Sunday 10 February 2013

Snow Schmow

http://fr.wikipedia.org
So there we were: Walking to work.  
AGA suggested taking a camera with us because it was snowing and we could get some photographs for my blog:

The large flakes of snow, falling gently to earth, lent a magical air to the proceedings, despite the fact that it was freezing.   I was even feeling good enough to allow AGA to take my photo:

As we got nearer to our place of work I put the camera away and we chatted about the day and how pleased we were that the following week was half term holiday. . .

Then I stepped on a large piece of plastic hidden by the newly fallen snow.  

The next thing I knew I was laying flat on my back involuntarily making a snow angel!

I was so lucky that AGA was with me as I don't think that I could have got up by myself at that moment, having hit my head on the pavement in the process of falling.

Without going into all the details, I hurt my hip and suffered mild concussion.  I didn't have to stay in the hospital (although I was obliged to go there for a check) but I did have to stay home for the rest of the day and the next, however there was to be no computer, no TV and no watching DVDs.
I didn't mind so much as I was allowed to read and loving reading as I do, it was like experiencing guilt free laziness: reclining on the sofa, drinking tea and reading (or sleeping) all day long - and all on doctor's orders!

And it extended into the next day too, with my employers telling me to stay home and rest.

So I did.

* * * *

Lots of thoughts milled around my head - some of it revolving around the fact that I have always disliked the snow...

I'm not sure whether I have told you before but the place where we live is called Kaiserswerth.  It is an ancient settlement dating back to at least the 7th Century, when the English missionary Swidbert (known in German as Suitbertus) was given Kaiserswerth and asked to set up a small monastery there.


All sorts of things have happened since that time: Friedrich Barbarossa built a huge fortress here, the town was invaded at various times by the Spanish, the Hessians, the Brandenburgers, the Dutch and the French.  Napoleon was here.  So was Florence Nightingale.  American soldiers were here too, towards the end of WWII.  King Heinrich IV was kidnapped from Kaiserswerth by the archbishop of Koeln during a palace power struggle in the Middle Ages; and the town was given control of the lucrative collection of tolls on the Rhein.

And during all that time Kaiserswerth was an island.  At its peak it looked liked this:

(This photograph comes from the Kaiserswerther Brudershaft (www.kaiserswerther-bruderschaft.de). and I have seen the original painting displayed within the shoeshop in the High Street.)

Nowadays, Kaiserswerth looks like this.  You can see the now-ruined Barbarossa's fortress in the foreground on the river bank (It was blown up by the Spanish in 1702, or thereabouts): 

Both of these photographs comes from this website: http://www.bilderbuch-duesseldorf.de/Fotos/kaiserswerth

Kaiserwerth is no longer an island because (I am told) the Rhein silted up.  I don't know when this happened but in this photograph, the green belt that surrounds the town is the old river bed.  It goes all the way around and to enter Kaiserswerth, you cross a bridge that is near to the tall building on the right of the photo although now all that is below it is the town ditch which has been made into a park. 

Kaiserswerth is only about 28m above sea level.  The land is very flat which is ideal for bike riding.  

It is also ideal for flooding.

The water table is close to the surface and it doesn't taken much for it to cause problems.  Then we get this:
(http://kaiserswerth-aktuell.de/2011/01/rhein-hochwasser-duesseldorf)

The Rhein is on the left of the fencing.  The path along the town walls is (submerged) to the right.

And so all this snow falling, then melting and then being followed by more snow, is not helping matters.  On Saturday I went down to the Rhein to take a look:
It is getting higher - and faster too.  Those branches are the tops of the trees that border the small stony beaches that are visible in summer.  The pole in the top right photograph indicates where cars usually drive to board the ferry to the other side of the river...

The fields were the farmer keeps his horses in the summer, and where a few weeks earlier the children were whizzing about on their sleds, is now a large lake:

Our apartment building is at the back of old Kaiserswerth, where the town walls used to be.  It overlooks the old river bed.  Interestingly, water is appearing there too as the ground water rises from beneath the surface:

And directly opposite us, albeit 'down in the ditch' the water has suddenly appeared so that over the space of the week it has changed from a snowy place to walk the dog, to a series of serpentine ponds:


As long as it remains like this and doesn't get much higher and cause the town flood barriers to be set up, we will continue to find it all rather exciting. . .

And so, as the water rises, we seek comfort in simple things:

 Flowers: harbingers of Spring and the return of the sun.

And of course cups of tea . . . and home-made Eccles cakes (you just can't have enough of them at this time of year).

And cherry tart: 
(made by me!)

35 comments:

  1. Hi Kirk I'm so sorry for your accident, and I'm so sorry too because that fortress was blown up by the Spanish I hope nobody of my family was in that war. The village where you live is beautiful a snow too. But it must be difficult to manage with all that snow. I hope you are better.

    Hugs from Spain

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    1. Hi Marina,
      Thank you for your kind comments.
      Kaiserswerth is a lovely place. It is hoping to be on the UNESCO World Heritage list soon. I am enjoying my time living here.
      I agree: the snow can be beautiful - it makes everything softer.
      Bye for now
      Kirk

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  2. Hello Kirk, What a shocking story about your fall. I hope that you are quite recovered.

    I was very much interested in your history of Kaiserswerth. I always become interested in the local history of wherever I go. The vestiges of the old riverbed that apparently can reappear at will are fascinating, although the constant danger of flooding might get tiresome. I would also love to hike and picnic around the old fortress.

    Please take care of yourself and take it easy.
    --Road to Parnassus

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    1. Hello Jim,

      Thank you for your kind comments: yes fully recovered thank goodness,but it is surprising how 'jiggled up' I felt.

      We have lived in Kaiserswerth for nearly nine years and will be here for a couple more. Living in the old village itself, I do feel a part of it and its history, and there is such a lot of it for such a small place. We get many tourists visiting throughout the year.

      If it were allowed I would love to get walk about the old river bed with a metal detector and see what could be found. I fancy finding an old imperial crown!

      Bye for now

      Kirk

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  3. Dear Kirk - first I am so pleased that you suffered no long term problems from your fall. Getting to your feet in the snow is not at all easy.
    Eccles cakes, my favourite, did you make them too, and the cherry tart, AGA is a lucky fellow with you as cook.
    The water table across the world must be at an all time high. Flooding in Australia, flooding in Europe, it really is quite frightening.
    The town where you live looks lovely but very cold at the moment. Luckily, so far, the second snow has passed us by.
    Take care of yourself.

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    1. Thank you Rosemary.
      You are right there - it is difficult to get up - I felt a bit like a tortoise on its back!
      I did make those Eccles cakes - I love them and decided that treats were needed for this weekend. I am usually the desserts and cakes cook. AGA is usually the main course cook. So it all works our very nicely!
      Kaiserswerth is indeed a lovely place and it is surprising to think that it is hardly any distance to the bustling city of Dusseldorf. We are still an island of sorts - of island of green and semi rural tranquility.
      Bye for now
      Kirk

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  4. Dear Kirk,

    Sorry to hear about your fall. It must have been a strange fall for you to hit your head like that. The thought of it makes me shiver. I am glad you are feeling better now. It must have been AGA's good care and perhaps the delicious pie & cakes that speeded up your recovery :-)!

    I enjoyed reading about your home town. It has an interesting history. The layer of snow makes it look very pretty!

    Take care,

    Madelief x

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    1. Dear Madelief,
      Thank you for your kind comments. It is nice to be making all these nice friends in the blog world!
      Yes cakes tea and pies make me feel better almost immediately!
      For all I grumble about the snow I must admit that it does indeed make everything pretty. It is like being in a fairytale when you wake up and find that it has snowed overnight.
      Bye for now
      Kirk

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  5. Kirk,
    How distressing to hear of your tumble and resulting injuries, I truly hope all is much improved by now. I found the history of Kaiserswerth to most interesting and it seems to be a most charming of places. Except! During flooding, which it seems you take well in stride. Hoping all is well on it’s way to returning to normal for you, I must admit I could get use to tea, ecclse cakes and cherry tarts being my normal. Take care and I look forwarding to hearing more of your adventures, let’s just keep them a bit safer. – gary

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    1. Thank you Gary,

      Yes such a tumble is not the sort of experience I wish to revisit any time soon!

      You are right there, Kaiserswerth is a charming place and I think I might 'do' a post on other aspects of it later on.

      You are welcome to pop round for afternoon tea any time!

      Bye for now

      Kirk

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  6. Ouch!!! I'm really sorry that you fell, Kirk. Yes, thank goodness AGA was there! And I'm glad you went to have it checked out.

    Do they spread a lot of salt on the streets and sidewalks in Germany? Here in DC people use way too much....and it is not the environmentally friendly type. Terrible for pets, too :(

    You take care!
    Loi

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    1. They spread 'grit' here - all very efficient and very German. I think it is some sort of sea sand . I should imagine that it is environmentally friendly because Dusseldorf is among the 'green' cities of the world. It doesn't seem to do any harm to the areas around it. I never thought about animals though - not having a dog here - but they seem not to mind it. I'm not sure how I would like to walk barefooted across it though!
      Thanks for your concern Loi, here, have a slice of cherry tart!

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  7. I am so sorry to hear about your fall. I had my first experience with real snow just a few years ago in Boston. I managed to fall on ice and bruise my hips and ego. I hope that you recover quickly.

    Your photos, as always, are beautiful, but I admit that the one I keep staring at is the cherry tart. :)

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    1. Thank you MW.
      Bruised egos are often worse than the actually bruises themselves! Luckily I have no bruises this time.
      Speaking of ego, I have to tell you that that cherry tart is the best one I have made. We had it with custard last night but there is still three quarters of it left so if you want to pop over I am sure we can find you a bowl and a spoon!

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  8. Wow, I'm so sorry you fell and had such a scary time. Head bumps like that do have to be treated carefully and watched. Glad all is well.

    Such history you live in and around. That's so awesome. Nothing here in Houston is more than a hundred years old or so. I love that you live in the midst of that.

    Other than the end result of the snow (your fall), those pics are beautiful. Thanks for sharing!!

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    1. Dear 1st Man,
      It is the same in Melbourne. Nothing older than about 150 years and evidence of aboriginal history is hard to find (Although it is there and some of that dates back thousands of years).
      I must admit that strolling to the shop through narrow streets while the church bells are ringing is rather nice. I shall miss that when we leave.
      Thanks for dropping by and for your kind comments

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  9. Hello Kirk:
    We are so sorry to read of your fall in the snow. How frightening to have banged your head but fortunate that you were not alone. It is easy to see how these ostensibly small incidents turn into serious accidents requiring medical attention. Still, we do so hope that you are now fully recovered. It does, however, take time to get one's confidence back after such an unfortunate event.

    But, how lovely to have been able to spend time at home in the comfort and warm, reading without the least feeling of guilt. We still have to remind ourselves occasionally that it is a perfectly respectable activity for the middle of the day or, indeed, the entire day come to that!

    Thank you for the brief history of your town. We found it most interesting. It is, however, somewhat alarming that flood waters are becoming increasingly a concern. That is certainly also the case with many areas of England these days.

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    1. Thank you Jane and Lance, and yes I think I shall be treating all snow with suspicion from now on and possibly poking it (Queen Mary style) with the tip of my umbrella...

      it is funny how we are bought up to occasionally look at leisure as somehow a guilty thing while others seem to look upon it as their right - 24 hours a day seven days a week!

      Reading your response made me wonder what it is like in Budapest. I expect the river is high there as well.

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  10. Dear Kirk,
    I'm so sorry to hear of your accident! I do hope you're completely recovered-- it is such a shock to the system when these things happen! You did the right thing taking time off from your 'screens' and enjoying some well deserved rest time with your books... A loving partner, great books, tea and treats can cure a great many ills! Your cherry tart looks beautiful-- like the cover of a very decadent cookbook. I was so interested to hear about Kaiserswerth-- what a beautiful and fascinating town. Have you been there long? I envy you and AGA-- it looks like a wonderful place to live, despite the threatening floods right now, which seem a worldwide phenomenon... Your spring flowers look so cheery-- I send you a virtual bunch of narcissus to add to the group and speed your recovery!!!
    Warm regards,
    Erika

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    1. Thank you Erika,
      I like narcissi a lot. I was just telling AGA how much I like plain yellow ones while he prefers yellow with an orange cup.
      Kaiserswerth is a nice place. Very olde worlde in parts. A lot of people come to visit. We have been here for nearly nine years now - I can't believe how times has flown. When we leave I have many treasured memories (along with many treasures) to take with me!
      Bye for now and keep warm!
      Kirk

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  11. Dear Kirk,

    I'm glad to know that you are back to your well self, and it sounds as though you are fortunate to have both AGA and good employers.

    The aerial view of Kaiserwerth is fascinating in that one can see so clearly exactly how the island was — it still is an island! I imagine one would find all sorts of things with a metal detector, not just from the various battles, but also from domestic dumping. Don't you suppose people just tossed a lot of stuff into the water?

    Like you, I am not keen on snow. I lived in Pittsburgh and went through years of snow storms and blizzards before I decided to escape that weather forever and live in Florida. But as you may know, when one lives in a tropical climate, your blood thins out and before long 65 degrees sends a chill!

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    1. Thank you Mark, I am feeling very much back to normal.

      Actually they are always finding things. When the owner of the electrical shop in the High Street decided to dig a new seller he was asked not to but went ahead anyway and discovered a medieval house which had to be checked by archaeologists and postponed any more work for a year. They also found an upturned medieval boat around the corner when excavating a new driveway...

      As to the weather I agree that it's all relative: These days I think that 28c is really hot when in Melbourne it is a pleasant summer's day!

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  12. Hello Kirk

    What an interesting and exciting town Kaiserwerth is. So sorry to hear about your fall. How quickly it all happened. Glad you are feeling better and took advantage of the time to re-couperate and managed some reading.
    Your baking skills amaze me and I can almost taste the cherry tart.

    Helen x

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    1. Thank you Helen,
      Being on half term holidays also helps me to feel better!

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  13. Oh, hope you quickly heal and feel better. I was so disappointed AGA didn't take a photo of you when you were down. Then I read how hurt you were and I thought better of it (mostly). Thanks for the wonderful photos and history. Be careful!

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    1. If AGA had taken a photo of me on the ground like a tortoise on its back, he might not have been here to tell the tale!

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  14. Unoa paisajes encantadores!!!!

    Saludos.

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  15. Kirk, Kaiserswerth is unknown town for me,thanks for telling its history!
    Surprisingly it was an island and then the river banks became in a park.I liked your cherry cake, I guess it's very delicious.
    Happy Valentine Day!

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    1. Dear Nadezda,
      The cherry cake is only a memory now... we ate it all!

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  16. Kirk,

    I am delighted that this much better. That story was so beautiful that spot.

    Best regards,

    Peter

    me alegra saber que esta mucho mejor. Que historia tan bonita la que ha contado.

    Un saludo,

    Peter

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    1. Thank you Peter,

      I'm glad that you liked it.

      Saludos cordiales

      Kirk

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  17. Hello Kirk,
    I truly hope you are feeling better, accidents like that shake us up. I did a similar thing on ice (not as badly as you!) last year, my pride was hurt more than anything (always an audience and so inelegant!!) but a massive bruise on my lower back to prove some pain. It's the sound of the thud, that rings though you most!! Your temporary corner of the world looks very pretty, most idyllic in the warmer months I imagine. The Eccles cakes and cherry tart look wonderful and I am sure they helped mend you!
    All the best,
    Ivan
    (we have no snow here or in Paris - sorry!)

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    1. Hello Ivan,
      Yes, I've done that sort of fall too. Then you try to jump up as if nothing is wrong and walk quickly on your way as if nothing has happened - until you get home that is...
      Kaiserswerth is indeed a pretty place and very nice in the summer as well.
      Bye for now
      Kirk
      (No snow in Normandy? I shall make sure to send some your way as we have plenty here.)

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  18. Oh Kirk, I am sorry I missed this, and hope you are ok! I fell last year in the snow while shoveling the drive, and had a gushing forehead....it was more frightening than anything, as I didn't see it coming.

    Take care of yourself.....

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