I cycled up towards Kloster Birnau - that pink building you see below. And popped in.....
Surprise!
Aha, I bet you did not expect that in our little neck of the woods!
Kloster Birnau is a Cistercian Monaster built in 1759, in the baroque style with a rococo interior. My pictures cannot do it justice, so link here to see more pictures of Kloster Birnau, and more such beautiful churches in the region: https://www.google.de/search?q=pictures+of+birnau+monastery&rlz=1C1MDNE_deDE482DE482&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=cImwU6SNCunX7AaOnYC4BA&ved=0CCEQsAQ&biw=911&bih=429
And if you are not sure of what the difference between baroque and rococo is, then check out this delightful website: https://www.facebook.com/SeventeenthCenturyLady
After the Kloster, it was time for lunch. Which was enjoyed with this view sitting under a shady tree...
Then a gentle cycle past this little tower, or baby towerlet at least!
ambling on down ...
passing along by these houses until...
I came to a house with what appears to be funny chimneys... but it is not a house with funny chimneys.
What you see are some of the storks that nest every year at Salam. This year alone there are 28 pairs that have produced chicks. - And yes folks the sky IS this blue!
This is a source of great pride to locals scientists and others who put a lot of work into making the storks welcome after their numbers declined over the last decades. In 1978 there were only 15 breeding pairs in the whole region of Baden-Würrtemberg alone, so 28 breeding pairs in one location is a tremendous success.
The storks winter in Spain, Portugal and North Africa; it is a joy to see them flying in every spring. And that is not to be taken for granted; one bad winter or a late cold spell can be devastating to the numbers of young storks that survive.
...it is all happening above a pub! How´s that for cool!
So on past one of the many little crosses you see in the country side here, and the picture on the right is the nice view I saw after getting myself lost in the hills....
If you look closely below, very closely, you will see a stork flying over a plowed field looking for food.
The donkeys were not too bothered with the stork, nor was the cock below who was more preoccupied chasing after all his hens. That was indeed a busy scene as I past by.
More to my liking than the noisy cock was this bucolic scene of a cob and pen and their SEVEN cygnets.
Yep. Seven cygnets. On a cycle full of wonders, this was extra special. Unusually I could get quite close to the swan family with nary a hiss to be heard. In fact I felt the parent swans were very proud that their brood were being admired. And rightly so!
Past by the very house that I am sure Snow White and the seven dwarfs lived in....
Peter and Lucia are an excellent couple, a well traveled pair who do good along the way, particular in Hungary, where they connect with fellow teachers whose circumstances are not as good as in Germany.
We met Peter and Lucia, when Romeo H. went to buy their car. He did not. But we
keep calling back to see them in their beautiful home not just because they
have a pool for a nice Abkühlung (or a cool down to you non-German speakers) but also because: a) They are so nice.
b) They think we are nice (excellent taste they have too).
c) They always have great stories to tell.
d) and fun little cars to drive in.
e) and most importantly.....
Peter sings, and plays,the best version of ´I´ll tell my Ma...´ I ever heard this side of the Bodensee.
No lie.
It was especially nice to see Peter and Lucia this Sunday, as they had a ´surprise´for me - your man in the hat! The very one I thought I had left at home in the garden when I set off for my cycle earlier in the morning...
And if you look closely, you might see the Alps.
Then again you might not!
After reaching the harbor at Walhausen, cycled the back way to Dettingen, where this gorgeous field of corn was ripe for cutting....
And back to base where I saw a very familiar site in the summer evening sky in these parts...
Being only an hour from Zurich Airport, we often see the trails left by airplanes flying overhead.
And then people ask me if I miss New York!
(Oh alright there are some things I miss from NYC, but you sure as heck don´t get all of this in New York when you go out for the day on your bike!)
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