The cell phone alarm starts ringing at seven and when it wakes me, I realize today is a day off and we don’t actually have plans. So I stay in bed, reading a book. After Arne also opens his eyes about an hour later, we get up and discuss the entertainment options for the day during breakfast. We’ll go out for a walk because honestly I can’t watch TV or read all day, but it will be short, in the neighborhood and without backpack. I add the necessary filters to the Wikiloc search page, it pops up a few walks and I select one that is entirely in the forest. In the end I decide I cannot leave my camera behind.. The camera requires the special backpack to safely stow the zoom lens and to protect it in case of rain, so it’s only Arne that’s unencumbered today. We leave the car at the edge of the forest and freewheel it until we can join up with the Wikiloc trail. The sky is overcast but it’s a lot colder and windier than yesterday, so I’m wearing the rain jacket just to stay warm.
It’s pretty quiet today, only a few locals who don’t mind the weather. You never know if they’re going to say Hallo in German or Bonjour in French, but they all seem to be particularly cheerful. It’s an enjoyable walk and just the right length: long enough to limber up but short enough to add to our aches. Strange how I can cycle days and days with nothing worse than saddle pain, but walking always makes my muscles tight and stiff. Perhaps a matter of posture? Perhaps the backpack, but it’s totally worth it.
We’re back at the holiday home around noon, just before it starts raining. We make an egg lunch (with bacon for me and a sunny side up burger for Arne), watch the last episodes of The Queen’s Gambit (liked it), then read and cook, accompanied by 101 Waltzes and Polkas. Excellent music for doing dishes and packing!
Febe writes 