April 17th 2026 年4月17日

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The UK has got the Lake District, Japan has the Kamikochi Highlands (上高地) or the lakes of Yamanashi, and Germany has the Rheingau. (gau is an old word for district or area by the way)

▷ I have been here countless times. Showing visitors the vineyards of Schloss Johannisberg, or the chair lifts at Rüdesheim and Assmanshausen. And of course going on many a wonderful hike.

▷ But when you live in the Rhein-Main area you tend to get a bit blasé about it. Seen that. Done that etc.etc. But, depending on the season, it’s always different there. As I discovered last weekend.

▷ I took the train to Lorch. But when I got out at that picturesque little village…..

……..I did not take the high walk above the river Rhein. Instead I headed up the leafy Sauerthal valley on a route that was called, charmingly, the Riesling Schleifen (the Riesling “bow”). I had just finished a nice bottle of Riesling back at home so this was most apt.

My boots crunched satisfyingly along the winding route……

….sometimes with too much crunch. Pause needed….

Fresh April green was everywhere,

…..with flowers sprinkled around like magic charms to please the appreciative hiker…..

▷ At some random road crossing I stumble across this devotional chapel – Der Heilig Kreuz Kapelle. Of course it’s locked, but you can peep inside…..

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“…contributions to the upkeep….”

Further along the trail I cross a stream….

And for some reason someone has chosen this spot to park tractors…..

That’s quite a tyre…………..

▷ This is the moment. Take a selfie trying to look like a Real Man……Keep an eye on your local cinema for the new film: Tractor Man….starring you know who…..😆

Further up the valley the local inhabitants come out to see who is passing by….

▷ But really, is a puddle in a track (left from a tractor tyre of course) a good place to plant future generations?

The plants sway lightly in the breeze, shaking their heads….

▷ Eventually I reach the ruins of a small castle …Kleine Waldeck. It is a lonely outpost with views across the valley. But hello, a surprise……

I bend down to take this photo and at once notice something on the horizon. What’s that? a castle I never knew existed? And it’s in the wrong direction, ie away from the Rhein.

▷ It looks like the Wartburg castle in Eisenach (where Luther translated the New Testament into German). A later Google search revealed this…The Sauerburg. Certainly off the beaten track….it’s even on Booking.com!

https://sauerburg.de/

The path seems to climb forever. There are views far and near….

Up and up….until eventually a skyline of trees reveals glimpses of Vater Rhein down below…..

…and my starting point several hours earlier….The village of Lorch…..

As usual in these offbeat areas, there are few trains back to Frankfurt. I could get the next one, but I dream of an ice cream somewhere. After all, it’s now approaching 20°c…..

▷ In the end, for lack of an ice cream café, (it is a rather small place) I opt for that bulwark of German tradition : K&K…otherwise known as Kaffee und Kuchen. Just what is needed….and what a cake! The lady serving me asks rather shyly what I think of it (hat’s geschmeckt?). Turns out she is the Konditotorin (pastry cook) who made it…..motto: always eat local produce…😉

So, thank you for your reading this, even though you may not have such a delicious cake in front of you. If you know anyone who might be interested in this blog then do forward it on.

Wie immer vielen Dank für euer Interesse. Wenn ihr jemanden kennt, der an diesem Blog interessiert sein könnte, schickt ihn gerne weiter.

読んでくれてありがとう. (そして、日本には美味しいケーキが食べられることも知っていますよ！🤤)

See you……. matane!

Nigel 🥾

nigelwruddock@gmail.com.

https://www.instagram.com/nigelruddock/

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CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENT

I’m singing in this concert and am bold enough to say that it will be good ! The address is not on the poster, but it’s just north of hr Radio, at Kaiser-Sigmund-Str.47, Frankfurt. The Haus der Chöre is an excellent purpose-built rehearsal space for choirs in Frankfurt. And what is also not obvious from the poster is that James Guey, our incredible Korrepetitionist (accompanist) will also be playing solo on the new Flügel (grand piano).

THE END

終わり🍰