Last
weekend boasted one of the first beautiful spring days here in Germany, so we
packed up the kids and went hiking. The Walberla is a small mountain named
after St. Walburga.
Halfway
up, we munched on cucumber and apple slices while enjoying the view.
The
Walberla has two peaks with a wide, flat saddle in the middle. Once at the top,
the trees are suddenly gone and the view opens up. The wind teases your hair,
and it feels like Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery should walk out
brandishing swords.
 |
| The tall, beribboned tree is for a festival. |
In
the middle of the saddle, there's a small chapel and a statue of St. Walburga herself.
Legends
of the mountain abound, including an accursed castle which once stood where the chapel is now, witches, a hidden treasure and an evil woman turned to
stone.
 |
| Evil woman on the left |
Proven is that the mountaintop was settled in approximately 4000 BC.
Later, it was the site of human sacrifice, including cannibalism. I'll spare
you details of the skeletal remains found, but if you're interested, Wikipedia has a lovely description.
One
of the big differences between Germany and the US is the strong German sense of
personal responsibility. Being on a mountaintop means danger. There are no
fences to keep you from slipping over the edge.
 |
| Proof I'm a woman on the edge? |
All
pictures by me or my husband, except this one of a cool carved stone my
six-year-old took.
