The Länd

Nice here. But have you ever been to Baden-Württemberg?

One of the better advertising campaigns. And since I am currently looking at it through rose tinted glasses, I have to say the statement is completely true.

At the moment I am rediscovering the region I come from. And I actually seem to be rediscovering a kind of love I thought no longer existed.

For many years I lived in Stuttgart. More than 25 years. More than half my life. And most of the time I kept quiet about the fact that I was not really from Benztown, but from about 50 kilometers east of it, from the Ostalb.

Kohlera, Lepra, Alpra. Another slogan people have around here. Not least because of the dialect spoken in this region. A dialect that separates locals from Neigschmeckte, from those who moved in, with remarkable precision.

And what can I say? The Swabian is still sitting pretty loosely in me. It did not take more than two sentences before it slipped out again. Fluently. So fluently that I have to be careful not to speak broad Swabian to people from farther away.

So yes: I can do everything. Even Swabian.

Dialect is one thing. In my case, people made sure from early childhood that I would not schwäble too much. Alongside excellent table manners, of course. Wherever families choose to place their priorities.

But being Swabian is about more than dialect. It is about loving the region. And that is exactly what I am rediscovering now.

It is not just that I come from the Ostalb. No, it is even a very specific part of the Ostalb. The Leintal and the Frickenhofer Höhe.

Who does not know them?

Most people will probably now be wondering where on earth that is supposed to be. Between the Kocher and Rems valleys. You can find the rest on Google.

And what is the best way to rediscover an old love? Exactly. By bicycle.

So right now, almost every day becomes a little tour of rediscovery. Sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right. Sometimes 30 kilometers, sometimes 50 kilometers, sometimes just 20 kilometers around the corner.

Eschach, Iggingen, Schönhardt, Hohenstadt, Schechingen, Untergröningen, Obergröningen, Hönig, Ruppertshofen, Tierhaupten, Utzstetten, Frickenhofen, Mittelbronn, Rotenhar, Gschwend, Schlechtbachtal, Täferrot, Brainkofen, Herlikofen, Böbingen, Essingen, Mögglingen, Göggingen, Lindach, Abtsgmünd, Seifertshofen, Mulfingen, Horn, Heuchlingen and, I am sorry, dear people of Heuchlingen, of course the one true pearl of the Leintal: Leinzell.

There can only be one pearl. And I think it is quite clear which one.

Besides the valleys and the ramps leading up to and down from the Frickenhofer Höhe, there are also many reservoirs here. They were built in the seventies and eighties to protect the valley population from flooding and, as far as I know, they quietly and reliably do their job.

These lakes are small local recreation areas. Especially in this heat.

Heat is a good topic. I am enjoying it right now. Cycling in 35 degrees. Absolutely wonderful. I tolerate this kind of heat very well. No comparison to Queensland and its absurdly high humidity. On top of that, I am back on the correct side of the road, which makes many things easier again. The cycling infrastructure is also worlds better here, and road users show much more consideration as well. German Road Traffic Regulations, Section 1.

Something else has also struck me: I cope much better here with the rhythm of day and night. In Australia I usually suffered from constant tiredness. Here it did not even take a full day before I had adapted back to the time zone. Maybe my body never really left it. That would explain a lot.

And so I am enjoying days again that last until 10 p.m. How I missed that.

People still out on the streets after 8 p.m. And yes, what are they doing there? The things people do at 8 p.m. in summer. Having a barbecue. Sitting in cafés. Watching football. Chilling.

No comparison to Down Under. I realise I like it here much more. This sense of togetherness. The willingness to help. The way people look after one another. Not only within the family. That is very strong here, this connectedness.

Also this partly unfriendly way of being. This unperformed quality. The realness that exists here again. Especially in this region. I really missed this manner. The directness. The clarity of people.

Someone says what needs to be said, and everyone knows what has to be done. Nobody dithers around. The other person is an idiot, everyone knows it, and everyone agrees.

And me?

Apart from cycling and, of course, dieting once again, man, did I come back fat from the islands, there is a football World Cup to watch here and, every now and then, hard, honest garden work.

I am enjoying it. Especially because I also know that this phase will soon be over again.

In that spirit.

P.S.: I am almost done going through the photos and videos, all 30,000 of them, and will soon return to Anadar. So if anyone still wants to keep reading, or wants to start now, this is the moment. I will soon take it down from the website. Thanks to the four test readers who made it all the way to the end.