PHOTO ESSAY

A Nature Walk

Embracing summer’s beauty in the forest

I’m sitting on my couch listening to the cicadas chirping. Frogs started a concert as soon as the sun had set. The birds are getting quieter but I can still hear some melodies sounding across the valley.

The doors and windows are open. It’s 10 p.m. but still pleasantly warm. Summer has brought some lovely days here in Germany. I just got back from a long walk in the forest and catch a breath now while listening to the sounds of nature.

It was late afternoon when I set off for my hike in the forest. My husband didn’t feel like joining. He said it’s his off day. Which is fine. We spend 24/7 together most of the time. It’s okay to do some things apart. To spend some alone time.

I had set up quite a pace and was out of breath when I entered the forest. It was still hot despite the late hour in the day. I could hear a few birds singing. Looking into the thicket I must admit it has grown since I last walked through the forest. The undergrowth is thick. I can barely see through anymore. Now, it is difficult to spot animals like squirrels, foxes, birds, or other wildlife.

As I’m walking I can hear my steps. But there’s another sound. I can hear the insects on the forest floor. It’s like a thousand tiny animals crawling around. The forest is very much alive!

Now and then I take a break. To catch a breath and to capture a flower or another beautiful object. Since I’m alone I don’t bother anyone. I can stop as many times as I want to and take as much time as needed to take my photographs.

Bees are humming. Insects buzzing around. And a few crows are fighting like your neighbors about the not-so-perfect-looking lawn. The sun is touching the treetops. A few more minutes and she’s gone. For today.

A smell is filling my nose. It’s a well-known smell for me. The lovely sign of elderberries blooming. Elderberries in full bloom give off an intense smell. I used to collect these flowers and dry them back home in between newspapers. They make a tasty tea.

Or, like Diana Lotti described, a lovely syrup! She described drinking the syrup with sparkling wine. That reminded me of my teenage years when I would drink the lovely mix as well. We always received the syrup from friends or family members. I don’t remember seeing my mom making syrup.

These days I don’t drink sparkling wine anymore but I wouldn’t mind drinking some sparkling water mixed with some elderberry syrup. Maybe an ice cube in it and a fresh strawberry. Sounds like the perfect drink for these hot days!

I’m enjoying being alone out here in the forest. No other humans to be seen. No sounds of civilization. No phone on me or anything that could distract me from being with all senses in nature.

I’m getting on a path that is rather overgrown by summer’s vegetation. It seems to be a wetter area. Lots of fern is growing. The young fern leaves curl up and appear like tiny caterpillars on a thin stem.

A clearing in the forest brings back the late evening sun onto the path. Bluebells are growing in the middle of the gravel road. Sprouting in between the small rocks they bloom in their brightest colors. Seemingly at the exact same spot, I captured them last year.

I ventured off today with the goal in mind to reach that one spot in the forest where I saw weeks ago the first blueberries turning red. It had been a while since we last went for a walk and I wanted to see if some berries were ripe yet.

On the northern side of the forest I could only find green berries. Which I assumed as well they weren’t ready yet on that side of the mountain. But the number of berries is promising. Later this year we should be able to collect some buckets of these.

And I find that patch of sunlight again. Searching for some blue in all the lush green bushes I finally find one. Or two. And before I can think of collecting them they disappear in my mouth. Delicious!

Wild blueberries growing in the mountains aren’t even half of the size of the industrially produced ones you can buy in the supermarket. But they are double as tasty! The flavor is so much more intense. It always reminds me of hikes in the alps we did as children where my sister and I would dive into blueberry fields and get back to our parents being blue from one ear to the other one.

One cannot eat blueberries without getting any blue onto your face or fingers. It’s simply impossible. Even as an adult.

I didn’t find enough to fill the box I took along but I ate a few and was even nice enough to bring back some for my husband to enjoy as well. Sometimes I can’t even believe how nice I am. I never used to share blueberries. Or pick them for others.

Unthinkable.

But then there’s that thing called love. Still haven’t figured out how it fully works. But it does some things with you where you act strange and do things like share your favorite berries with the significant other.

So here I am. Leaving the walking trail behind, I turn off onto a rough forestry trail. This path seems to get used only by woodsmen. The ground is rather uneven, muddy, slippery, and full of obstacles. It keeps me awake while getting towards the end of my hike.

Just as I’m twisting my ankle in the effort of trying not to step onto the apparent caterpillar on the floor, I do recognize the object as a striped feather. It might not have been worth avoiding to step on but it's definitely worth the shot!

As I am getting out of the forest, I get the breathtaking view across our valley. Overlooking the village tucked in between all the woods I do stop for a moment taking in the beauty.

A few more steps are ahead of me. I’m taking the stairs in between the houses getting back up the hill on the other side, watching neighbors watering their gardens in the evening hours. One man offered me a shower while spraying the plants with a garden hose. I thank him but reject the offer.

Next time maybe. When I don’t have my precious camera on me. With an SD card full of nature’s beauty of just another walk through the forest.

If you would like to read more about my daily adventures or stories from Africa sign up for my email list.