Day off!

Today I decided to have a day off. The last couple of days I have been doing stuff for university, mostly reading. Today I decided not to do anything uni related. I didn't had classes today and so I didn't set an alarm.

I got up anyways rather early, had breakfast, some coffee and was lazing around the whole morning. I was organizing some things, made some important phone calls and sent some e-mails. These were all things I was pushing away already for some time and now finally had the motivation to do them.

I cooked some pasta for lunch and had an afternoon coffee. After I had finished the coffee I decided to go out to enjoy the really nice and warm spring weather. It was again something like 23°C, but different from yesterday a quite strong North-wind.

I walked out of the house and a steep road up the hill. There were many nice houses in the street with good views over Bad Honnef. At the end of the road I followed a steep and tiny path into the woods. I was walking and I really got a spring feeling. The trees don't have leaves yet and so the sun is shining through to the ground, which is already covered with all kinds of green plants and small flowers.

I followed the small train and soon came to a bigger one. Suddenly I saw a bit up hill a small chapel in the middle of the woods. I went up to it and walked around it. It was a bit spooky though and so I didn't enter, but had a short glimpse through the door.

I went on uphill and followed the road through a light forest with quite majestic trees. I had seen a sign, which was leading the way to an old castle ruin I had heard of before. Since the distance on the sign wasn't too far I had made the Löwenburg my destination of the day.

The way seemed longer than what was written, but maybe it was just because the path was really steep and I was sweating and running out of breath. However, I did not turn around and came eventually to the ruin. I was walking around a bit and enjoyed the view to all four cardinal directions.

This reminded me a bit of Lord of the Rings!

From there I could see Bonn, Bad Honnef and also the Drachenfels, where I have been three weeks ago or so. I was taking some pictures, but then decided to leave. I could see from the north some pretty dark clouds approaching and I didn't wanted to get wet on my way home. Also the wind up on the hill was just too cold and I didn't wanted to risk to get sick again.

I turned back and walked quite fast downhill. I took another road back to Bad Honnef and got lost a couple of times in the woods. Here in the region it seems to be quite common to have paths that just suddenly end in the middle of the woods. I had to turn around four or five times and walk something like a kilometer back each time. So the walk back was a bit longer and also more exhausting, since I was hurrying. The sun was already behind the clouds and it got cold due to the wind.

Eventually I found a path back into the valley and made it back to Bad Honnef. The way down the steep road I had come up earlier I had to walk really slowly; my legs were just so tired from walking downhill all the time, that they were shaking.

Now I am back at home, will work on the pictures, put them into the post and then I will eat something! I hope the weather stays like it was today the rest of the week and especially the weekend; I really like to be outside!

~M~