Jena.
It was 18 years since I'd been in Germany and probably 15 since the last contact with my good friends Eva and Isa, so I was really looking forward to seeing them again! It's funny how quickly things, almost forgotten, can so seamlessly return to how they were. Eva met us at the station and very quickly it was back to how it was when we'd been close friends all those years ago, almost as if those years hadn't been there!It was lovely to drop back into German life; unlike my Russian, my German language skills had largely remained intact, making the re-entry easier. At one time Germany was a second home; if life had taken a few different turns I could have ended up staying there, so it was like returning to a kind of home, like putting on an old jumper you hadn't thought about for yonks.
I spent 10 days at Eva's in Jena (Niamh left half a week earlier, to meet some good mates in Brighton for a hen's weekend), hanging around town, going canoeing, and doing three overnight bike rides, the first with Niamh, the second with Raf, a mate from Australia, and the third with Eva, Isa and friends to a good mate of theirs who lives in Trockenborn, a small village about 30km away, so, all in all, I got to see a good bit of the part of Thüringen around Jena and beyond.
And, I got to see Germany's very unexpected (at least, it would seem, to Germans, who fully expected to lose to France, then weren't that confident about Brazil and were 50/50 and nervous about their prospects against Argentina) world cup victory in Germany!
The dining room.
To the south of Jena's centre there are lovely parklands on both sides of the river Saale. This is the Schleichersee, a small lake just near the east bank of the river.
Jena's famous - or infamous - 1960s tower.
Elegantly renovated factory, now a shopping centre.
Eva, Isa and friends having breakfast at Trockenborn.
A break from canoeing to sample the local specialities.
Eva, Falk and little Charlotte.
In nearby Rudolstadt Germany's biggest word music festival was on, so we dropped by for an arvo.
Rudolstadt.
Canoeing on the Saale
We spent a day canoeing down the Saale river with Eva, Isa and friends/family.
Later in the week I cycled with Raf in the opposite direction and we had lunch in the castle above!
... then went on an overnight bike-ride through the beautiful Thüringen countryside
Starting in nearby Weimar, which we reached by train.
Weimar's Marktplatz (market square).
The cute-kitsch Pension in Bad Sulza where we stayed and went to the slightly surreal thermal pools.
Along the way we found wild or abandoned cherry trees, blackberries and raspberries!
We ended up at Laucha, to the north.
... and got the train back to Jena, passing the white wine area around Freyburg.
... where I returned two days later with Raf to go on another overnight ride!
Raf waits while I take yet another photo!
... then south of Jena for two days
Getting ready to go in Jena.
On the way.
I took a detour with one of the others, up a very long, very steep hill to a castle with a view over the surrounding area. Here you can see Jena, about 30kms away.
Awaiting us when we arrived were homemade pastries made with locally-collected forest berries!
Afternoon tea, dinner, breakfast ... it was a weekend of fine vittles ...
... capped off with a late lunch by the water in Jena!