Footprints in the sand

Yesterday was wet wet wet. Today the sun shines between showers and this gentleman was carfefully brushing away every last pine needle.I was sorry to have to leave footprints in his perfect sand as I walked by.

Tomorrow I set off for Slovenia. First stop Graz: twelve train hours away.

Gino's (Gallery and) Eiscafe in Rissen

Gino has served the most 'Italian' coffee in Rissen for as long as I can remember but only recently did I discover that he is also fond of art and has a professional gallery system in his cafe. Last week I hung some of my etchings and paintings at Gino's. The waitress Andrea (pic below), bright faced and twenty years old, tells me she works a 6 day week and is 'always at the cafe'. But it feels like a family and she seems to enjoy it. Gino is friendly and supportive and has a loyal clientele who drop in at all hours. There are now three artists with their work on Gino's walls so he could really change the name of the cafe to Gino's Gallery Cafe.

Lighthouse day

Today all the lighthouses along the Elbe River were open to the public. I rode down the rather steep hill to the Rissener Lighthouse to have a look.There was still a queue at 5pm (the official closing time) so I didn't wait to see the view from the top. Instead, to gather my strength for the ride back home, I had an 'Alsterwasser' (shandy) at a nearby Kneipe called Cafe Buchfink.
I took one sip of the Alsterwasser and thought what a pity to ruin a good beer with lemonade. Yuck. But I drank it before I pushed my bike back up the hill.

Rissener Lighthouse

This is the Rissener Lighthouse down by the Elbe River. It was a lovely morning, fluffy clouds and the river was silver-blue.
By noon the clouds had turned ominous and there was a cold wind. Perfect though for the sailboats that skimmed across the water.

Spring is sprung

It only takes a few warm days and suddenly early blossom is everywhere and the leaves start unfolding. As I rode my borrowed bicycle along the hedgerows and fields today I felt an overwhelming gladness. These fields feel like a piece of home to me, even though it is so long since I lived here. This afternoon there were a lot of people out walking, riding bikes or guiding children on horses. The sun is shining and it is easy to forget that the world is beset by financial and environmental crises.