the way I periodically come across logging ventures.

There have been, along this section, quite a few little chapels.  None were open, but seeing these little chapels along the path reminded me of Italy.

Kapelle Zur Schmerzhaften Mutter near Friesenhagen.

A few hundred metres further on there was St Anna Kapelle

This was the church in Friesenhagen itself.

Just before reaching Crottorf, at the top of a hill, was the Heilig Kreuz Kapelle

The ivy covered church tower in Drabenderhöhe

The man walking past this little church stopped and had a chat with me, in garbled (on my part) one word sentences, stopping and telling a passer by how I was an Aussie walking Jakobsweg from Leipzig (roughly 450 kms away).

I stopped here in Denklingen for a snack before pushing on to my hotel.

As I walked through Steinenbrück this old building with its crooked beams caught my eye.

Looking out at the village of Overath.

I didn't pause at this rest stop.  I could see a squall approaching and I was trying, unsuccessfully as it turned out, to get to my hotel in Bierenbachtal without having to put my raincoat on.  With 20 minutes to go it hit, rain and sleet combined with wind.

This stage of the journey has had some navigation challenges.  The signs disappear periodically and I have to use my sense of direction and instincts, combined with map reading and deductive skills.  Even so, there were a number of times when I walked without signs for some distance and was very relieved to see a sign appear.

This was a very suspect sign (the yellow splodge on the tree trunk) that I managed to see from 100 metres out on the road.

Walking into Köln was fairly tedious.  It was 10kms along the footpath.  After walking through a few forests for most of the previous day it was tough pounding the pavement into the city.  Mind you, 10kms was a shortish day and so I arrived in the city by lunch time.

Köln is a busy city, even in the off season.  There seem to be tours of every description going on with clumps of tourists clustered around their guide tell them stories in a variety of different languages.

When I went to visit the Cathedral a mass was about to begin.  Only those attending the service could enter and so I went in, at 10.30 on a Saturday morning.  It was apparent that this was a fairly important service, but a surreptitious peak at google made me none the wiser. There were all sorts of church dignatories, and the procession as they entered was a sea of colour.  Servers in red and white, priest and others in cyclamen pink and purple, along with the choir in white cassocks.  

It was the size of the choir that made me aware that it was a special service, which I later found out was a farewell for one of the Cathedral's leaders.  It was a real treat to hear the music at the service.  The choir was wonderful and it wasn't till things were underway that I realised there were two choirs.  The boys and men were at the side, very near where I sat.  I puzzled over why the conductor was using such large, expansive conducting patterns, until I spied, on a balcony, another conductor doing the same thing, copying the boss below!  He had behind him a slightly smaller choir of girls and these two choirs sang together, separately, and did some really interesting canons.  In between this when it was time for everyone to sing the organ thundered high above, jutting over the congregation.

The organ perched above the heads of the congregation.  I wouldn't like to be the organist - you'd need a good head for heights!

The Köln Cathedral, with a little tourist train in the foreground.

A street scene in Köln.

The sunshine brought everyone out to sit in the cafe's, still rugged up with coats, and rugs for the knees.

Marburg, the end of one leg and the start of the next.

Since my last post I have worked my way steadily westwards to the University town of Marburg.

As I've walked along I've had companions who have chosen to walk in silence with me.  Silence, because once I've explained that I am walking Jakobswegwege, where I have come from, and where I am going - in the short term and the long term - there is nothing more to say!  I can't understand them, and they can't understand me!  However we walk in companiable silence, occasionally commenting, with gestures, on something around us and frequently using the word "Schön" to describe the sunshine, the view, the birds.  Yes you've guessed it, Schön means beautiful.

Looking back down the path to the village of  Dagobertshausen 

A sign on the way

In the village of  Ostheim

The snow still lingers.

Leaving Ziegenhain, this man stood guard, with just one of the prison buildings over his right shoulder!

I have been very fortunate these past few days to see flocks of geese returning home.  When I was entering the town of Homburg four flocks flew over - either that or it was one flock that had got lost and were flying around in circles! Then a couple of days later walking into Stadtallendorf there were even more flocks heading home.  This, according to one chap I spoke to, is a sign that spring is on its way.  Mind you in between that I had a day of snow!

 The beautiful half timbered houses, here (and below) in Homburg, are in every village along the way.

 The path continues up the hill and along the edge of the forest to the right.

 This historic ruin is in the lovely village of Treysa.

I walked through the forest in the background and past these giants which threw a long and moving shadow in the late afternoon sunshine.  It was soon after this that I met one of my silent companions who went at least 3 - 4 kms out of his way to make sure I got to my hotel, escorting me right to the door.

Marburg is a lovely city.  The old town sits on a hill with a castle perched on the top, while the famous Elisabeth Kirche named after St. Elisabeth is at the foot of the hill.

 Elisabeth Kirche (above and below).  St. Elisabeth moved to Marburg where she lived a life of poverty, following St Frances example.  This was after the birth of three children and being widowed by the time she was 21.

The Lutheran church near the top of the hill, and part of the castle in the distance.

About the half way point across Germany

Yesterday I said farewell to Emrys.  It has been great having him here for the first leg of this part of my journey.  His language skills have been invaluable and it has been a treat not to be solely responsible for map reading and decision making.  He has headef back to Munich for a few days with our exchange partners before heading on home.

On his last night with me we took a detour for accommodation.  WiFi is very infrequent at present and as we needed to do some internet research chores we hopped on a bus back to the town of Eschwege, and what a treat that has been!  This is a delightful town with fascinating buildings.  Yesterday I went by bus back to Waldkappel and Emrys by train to Munich.

Just one of the interesting buildings in Eschwege.

Having left Eisenach on Sunday our days have been spent basically meandering along river valleys, though Emrys did manage to throw a hilly shortcut into the mix!  Leaving Eisenach we passed the Opel factory.  Eisenach was also the home of car factories before WW2 which led to some destruction of buildings during bombing raids.

Looking across a frozen lake to the to the Opel factory.

We left Jakobsweg for some of this first day and instead followed the path of the old DDR border.  All that remains is a clear swathe through the forest along with a concrete path running through it.  We actually climbed quite high, walking through unmelted snow along the top.  It seems remarkable that we were walking along the border that was once two different countries and is now one.

Crossing the bridge over the River Werra at Hörschel to be in our detour on the old border path.

The former border dividing Germany in two.

A monument along the way.  To quote Emrys "that's a hefty piece of steel".

At the top of the path and about to descend into the village of Ifta.

This path led us to the village of Ifta.  There was a pilgrim refuge here, and after bailing up a bloke who had come to the church to do some work, but ended up calling the lady who runs the refuge, which turned out to be a mattress on the floor of the "winter" church, a newer and warmer building.  She then took us to the guest house to tell them we needed food.  There were a few people having a quiet Sunday afternoon drink and we were very quickly the topic of conversation.

The view from our refuge the next morning.

After our spartan accommodation of this night we found a nice little Pension the next night and were able to have a shower!  Datterode was a small village, but we managed to find a kebab for dinner.

In Datterode our room looked out at the church.

Somehow, leaving Datterode, we ended up on the wrong path and had to cross fields that had been recently sprayed with slurry!  Mess and smell!

Brown fields covered in slurry.

Arriving at the village of Hoheneiche we stopped outside the church for a rest.  Here the highlight of our day eventuated.  A lady who had passed by, with her mother, earlier returned and invited us for coffee.  Several hours of hilarity ensued and we consumed not only coffee, but some delicious cake. A real treat and much appreciated.

Marlies, our hostess (2nd on the right), with Wilma (right), her Mum.  Emrys is not there as he is behind the camera.  Only some of the delicious cakes can be seen! 

 A panorama of the village of Hoheneiche.

Now that I am back on my own I am having different adventures.  My day of walking yesterday was very pleasant, even the traversing of the hills on my own.  At one stage I had to divert into the bush because a tree was completely blocking the path.  It was quite icy on the top and so I had to be particularly careful - a slip in these conditions could have severe ramifications!

It was here that I had to divert into the bush as, with my pack on I had no way of getting over or under the tree that had fallen across the path so my only choice was to go round it.

When I reached Spangengberg, my destination for the day, I was faced with a dilemma - I couldn't find anywhere to sleep!  The lady in the post office directed me across the square to a pension, but no answer when I rang the bell.  She even tried ringing them for me without success.  Some people in the street sent me to a guest house up the hill, but they weren't taking guests.  As I walked back down the hill my post office friend saw me and tried ringing a couple of numbers for me, without success, shrugged her shoulders and wished me luck!

I had decided to head out of town when I spied a bus shelter that, at a pinch, would suffice for me to be homeless for a night!  With that in mind, I decided to head back up the hill and eat, and shelter, in the pizza bar I had just passed.  Fortunately the chaps there took me in hand, making numerous phone calls and eventually finding me a room, then driving me to it and staying to translate for me.  Angels are found in all sorts of guises!

A corner house on he entrance to Spangengberg.

A street in the town, at the bottom of which I found the bus shelter I thought I'd have to spend the night in.

The square in Spangeford, near where I tried, unsuccessfully, to get a bed.

Today, because I didn't want a repeat of last night's fiasco I actually stopped when I reached Malsfeld, only 11kms down the road, where I knew I could get a bed.  This made it a short day, but I have an opportunity to post this blog and put my feet up so it is not wasted time, particularly as it takes fifteen minutes or more (on this VERY slow WiFi) to put one photo on the blog!

The path leaving Waldkappel doubled as a cycling track.

Emrys and I made good use of bus shelters such as this to take a rest in.  Wish our bus shelters were as protective - especially those in the hills.

I have been seeing quite a few of these snowdrops over the past couple of days - makes spring seem closer!

Walking through the village of Schemmern

 This was one nice little pilgrim rest stop on the outskirts of a village.

 Looking back from where I had come towards Schemmern......

 ........and towards where I'm headed

The weather continues to hold.  The other day, despite the temperature being only about 3°, I walked without hat and gloves for most of the day.  There have been a couple of hazy / foggy days, but thus far no rain (forecasted for Monday!), and not overly much wind.  I am not sure when I will get a chance to post again.  WiFi is getting scarcer, and slower.