2023 年 9 月 13 日
Summer ⛱️ .....the fresh green of the ocean breaking onto gleaming sand. But I didn't take this photo. Indeed, I have never been to Portugal (".....What Nigel, you have never been to Portugal?.....")
No, this lovely picture was sent to me by Svitlana, now back in her beloved Ukraine.
夏 / ポルトガル
Photo: Svitlana Borzenko
It is still summer 夏 - late summer. But if, in the morning, I look down the long straight road outside my home I notice, at the far end, a sort of haziness in the light. It is the first sign of autumn. It reminds me of the famous Japanese childrens' song "I have found a little autumn" Chiisai Aki mitsuketa, 🍁 which taps into the rather Japanese inclination for nostalgia 懐かし. It is best sung by children, with the ever repeating phrase "Chiisai Aki mitsketa"...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtUNRjF7nQA
The seasons in Japan are more distinct than in Europe, hence their presence in all things cultural. So it's the first thing to consider before going there.
The song is strange, mentioning a blind begger, and the Shrike perched on a branch. But it is actually not as old as, for example, the English nursery song "Who killed Cock Robin?", which goes back to the 18thc. or earlier. However there is no firm consensus as to who"Cock Robin" refers to.
この歌は奇妙なもので、盲目の物乞いや木にとまるモズについて言及しているが、実際には、たとえば18世紀にまで遡るイギリスの童謡「誰がコック・ロビンを殺したか？」ほど古いものではない。 またはそれ以前。 しかし、「コック・ロビン」が誰を指すのかについては確たる見解はありません。
Little by little, since the start of September, the days have been getting shorter.....
９月から、だんだん 日が みじかくなってきている
But, despite the cool mornings, the sun beats down fiercely in the afternoon, and we are dealing with 29°/30°c.
So I brought Sunday's hike forward an hour, meaning that we were south of Darmstadt by 10am. The train deposited us at the curious little town of Lengfeld-Otzberg. Where? No you haven't heard of it have you? A town with an ancient church......
今週末のハイキングはレングフェルト・オッツベルクという小さな村から始まりました
half-timbered houses - Fachwerkhäuser , an old customs house - Zollstation....and yes, over the fields and not so far away, the Festung Burg Otzberg - a ruined castle perched on an old volcanic residue in the middle of the gentle fields.
There is an atmosphere here. It is slightly....I can't put my finger on it. Indeed, why would you ever come here? There are no cafés or shops to speak of. There is no REWE or ALDI, no industrial estate. It is quiet. But it is only 28 kilometres east of Darmstadt. The railway🚆 : hmm - there is only one track, and it sort of gives up just after Michelstadt, as if the effort of getting through the Odenwald was simply too much for the 19thc. engineers.
ここの雰囲気は変です。 とてもきれいですが、お店やカフェはありません
We must have looked an odd group walking up the high street, using snippets of French, Japanese, Russian and English. An friendly old guy appeared out of his house and plonked a sign on the pavement "Sächelchen......" Eh? what the hell does that mean I wondered? He invited us in to have a look. It was a sort of "old curiosity" shop, a hodgepodge emporium/bazaar of antique bits and bobs...."Little things". Some downright weird, like this cat dressed up as a young lady.....
私たちは奇妙なグループでした：日本人、フランス語、インドネシア人、ロシア人、英語.
珍しいお店に行ってきました.
what is she peering at I wonder?.....彼女は何を見ているのでしょうか？
Photo: Bénédicte
Others part creepy, part beautiful, part playful......and on the shelf behind some "Römer" ....Roman - style wine glasses......What the British would call "Hock glasses"- only because they couldn't pronounce "Hochheim", where Queen Victoria's train stopped.
人形 - 不気味、美しい、面白い........
Outside, Phe found a door which she liked.....
ぺーさんはこのドアが気に入りました.....
looked over by a guardian angel (👼 ?).....or a wine cherub.....(🍷?).....
天使？
This is the old customs house. An official would hang a bag out of the window on a long pole, and people would put their money in....at least that is what the owner told us. That's the guy with the half-timbered coloured trousers on the right.....
それは古い税務署です....
Photo: Vladimir
And it is just at this point in the high street that the modern day traffic has to circumnavigate this.....an old market hall....
古い市場ホール....
The "Rogues Gallery" photo....
不審な4人 🤣
Photo: Bénédicte
Soon afterwards our merry group was crossing the fields and starting the ascent up to the castle. This is when the going got steep. The houses here around the castle form their own settlement - Otzberg. You see that shade? In such heat these corners are very important! Otherwise you end up like a Bratwurst.
日陰にいないと焼きソーセージになってしまうよ......💦
We enter under the castle gateway.........
私たちは城に入ります......
Photo: Bénédicte
.....and it is then that a very German smell tickles our nostrils......Bratwurst - the real thing....
すごくドイツ的な匂いがする……
It's almost too good to be true. It's like an "insider tip"......There is a charming little beer garden set up under the castle walls, and although we have only walked 3 kilometres, we take a break here.....
By the way....Phe gets very fierce when she is telling a story......
物語を語るフェ....🤣
...and for some breakfast seems far away.....😅......
朝食が遠かった.....尚子さん.......
Germany....honestly....you will never go hungry here....!
ドイツではお腹が空ぜんぜんまいぇにぇん....
There was this curious sort of grill (?), built out of cast iron, and in the shape of a castle.....
Photo: Bénédicte...
バーベキュー?
really, these Otzbergers make funny things.......
Photo: Bénédicte
some clever photo shoots....
And farewell to the castle.....
バイバイ....👋
Photo: Bénédicte
Although our route was only 12 kilometres, I was a bit concerned about walking under this fierce sun, and I think we were all relieved when we reached the forest.....
やっと日陰になりました......
....with idyllic views out over the meadows.......Hello Deutschland! We almost need a soundtrack for this photo!
ここはドイツです!
I rant a lot about our digital world I know. But there are marvellous things. Like arriving in a town, hot and thirsty, and the ice café is one click away on Google maps. It takes so much stress away........
So here we are recovering in Hoechst in Odenwald.....mmmmmm.....
冷たいアイスクリーム……😋
A few days later we got the bill for all the hot weather.....thunderstorm🌩️ ...It's time to shut the window in the roof!
数日後……天窓を閉めないといけない……。
💦 Thank you for reading "..Hot Hike.."
"..暑いハイキング .."を読んでんでくれてありがとう
💦 Feel free to share the blog with friends.
よろしければ、リンクを友達と共有してください
💦 And it would be nice to hear from you...!
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THE END
🌩️
終わり
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