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This post is about an 18km walk from Nieder-Erlenbach to Rosbach vor der Höhe. I start walking in a barn and I end up in another barn.
I had found a sheltered spot in someone’s barn. There were some pigeons and mice in there, but they were alright.
the swarm
When the sparrows came in the morning, it was quite the show. They did the same manoeuvre every time: first they would come flying over from somewhere, and they would sit down right on top of the gate, presumably talking to each other. All of them would fly up and land somewhere else, fly up and land somewhere else. They did this a few times.
Then, as if motivated by a sudden rush of bravery, they would come flying into the barn and sit on the tractor. And so there they were, staring at me and the giant pile of feed that was right next to me. Then they would fly back out, as if they had just noticed that I was there.
I thought of the girl with the sparrow. It seemed like I had met her in a different universe.
a good start
The farm had a little shop that sold vegetables and fruits, some imported, some their own. I went in to ask for hot water, and the friendly ladies at the counter not only filled up both of my thermos flasks, but they also gave me a cup of coffee. I bought two oranges and marched out into the rain. And then – the rain stopped. Just like that.
It stayed like that for the rest of the day. Sometimes there would be a light drizzle, but that was it. I walked up to a supermarket and bought some bread, some pumpkin-flavored hummus, and a pack of oat milk. Then I walked through the fields, through a forest, and then through more fields.
bye Frankfurt
One time I turned around and saw Frankfurt in the distance. I had been there many times and even lived there for more than a year, but I had never seen the city like that – a row of skyscrapers, one next to the other, neatly lined up behind the fields. It almost looked like a big city from where I was standing.
A few hours later, it was raining again, and I was in yet another barn in yet another farm. There were more tractors and harvesters in there. No pigeons and no sparrows. That didn’t mean that I was alone, though. There were a few mice, their tiny voices shrieking through the darkness while the rain was drumming on the roof.
One of them was white and more feisty than the others. That was my favorite.
pictures
the walk from Nieder-Erlenbach to Rosbach vor der Höhe:
I sit in the farm where I have slept, with a spider on my head.
Erlengrund farm store
they gave me hot water and coffee
Transylvania was on here
a walk along the fields
“Oase” brothel
one last view of Frankfurt in the distance
goat
Jürgen’s farm
my camping spot in Jürgen’s barn
dinner: beans and bread
my roommate