— Ours is a culture and a time immensely rich in trash as it is in treasures. Sometimes it is a little hard to tell the trash from the treasure, so we hold back, afraid to declare ourselves.
It will have been one of the last bike rides of the year. It was also the first ride with my partner 1lennz on his own Brompton. On just over 50km through France we saw kingfishers, green woodpeckers and jays. We rode along turquoise canal waters, through soft winter light and under a sky of transflag colours. 🏳️⚧️
A little camera ended up in my pocket again. I used to have one years ago but sold it in the hunt of more Pixels. The original Sony RX100 (from 2012) is one of the best-selling digital cameras of all time, so you can buy it for very little money now. 📷
I think it’s only now, years later, that I can appreciate the genius of this versatile camera.
How long have I been waiting for this? Last monday I finally started my first bikepacking adventure with my Brompton! I took the train from Freiburg to Donaueschingen and from there – on my first stage – I rode about 70 kilometres to Lake Constance. 🗺️
I found a wonderful campsite and was allowed to pitch my tent right on the lakeshore. Of course, the first thing I had to do was to jump into the lake and cool down. The tent was set up quickly and I spent a very quiet and relaxed evening and night, listening to the songs of a little owl. ⛺️🦉
Well rested, I started the next morning on my second stage, which was to be twice as long as planned. First along the Rhine through the beautiful Swiss towns of Stein am Rhein and Schaffhausen. 🇨🇭 By noon I arrived already in Waldshut-Tiengen, the actual destination of my stage. But because I didn’t like it there very much (🤭) and a local woman told me it was supposed to be thunderstormy at night and the next day, I decided to continue directly to the destination of my tour.
So I cycled further along the river Rhine, passing Laufenburg and Rheinfelden to Basel. In the end of the day: 132 kilometres in six and a half hours. With about 15 kilos of luggage.
This week I had too little exercise. I sat at my desk too much, had too many appointments and I often took the car due to lack of time. So today, after having a coffee, I put on my barefoot hiking shoes and started walking. 🥾 I’m lucky enough to live amid the Black Forest, so I can enter the wood just a few steps away from my door.
Most times walking around in nature is the quickest way to ease stress for me. No matter where I am, I can find something interesting to look at or to capture with my camera. But today letting go and relaxing didn’t work out quite so well. I could not get rid of my inner tension and could still hear the soft rustling of the city as a reminder of busy everyday life. Nevertheless, I could enjoy the fresh, icy air and capture some moments with my camera. Bodily movement also helped me to shift attention to myself.
Black Forest, Nikon D600/50mm 1.8, processed with VSCO.
Hey, ich bin Oli Lou! Ich lebe in Freiburg, bin Allrounder*in in den Bereichen Medien, Kommunikation und Betriebswirtschaft und dokumentiere hier meinen Blick auf die Welt.
