In the summer of 2019, I took a 4 month vacation in Germany. I was visiting my husband who was working in Hamburg and lived in a small town Wedel, on the banks of Elbe river. I have writen briefly about my time in Wedel here and here.
Since I was not working at that time, I had the whole day to myself while Govind went to work. I tried my best to keep myself busy by learning German and visiting various clubs to converse with people, but every morning and afternoon, when I was alone I would try visit the river, which was hardly a 10 minute walk from our apartment. I would talk to my parents while strolling, or listen to some music. Some days I’d forget my earphnes so I got an opportunity to be alone with myself. As I’ve shared in one of my previous posts, around the same time time I was also going through the tough decision of quitting my job in India and moving to Germany for real. I really enjoyed this alone time and my fovourite pass time activity was watching massive colourful cargo ships making their way through the river.
Writing about this, also reminds me of a story. The Wedel harbour greets all big ships going towards or away from Hamburg. They also play the national anthem and raise up the flag of that country. One day, as I was randomly strolling by the beach, I could hear the faint yet familiar sound of the Indian national anthem. It really was a goosebump-ish moment for me and I was so excited. 🙂
Anyway, then after half a year I moved to Germany for good. And although my new job was in Darmstadt, home was still Wedel. A few months later, the pandemic struck and I teleworked for a few months from Wedel. I was so glad that I could take more long walks at my favourite spot and greet more boats and ships myself! We also bought bicycles that summer and started exploring more areas along the river and nearby.
And then a few months later, the pandemic’s effect on the aircraft industry became evident to us when my husband’s project with Airbus was prematurely terminated and his job itself was very much in danger. We were quick to decide, that since my space job seemed more stable and unaffected by the pandemic, we would stop the double household drama and leave Wedel. My husband used his free time to learn German and started looking for jobs in Darmstadt/Frankfurt area. The whole work and living situation had a happy ending when in a few months we moved to Darmstadt and shortly after he got a job at the same organisation I am working at.
Leaving Wedel had it’s woes though. I missed the river and hated the lack of water bodies around here. But in a few weeks and months after moving to our new apartment, we explored the area nearby and were very happy to have a forest 10 minutes away.
Last winter I had a 2 weeks vacation, which I spent mostly at home because Germany was under a strict lockdown. My husband had just started his new job and didn’t take any time off. With a lot of time to kill, and when it snowed I just couldn’t resist visiting the Wald (forest) for a snowy day out.
We have now been in Darmstadt and this house for over a year. It may not be our favourite but it has it’s own history. Nevertheless I have fallen in love with the forest and love going on long walks with my husband, or even with myself.
Whether it’s the river side in Wedel or the forest in Darmstadt, both of these have made their special place in my heart and are places I would always associate with solitude.
Thanks for flying by my orbit. 🙂
See you tommorrow for the next Bloganuary post!
the drifting satellite 
So beautifully expressed ….I have a feeling as if I have visited and seen the river at Wedel and Forest of Darmstadt.
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Thanks! Lots of love for all the support and motivation always! 🙂
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