31 January 2008

Land-O-Lakes




I went to church today. For real! Usually when I say I'm going "to church" I'm going to listen to music or smoke a joint. I didn't attend an actual mass, but I got a schedule in case I'm so inclined. It's funny, but I have a much harder time praying when I'm in church than when I'm not.

Then I went for a bike ride over to Hopfensee (above), which is about 5km away. Well, at least that's what the sign said when I left town. But I swear I saw at least 3 signs along the way that all said "2km". It felt like a long ride, but enjoyable. I didn't do much, just sat by the lake. I kept hearing this squealing sound coming from under the ice. There must be otters or something in that lake. I took the train to Hopferau (very near the Hopfensee) a few weeks ago and as I was walking down this path under a bridge, I heard a barking sound. But it wasn't a dog. Then I heard it again today sitting by the lake.

The train whistle sounds sort of like a whale call from far away, so at first I thought that's what I was hearing. But no, it was much closer. Who knows, maybe there were some ducks trapped under the ice or something. What a horrible thought.

Pressing on...I got a call back from an ad I replied to. I have an appointment to go see this place tomorrow. It's at the bottom end of my budget scale, so that makes me happy. If it's not a hole-in-the-wall, and they let me have it, I'm taking it. I just wish I could remember if I mentioned the cats when I left the message. I'm pretty sure I did.

I ran another ad in the paper, also. The woman I'm renting from offered to translate, so she'll be fielding any calls I get. I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I think. Let's hope.

I forgot to mention that I rode the bike to Weißensee on Wednesday, but the weather was so grey I wasn't inspired to take photos. Even though it was a very beautiful lake. Crystal-clear like the Alpsee. I'll be going back very soon because the sound of the waves lapping against the shore was a very peaceful sound indeed.

Here's a photo of the Forggensee from another angle. I rode the bike to the castles the other day and took this on the way back.
I had read that it was pretty much empty during winter, but I didn't believe it until I saw it from the east. It was a strange site. A desolate wasteland of small dunes and dead-still pools of water. Years ago there was a town here, which is what the Forggensee is named after. The Lech used to break off into a bunch of tributaries here years ago, but after they dammed it, this became the reserve for the overflow. They flooded the town in the process, of course. I'm just starting to read about the Lech and the various high-water catastrophes that have occurred in this region, so I don't know all the details yet.