Out in the open

 

More high skill ninja stealth at breakfast procured a reasonable walker’s picnic. This included a brace of freshly painted hard boiled eggs, it felt like eating artwork.

Then, once we’d rejoined the trail, it was the customary steady pull  up the hill, on clearly marked woodland tracks. Beech seems to be the super-dominant species, crowding out other tree types, with pines taking over on the upper slopes. 

There were a few Sunday mountain-bikers and day walkers out and about, otherwise it felt like we had the place to ourselves. A scenic detour proved its worth, with nice views back over Eberbach and the banks of the Neckar. 

We then found ourselves breaking out of the woodlands for a few miles and walking through wide open grassland, in pleasant, flowery meadows and apple orchards, very reminiscent of home, apart for the Alpine hills and teeming pine forests in the backdrop. Mid-morning, the sun was already beating down from a cloudless sky, but temperatures had not yet reached red-hot furnace levels. It made for a very enjoyable spell of walking.

On reaching the Teufelskanzel, an imposing slab of sandstone cliffs cutting through the canopy of trees, we gained another fabulous outlook on the valley way down below, this time to the Rockenau weir and lock, our half way point for the day. 

Clambering up the other side of the river, the ruins of Burg Stolzeneck gave us the required shade and resting area for lunch, as well as fine views down the next bend of the Neckar. 

Overall, the walk offered a lot more variety and interest than we had expected from inspecting the map and route description.

An oddity. On a few occasions now, we’ve checked in with each other on what’s playing in the soundtrack of our minds, and found that we’ve got the same song on a loop. One theory is the tempo of our walking is subconsciously suggesting our mental jukebox choices; the stately and languorous Abendlied for climbs; triumphal marching to the tune of I Was Glad when we’re on the flat. We don’t believe in telepathic superpowers, so it must be some other plausible explanation.

Unusually our day’s walking concluded with a final climb up into the hills, taking us away from the settlements on the river, for our overnight stay in a spa hotel in Neunkirchen. We immediately made use of the jacuzzi facilities and hotel pool, to limber up sore muscles and cool off, after our longest stage walk of the trip so far.