Garten – Reisen – Lesen – Musik – Handarbeiten – Motorbike no more! – Wandern …
Autor: Stella, oh, Stella
Ich bin gebürtige Deutsche, mit einem Dänen nunmehr seit 1993 verheiratet und in Dänemark lebend. Meine Beiträge erscheinen daher in deutscher Sprache (und nicht in dänischer) und seit 2018 auch in englischer Sprache.
… I was born in Germany, have been married with a Dane since 1993 and are living in Denmark. Therefore, my posts are published in German (and not in Danish) and since 2018 in English as well.
Dieser kleine Gang fiel mir auf, wie neulich der, der in einer Haustür endete. Nur war dieses einer, der über einen kleinen Hinterhof zur nächsten Strasse führte. Wir sind hundertmal daran vorbeigegangen … 😉
… I all of a sudden noticed this little passage, like the one some time ago, which ended in a house entrance. Only this was one that lead to the next street. We have passed it a hundred times before … 😉
Nach dieser schönen Hintereingangstür geht man nach links um die Ecke. Das sah dann weniger anheimelnd aus. Vielleicht wird das im Laufe des Sommers noch verschönt, vielleicht auch nicht … ich denke eher ja.
… After this pretty back entrance door, we turn around the corner to the left. There it looked less pleasant. Maybe it will be embellished during summer, maybe not … I think it will.
Dann ging es nach rechts an zwei sehr gepflegten Häusern vorbei und man tritt auf die Parallelstrasse.
… The next turn is to the right passing two very well maintained houses, and then one reaches the parallel street.
Hier das „Relax“-Grundstück von der Strassenseite aus, ein konsequent durchgeführtes Stück heile Welt. Ich brauche das ab und zu. Sozialrealismus schön und gut, aber ohne heile Welt vor Augen, kann sie nie selbst zum Sozialrealismus werden. Die meisten Menschen wünschen sich ja das Gute, das Schöne. Aber wenn sie rigoros davon abgeschnitten werden oder von anderen Menschen und der Gesellschaft vergewaltigt werden, dann kann das sehr schnell zum Destruktivismus führen.
… Hier the „Relax“ property seen from the street side; a throughout idyllic world design. I need that from time to time. Social realism is well and good, but without ideal world scenarios, the latter can never become social realism itself. Most people wish for the good and the beautiful; but when they are rigorously cut off from it or are being misused by other people or society, the situation can very quickly lead to destrtuctivism.
Das war eine seltsame Richtungsänderung, aber schadet ja nichts … 😉
… This was a strange turn of topic, but no harm done, right? … 😉
P.S.: Meine „Kamera“ machte quadratische Bilder an dem Tag, weil ich wo dran gedreht habe, ohne es gleich zu bemerken.
… P.S.: My „camera“ took quadrate photos that day, because I must have fumbled with some settings, without noticing it right away.
Erinnert ihr euch noch an das Männchen auf der Linie?
… Do you remember the little man on the line?
Ich weiss nicht, wie bekannt er bei den jüngeren Leuten unter euch ist, aber für mich das eine der schönen Jugenderinnerungen. Diese kleinen Filme wurden vor Spielfimen als Vorfilm gezeigt. Das Männchen wurde 1969 von dem italienischen Zeichner und Animations-Künstler Osvaldo Cavandoli zur Welt gebracht.
… I am not sure, how known he is with the younger generation, but for me this belongs to the nice memories of my youth. These small movies were shown before feature films as supporting film. The little man was given birth in 1969 by Italian draughtsman and animation artist Osvaldo Cavandoli.
Ende der 50ger, Anfang der 60ger Jahre war es noch besser, ins Kino zugehen. Damals liefen in bestimmten Kinos drei Filme (oftmals Dick und Doof) hintereinander den ganzen Tag lang, und man konnte sie so oft sehen wie man wollte. Es gab keine Platznummern, man blieb einfach sitzen. Meine Grossmutter ging mit uns dorthin, besonders, wenn es regnete. 😉
… At the end of the fifties, beginning of the sixties it was even better to go to the cinema. In certain cinemas they had three movies running (often Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy) all day, and one could watch them as often as one wanted. There weren’t any seat numbers, one just remained seated. My grandmother went there with us, especially when it was raining. 😉
Aber nun das Video: … But now the video:
Er ist ja immer am motzen, aber ich finde ihn trotzdem witzig … Habt noch einen angenehmen Tag!
… He is always complaining, but I think he is funny anyway … Have a pleasant day!
»Dies ist mein Gebot, daß ihr liebet.« Was will er damit sagen, daß er spricht: »daß ihr liebet«? Er will ein Wörtlein sagen, auf das ihr achten sollt: Die Liebe ist ganz lauter, ganz entblößt, ganz abgelöst in sich selber. Die besten Meister sagen, die Liebe, mit der wir lieben, sei der Heilige Geist. Es gab manche, die dem widersprechen wollten. Dies aber ist immer wahr: Alle Bewegungen, durch die wir zur Liebe bewegt werden, in der bewegt uns nichts anderes als der Heilige Geist. Liebe in ihrem lautersten, ganz in sich selbst abgelösten Sein ist nichts anderes als Gott. Die Meister sagen: Das Ziel der Liebe, auf das hin die Liebe alle ihre Werke wirkt, ist die Gutheit, und die Gutheit ist Gott. Sowenig mein Auge sprechen und meine Zunge Farbe erkennen kann, ebensowenig kann sich die Liebe auf irgend etwas anderes neigen als auf die Gutheit und auf Gott.
– Meister Eckhart (Deutscher Theolog, Philosoph und Mystiker (1260-1328))
… „This is my commandment, that you love.“ What does he mean by saying: „That you love“? He wants to say a little word, to which you should pay attention: Love is completely pure, completely exposed, completely detached in itself. The best Masters say that the love with which we love is the Holy Spirit. There were some who wanted to contradict this. But this is always true: All movements through which we are moved to love, nothing but the Holy Spirit moves us in them. Love in its purest, completely detached being is nothing other than God. The Masters say: The goal of love, towards which love works all its works, is goodness, and goodness is God. As little as my eye can speak and my tongue can see color, just as little can love incline to anything other than goodness and God.
– Meister Eckhart (German theologian, philosopher and mystic (1260-1328))
Kingussie – Pitlochry (river Tummel) – Birnam the loop way – Perth
23. July 1974 (Tuesday)
We plan to spend the next night on the river Tummel. We are picked up by an elderly English couple. They tell us about Lord Atholl, who is the only Lord who still has a private army of, I believe, 20 men. He is said to have driven a woman out of his county, who ran a prosperous hotel, using boycott in order to get also this source of income into his possession. He likely used threats and bribery as well, they said. Somehow the matter throws a strange light on this rich Lord.
The couple persuades us to come with them to Pitlochry, a few kilometers past our junction. Since we think we still have a lot of time, we eat with the two who are really nice and then visit Pitlochry. It’s a pretty little town. In a bookstore we meet the Belgian horde from Kingussie again.
Pitlochry, photo: booking.com [This must be an old photo, look at the cars!]
We also see some college boys in kilts and realize that they don’t suit everyone. (The blond giant from Braemar last year, he looked good in a kilt. A picture of a man! 😉 )
Finally we hitchhike back to our intersection. The street that is destined for us doesn’t look very reassuring, so empty and poorly maintained. A VW bus full of children of different nationalities takes us to where the youth hostel had to be. But where is the sign? I go down to the Queen’s Hotel, a beautiful, well-preserved castle, to ask. [There isn’t any Queen’s Hotel anymore, and I cannot find the building in question.] I get inhibitions when I enter the elegant hall, which is thickly lined with wonderful carpeting. I feel like a real saddle tramp in my jeans and oil jacket. Basically I am, am I not? I learn that this castle was the youth hostel until the end of last year. (So one really should get a new youth hostel guide every year!) That is a hard blow for us, stranded on a lonely forest road. Above all, it is raining cats and dogs every ten minutes.
Our „little“ detour. I don’t know, how far down the road we actually went though. Too far on foot and in heavy rain.
A woman comes out of a house like a saviour angel and walks towards her car. My best friend asks her if she could take us with her and explains the situation to her. Little angelically, she refuses harshly and wants to send us to Loch Rannoch (that is, further out of our way), but then lets herself be persuaded to invite us. My friend doesn’t give up because there is hardly any chance for us to get away from here, and we are accordingly desperate. In such situations, my friend often develops courage and willpower while I resign. I was reluctant to speak to the woman and in my mind I was already walking back down the road …
Loch Tummel Hotel, photo: https: http://www.kayak.com/hotel This could well have been the „Queens Hotel“; it is a bit further down the road than indicated on the above map. It is the only building that could have given me the impression of a castle.
On the way we rave about the river Tummel and how wonderful it must be to have a house here. This way we make her noticeably friendlier.
And it’s not even a lie, because this is one of the most beautiful regions in Scotland from what we’ve seen so far. (It’s amazing how easy it is to win people over with flattery and compliments, however smart or cunning they are.) Finally, we come to the topic of Glaswegians, a fertile subject in Scotland. One should, however, sound out beforehand what the interlocutor thinks of them. But we tell her frankly that we don’t find them as bad as they are always portrayed to us. On the contrary, we felt very comfortable in Glasgow. Fortunately, we hit the bull’s eye! Our lady joins in enthusiastically and says repeatedly: „There is not a thing wrong with the Glaswegians!“ – We won her heart. Maybe she or someone she knows is from Glasgow.
Happy to be back in Pitlochry, we thank her profusely for her great willingness to help and reap a smile and a “You are welcome”. (Hypocritical old woman, I think, just as hypocritically.) Suddenly a totally drunk old woman stumbles past us and our lady comments with contempt: „What a disgrace!“ – My friend thinks it is typical for this woman to say something like that.
We try to hitchhike on to Birnam with the weather alternating between burning sun and heavy rain. Not even the impregnation of our backpacks can withstand the amount of water that falls on us. Finally, a work car picks us up with a few young guys, who would like to have us with them as far as Perth. But we decided to spend the night in Birnam (Macbeth !!!), where a ’simple’ youth hostel awaits us again. I think it’s one of the most primitive around.
Birnam Youth Hostel, photo: booking.com
A younger German couple arrives with two children. They want to spend the night in a different and more adventurous way. For these people, a youth hostel is obviously a giant step back to nature. They act like heroes at the front and as if a hostel was THE gag. I feel very annoyed and explain to them that they all have a job to do in the morning before leaving, as this is the way in hostels. (Knowing this, however, doesn’t stop them playing stupid the next morning and asking for their IDs without asking about their jobs. The Warden, not a jubilant guy anyway, gets even more grumpy. At that moment, I just hope that nobody notices what nationality we are.)
In the evening in Birnam we go to a small, cozy pub. There we meet a very nice couple from New Zealand. We tell them that we plan to raise sheep in New Zealand. They smile at that a little, but still give us their address and invite us to come over for half a year or more. But we should leave our kith and kin at home, please.
Birnam postoffice and tea room, photo: Alan Robertson
An old Scot tells us about his time as a soldier in the Rhineland, where he had a very nice girl. Most Scots we meet see Germany as a great nation, in contrast to Scotland, which makes me somewhat sad (that they disregard their own country), but they also warn us of possible hostility towards Germans. We did not encounter any anti German hostility on the whole trip. Only in the newspaper do I read of two cases in London where girls were killed on the subway and the railroad because of their German nationality. As I said, we did not experience any hostility.
Beautiful garden in Birnam, photo: tripadvisor
July 24, 1974 (Wednesday)
The next hitchhiking stretch to Perth is very short. We have wonderful summer weather to take a look at the city.
Perth, South Inch, photo: tripadvisor
(Perth, North Inch, photo: Geograph Great Britain and Ireland [Perth, the smallest city in Scotland, it is situated between two inches, remember? 😉 ]
For the next day we are planning a trip to neighbouring County Angus. A fish truck driver heading to Aberdeen picks us up. The driver tells us that he will come to the same place every morning at 10 a.m. in case we want to ride again with him at some point.
Angus is a rather agriculturally developed region, highly civilized, because there are fences everywhere. Here we cannot sit in the landscape where we want, like in Morar, but have to be content with the roadside. We drive back to Perth on a different road. Gypsies [traveling people is the correct term, although I never thought of the word gypsy as something degrading, I have always romanticized them, Sainte Marie de la mèr und so] live on the kerb in front of the city. If there weren’t people, one could think that it was a junkyard. It looks very poor. [In the meantime I have seen Travelers in various countries. Even in Romania it didn’t look that bad. They are best organized in France. There are special places with fountains for the Roma to spend the night along the country roads. They also seem to be more prosperous there. I hope that the conditions for the traveling people have improved in Scotland after 1974, just like they did in Glasgow. They actually did not look like Roma.]
Perthshire is also called Dewar’s County because of the many whiskey distilleries. My friend didn’t particularly like Perth. I on the other hand have a preference for this city without being able to say exactly why.
Perth, old bridge, photo: blogspot.com [The one that was built in medieval times by the Romans 😉 ]
In the evening we do our pub studies again. The slightly finer one in the back of a hotel is boring. Nobody is talking to us. The ordinary Central Pub is more interesting. An elderly gentleman tells us endless stories about where he has already been, how many languages he speaks, etc. etc., and he puts on a connoisseur-of-all-things-face. [Haha, first we got too little talk, then we got too much.] When he is powdering his nose, three other, younger men come over and shield us off. They tell us that nobody speaks to this man anymore, so he approaches strangers who at least still listen to him. He’s actually a first rate irritator. While we are talking to the others, he tries to tap us on the shoulder from behind their backs to regain our attention. One young man first tells me that his wife always wears jeans too, like us. Then he talks about a Danish girl, who spent a whole summer with him in his caravan: „That was a fine lass!“ (Oho, I think, these subtle allusions. I have the impression that in Great Britain they don’t take fidelity too seriously.)
(To be continued)
P.S.: I found it, the „castle“ on Loch Tummel, couldn’t let it rest, on the Geograph page.
In 2012 it was a private house, before it had been the Queen’s View Hotel, and before that a Youth Hostel. The photo is from 53 years ago. On the map below it is situated where it says „hotel“ at the waterfront.
That means that our „loop“ had only been half as long as marked on the google earth photo above.
Viele Blümchen im Wind. Ich lasse mal hauptsächlich die Bilder sprechen (wenn ich mich zurückhalten kann), ansonsten kommentiere ich KURZ in den Bildunterschriften. 😉 Und zum Abschluss habe ich ein kleines Video von einer ausserordentlich emsigen Hummel.
… Many flowers swaying in the wind. I will mainly let the photos talk (if I can restrain myself), otherwise I will give SHORT comments in the captions. 😉 And at the end I show you a little video with a rather industrious bumblebee.
Dieses Vergissmeinnicht bekommt blaue Blüten, die sich dann rosa färben. Es hat sich selbst bei mir ausgesät. … This myosotis gets blue flowers, which change to pink. It sowed itself in my garden. Meine grösste Bärlauchgruppe. … My largest group of wild garlic. Immer noch am Blühen, schon seit Wochen. … Still flowering strong for weeks now. Die Steine zwischen Kiesfläche und Fussweg. … These stones form a border between the pebbles and the sidewalk.
Tulipa praestans „Shogun“
Tulipa sylvestris
Tulipa magno pulchritudo – keine Ahnung, ich nenne sie „grosse Schönheit“, sie hat sich bei mir von selber angesiedelt, eine einzelne, vor dem Steingartenbeet. … – I have no idea, I call it „great beauty“; it has settled in my garden by itself, a single one, in front of the rockery. Auch ein Selbstaussäer. Ich bin ziemlich sicher, dass das eine Felsenbirne ist (Amelanchier lamarckii). … Also a self settler. I am quite certain that this is a juneberry tree. Ganz zaghaft schieben sich die so genannten „Maiglöckchen“ aus der Erde. Hallo! Aufwachen! … Very faintheartedly, the lily of the valley are showing their tips. Hello! Wake up! Meine zarte Waldrebe, die sich an ihrem neuen, geschützten Standort sehr wohl fühlt. … My delicate wood clematis, which is feeling really well in its new place. Ein Pinselstrich der Individualität … 😉 … A brush of individuality … 😉Der einzige Rhododendron, der blüht, bei den anderen sind die Knospen noch total zu. Nur eine der japanischen Azaleen fängt so langsam an zu blühen. Es ist alles sehr spät dieses Jahr. … The only rhododendron that is flowering, the buds of all the others are still tightly shut. Only one of the Japanese azalea is starting to flower. Everything is very late this year. Eine meiner schönsten Wildtulpen. Sie öffnet ihre Blüten nur bei klarem Sonnenwetter. … One of my most beautiful wild tulips. It only opens its flowers in clear sunny weather. Ich bin ganz zufrieden damit, wie sich die Blumenbeete entwickelt haben in den 2,5 Jahren. Das Weisse im Beet sind Hagelkörner … meine armen Impatiens! … I am quite content how the flowerbeds have developed during the last 2.5 years. The white stuff in the foreground is hail.
Das war’s vom Garten. Ich entdecke jeden Tag was Neues. Habt noch eine schöne Restwoche.
… That was it from the garden. Every day I discover something new. Have a nice rest of the week.
… The English text will be displayed in one block after the German. I translated this, because I cannot possibly imagine that Germany is the only European country, in which this is happening, or, as it is, not happening. I am sure that there are similar activities and organizations in your respective countries.
Klima-Pledge: Machen Sie die Bundestagswahl zur Klimawahl!
Stellen Sie sich vor, es ist Wahlkampf und alle sprechen übers Klima. Die Kanzler- und Spitzenkandidat:innen überbieten sich gegenseitig in ihren klimapolitischen Wahlversprechen. Und am Wahltag gewinnt das Klima. Für die neue Bundesregierung hat Klimaschutz oberste Priorität und schon nach 100 Tagen verabschiedet sie ein ambitioniertes Klimagesetz, das uns endlich auf Kurs mit dem Pariser Klimavertrag bringt.
Genau das ist das Ziel des Klima-Pledge (engl.: Versprechen). Gemeinsam mit Fridays for Future und einem breiten Bündnis machen wir die Bundestagswahl zur Klimawahl. Dafür brauchen wir Ihre Unterstützung: Versprechen Sie heute, Ihre Stimme der Partei zu geben, die sich am überzeugendsten für Klimaschutz einsetzt. Unterzeichnen Sie den Klima-Pledge!
Erst vor wenigen Tagen hat das Bundesverfassungsgericht geurteilt, dass das Klimaschutzgesetz der aktuellen Bundesregierung in Teilen verfassungswidrig ist. Es lädt die Hauptlast der Emissionsreduktion auf künftige Generationen und schränkt damit deren Freiheiten unverhältnismäßig ein. Jetzt versucht die Bundesregierung, hastig nachzubessern. Doch auch der von Umweltministerin Schulze vorgelegte Entwurf für eine Novelle des Klimaschutzgesetzes reicht nicht, um die Erderhitzung genug einzudämmen und katastrophale Folgen abzuwenden. Am 26. September 2021 entscheiden wir: Wählen wir weitere vier Jahre klimapolitischen Stillstand oder wird künftig ambitionierter Klimaschutz möglich?
Diese Entscheidung fällen wir nicht nur an den Wahlurnen, sondern auch schon im Wahlkampf: Wir beeinflussen die Stimmung durch persönliche Gespräche, unsere Teilnahme an Demonstrationen und auf den sozialen Medien. Im zweiten Teil des Klima Pledges versprechen wir daher, zu Botschafter:innen der Kampagne zu werden. Gemeinsam mit vielen hunderttausend Menschen und vielfältigen kreativen Aktionen machen wir die Wahl zur Klimawahl!
… Imagine it’s an election campaign and everyone is talking about the climate. The Chancellor and prime candidates outbid each other in their climate policy election promises. And on election day the climate wins. For the new federal government, climate protection has top priority and after just 100 days it will pass an ambitious climate law that will finally get us on track with the Paris climate treaty.
That is exactly the aim of the climate pledge. Together with Fridays for Future and a broad alliance, we are turning the federal election into a climate election. For this we need your support: Promise today that you will vote for the party that campaigns most convincingly for climate protection. Sign the Climate Pledge!
Just a few days ago the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the current federal government’s climate protection law is partly unconstitutional. It places the main burden of emissions reduction on future generations and thus disproportionately restricts their freedom. Now the federal government is trying hastily to make improvements. But even the draft of an amendment to the Climate Protection Act submitted by Environment Minister Schulze is not enough to curb global warming enough and avert catastrophic consequences. On September 26, 2021 we will decide: Should we choose another four years of stagnation in climate policy or will ambitious climate protection be possible in the future?
We make this decision not only at the ballots, but also during the election campaign: We influence the mood through personal conversations, our participation in demonstrations and on social media. In the second part of the Climate Pledge we, therefore, promise to become ambassadors for the campaign. Together with many hundreds of thousands of people and a variety of creative activities, we change the election into a climate election!
Ich habe diese Geschichte zwar schon in verschiedener Form als Sketch gesehen, finde aber, dass diese Version witzig und gut gemacht ist. Ich habe sie bei Blogger MSamba gefunden (Manchester School of Samba). Viel Spass! 🙂
… I have seen this story in several versions as a sketch, but I think this one is really funny and well made. I found it on MSamba’s blog (Manchester School of Samba). Enjoy! 🙂
Am vergangenen Sonnabend war das Wetter, milde gesagt, gemischt. Am Vormittag hatten wir etwas Sonne und beeilten uns zum Strand, wo es natürlich anfing zu tröpfeln. Wir liessen uns nicht beirren und fanden heraus, dass in der Zwischenzeit sämtliche Brücken aufgebaut waren, so dass wir unseren Lieblingsrundgang endlich wieder einmal gehen konnten.
… Last Saturday the weather was changeable, to put it mildly. In the morning we had a bit of sun, so we rushed to the beach, where it started dripping. But we did want to be discouraged and went on, and we found out that in the meantime all bridges had been set up, so that we finally could go on our favourite short walk again.
Brücke Nr. 1, die zur Sandbank führt. … Bridge no. 1, the one leading to the sand bank.
Wir hatten dann Glück, dass es gerade dort, wo wir uns befanden, trocken wurde und blieb. Aber schaut mal in die Umgebung:
… We were lucky that in exactly that spot, where we were, it stopped raining and remained dry. But look at the surroundings:
So weit weg waren diese Wolken dann auch wieder nicht. … These clouds were not that far away, actually. Brücke Nr. 2 von der Sandbank zum Jacht- und Fischereihafen. … Bridge no. 2, from the sand bank to the marina and fishing harbour.
Am Nachmittag hagelte es dann, gefolgt von Sonne, gefolgt von Regensturzbächen. Den Regen konnten wir nun gut gebrauchen …
… In the afternoon we had hail showers, followed by sunshine, followed by torrential rain, which, actually, we really needed …
Die Bretter auf dem Weg hinunter zum Strand wurden mir beim Aufstieg zum Verhängnis, denn sie waren irgendwie nicht richtig befestigt. Mein Mann ging links, ich rechts, und bei einem Schritt trat er auf ein Brett, das dann auf meiner Seite hochschnellte, so dass ich darüber stolperte. Da ich nun nicht schon wieder auf die Fr… Nase fallen wollte, versuchte ich krampfhaft, mich aufzufangen. Es gelang mir, aber auf Kosten meines grossen Zehs, der zwar nicht gebrochen ist, aber arg mitgenommen und verfärbt. Der hat mein ganzes Gewicht (gar nicht so wenig) aufgefangen. Das heisst also, dass wir die nächsten beiden Wochen keine grösseren Spaziergänge und schon gar keine Wanderungen machen können.
… The boards on the way down to the beach were my undoing on the way up, because they were somehow not properly attached. My husband walked on the left side and I on the right side, and at one instant he stepped on a board which then shot up on my side so that I tripped over it. Since I didn’t want to fall on my kis… nose again, I tried hard to catch myself. I succeeded, but at the expense of my big toe, which is not broken, but badly battered and discoloured. It caught all of my weight (not that little). This means that we will not be able to take any long walks or hikes at all for the next two weeks.
Zum Abschluss gibt es noch zwei kurze Videos, eines mit wunderschönem, sauberen Wasser (nach dem Winter ist es immer besonders klar), und eines mit einem Fischreiher.
… Finally I have two short videos for you, one showing the wonderful, clean water (after winter it always is especially clear), and one with a heron.
Im Sommer ist es dann nicht mehr ganz so klar. … In summer it is usually not this crystal clear.
So ein Reiher ist schon ein imponierender Vogel. Ein Paar ist hier schon seit Jahren in dem Gebiet zwischen Sandbank und Ufer am Fischen. Abends geben sie ein Schauspiel für die Wohnmobilbewohner. … A heron is quite an impressive bird. There has been this one pair for years in the area, fishing between the sand bank and the banks. In the evening they give a show for the camper van inhabitants.
Jetzt wünsche ich euch noch einen schönen Wochenanfang.
… And now I wish you all a good start of the week.
Mevlana in Konya, Rumi’s Mausoleum Foto: Pixabay, Halil Ibrahim Zengin
Die Seele wird dem ähneln, was sie beschliesst zu lieben. Daher ist es wichtig, was wir zu lieben wählen: Liebe ist die Kraft hinter jedem Daseinszustand. Jede Anziehungskraft hat etwas Gutes, aber es gibt einen Prozess für die Verfeinerung der Anziehungskraft, für die Wahl dessen, was man liebt, so dass wir durch eine umfassendere, reinere Liebe Kraft bekommen. – Kabir Edmund Helminski
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Whatever the soul chooses to love, it will resemble. And therefore what we choose to love is important: Love is the force behind every level of existence. There is some good in every attraction, but there is a process of refining attraction, of choosing what to love, so that we are energized by a wider, purer love. – Kabir Edmund Helminski
Die deutsche Version findet ihr HIER zusammen mit Teil 10.
Carbisdale Castle – Kingussie, 86 miles (138 km)
Carbisdale Castle – Inverness – Kingussie
July 22, 1974 (Monday)
The next morning brings us rain for a change and we try hard to hitchhike. We find two French girls from the hostel sitting not far away on a wall, covered by an umbrella. They’d rather wait for hours than walk 5.5 kilometers to the next transport hub. But we prefer that and get off quite well. We make our way with short lifts from village to village to Inverness. One of the drivers is a farmer who proudly tells us that he brought in his hay yesterday, even though it was Sunday and the neighbors are looking at him crookedly because of it. Today everything would have gotten rained on, like everyone else’s.
Inverness is teeming with civilization, which confuses us to some extent after a long time in the backwoods. The people we ask for directions are all strangers themselves, which one can hear from the broad Scottish accent, because in Inverness they actually speak good standard English, as we have noticed several times on our trip so far.
However, we still find the right road (across the central highlands via Aviemore). We have barely placed ouselves, when a car from the AA Service stops (something like the German ADAC) and picks us up. On the way, a couple beckons whose car is parked on the side of the road. Our driver dutifully stops, but comes back quickly. “They just wanted a lift to the next workshop. Their car broke down, but they belong to another road club. „
In Aviemore he drops us off with the advice to inquire about accommodation in the youth hostel. If there aren’t any beds, he’d take us to Kingussie in two hours. There are even two youth hostels in Aviemore, but no vacancies. We don’t like Aviemore anyway. It is a fashionable ski tourist destination and accordingly expensive. So we continue to Kingussie with the AA gentlemen. On the drive I notice that the village shops bear the name ’Mackenzie’. I draw the immensely intelligent conclusion that we are on Mackenzie soil. On the way we consciously try for the first time to be invited to a free overnight stay. We use lamenting remarks about the possibility that there are no more beds in the youth hostel in Kingussie either, and what we should do then. But he doesn’t take the bait.
Aviemore Youth Hostel, photo: booking.com
In Kingussie, our AA man makes inquiries at the youth hostel for us. He is friends with the Warden, whose name is Mackenzie. His name is also Mackenzie, but they are not related to each other. There are still beds available, he announces. He definitely seems happy about it. Maybe he even pleaded with the Warden to take us in, in order to get rid of us. In any case, we thank him profusely and enter the hostel full of expectations. „This hostel is full, we have no vacancies,“ the warden welcomes us. I almost start crying while the Warden can’t check his laughter. My best friend is more sensitive and notices immediately that he is pulling our leg.
Kingussie market place, photo: tripadvisor.co.uk
His wife is a dragon, as we shall soon find out. When my friend wants to play the guitar in the bedroom, she shoots like lightning into the room and says that it can’t be done. When we ask „Why not?“ We get the answer: „It can’t be done, it’s not allowed!“ – We obey, but don’t understand it, because after all we don’t disturb anyone and we don’t smudge or destroy anything with guitar playing. Later a girl tells us that the woman was lurking behind the door to see if my friend would start playing again (refusal to obey orders complex).
In the evening we go to a pub again, to the lounge, that is the nicer part for the ladies. There a long, ugly boy approaches us. He is from Glasgow and works at the hotel across the street. He offers us two beds in the servants‘ rooms, because then we could go to the folk festival tomorrow and would not have to be in the youth hostel at 10 p.m. We look at the premises, but they seem just as dubious to us as the whole guy. You can’t lock the door! In addition to all of this, I had noticed that the people in the lounge were all looking at us strangely. He seems to be a young man of ’bad reputation’. Since we don’t know how to get rid of him right away, we go with him to the pub in his hotel. Against the lounge from before, this is a downright barn, but there is a TV, so it is packed! Our Casanova’s friend sits down next to us, a disgusting lardass. They are both a little drunk and talk a little carelessly. My girlfriend picks up a few things that we are ’unwilling’ or something similar. Finally the two apologize themselves for a moment, probably to coordinate things. I tell my friend about my observations in the lounge, which, together with what she has heard, makes us somewhat alarmed, and we try to inquire with people. „This boy is not good, he is a drunkard,“ my friend says to her neighbour. The good man just says: „Girls, if I were you, I would slap the door!“ – We then do that with unrefined haste and the whole pub starts to roar with laughter.
Kingussie, photo: tripadvisor.co.uk (Kingussie actually is not pronounced „King-gassie“, but „Kin-yussie“ with the „u“ spoken the Geordies‘ way.)
We spend the rest of the evening contemplatively in the common room. We meet some young people from the Flemish part of Belgium who eagerly speak to us in Flemish because for some reason they believe that we are from Belgium too.
Willkommen auf dem Bikini Atoll, meinem Testgebiet für Schreibübungen, Buchstabentänze und Wortgemälde. Warum das Ganze? Damit ich nicht nur für mich selber schreibe, sondern vielleicht auch jemandem eine kleine Freude mache. (unkorrigierte Basisfassungen, ich habe leider keinen Lektor)
