Author: cindy

When I was in at the Rainbow in Poland I often walked around without aim, seeking what I find. So it happened that I walked into this big, beautiful and open tent where a few people were sitting in a circle, some making music. A girl sings a song and I am mesmerized. She has a beautiful voice – soft, gentle and melodic and sings her own song. She herself is beautiful – soft, gentle, humble and a bit shy. She is from the Netherlands and I realize and remember that this country and its people have had a special place in my heart.
It is there and then that I decide it is time to go to the Netherlands again.

So from Mecklenburg the arrow points west and I decide to have a stopover close to Hamburg. It is interesting to drive through the city, recognizing places and having memories come up.
An old friend of mine and my parents – Willi – lives on the outskirts in Pinneberg and we are visiting him. Willi and Marianne, his wife who died some years ago, used to be our neighbours in my parents garden place. Willi is an extraordinary person. He inspires me hugely and I often talk about him to many. He used to be an engineer for a big company now he simply makes the world better. Since his retirement he keeps himself busy with research and projects around renewable energy. And when I say projects and research, I mean it. He has worked with reknowned scientists at universites, developed a heating system for a kindergarden, patented a cooling box that works with solar energy, gives interviews, goes to important meetings… And on top of it all he knows his way around tax and is always, always willing to help. And he is always well dressed!
I spend a wonderful time with him, enjoying good food, receiving some help with official things and having my mind blown once more by the things he has to say about physics, politics, society and life. Thank you, dear friend!

From there the journey goes on to Quickborn.
In Rostock I stumbled upon Julia and her therapeutical work with animals. I had an impuls – her work, her pictures really spoke to me and I contacted her. We had a brief talk about Raki and agreed that we would meet soon. Raki had lived several months on a short leach in the middle of nowhere, all by himself at a young age. Of course that had left some trauma. We had come a long way. We both had learned a lot. In Raki I found my master, reaching limits and redefining boundaries, learning more and more. Along the way I had found people other teachers that gave imput. Now it was time for a moment of being, of being held, of connecting. I instantly felt a connection to Julia before I even met her and she welcomed us to her family of horses and dogs, to her stable and to her home. After an afternoon and evening of great food and even better talks Raki and me spend the night in the Beast. After a deliscious breakfast Julia treats Raki with essential oils and cranio-sacral therapy. Raki isn’t completely sure what’s going on but he can’t help but relax and release under Julia’s hands. It reaches me too and some tears roll down my cheaks.
Together me and Julia pick up some horse poop under a beautiful fall sun and then we say goodbye – until next time. Thank you!

After a bit more time in nature Raki and me take off again.

We spend the night at the Dicke Berta – a little Lighthouse where the Elbe enters the Northsea.
Another last night in Germany, another episode ending, another one beginning; contemplating, reflecting, looking back.
Those moments are always special – filled with excitement, curiousity, gratitude, feeling of closure.

In the next morning we say goodbye to Germany with a walk through the Cuxhavener Küstenheide and head West, to the Netherlands, to new adventures.

Beautiful Flessenow is an oasis – grandparents that provide wonderful and loving company and make sure we are always well fed, the mesmerizing lake and gorgeous nature around and a boat house with a cozy berth. A place to recharge, spent time with family and friends and also to learn – loose fear of wooden jetties and boats (that goes for Raki, I’m quite good with them).

Flessenow is a place we have visited a few times this year.
The last time was accompanied by a beautiful summery fall, working on The Beast (my car) and meeting the family before take off and continueing on our journey.

After some relaxing days on Schwerin’s lake in Tessenow it was time for some city adventures again. Once more dear Bauke was welcoming us. I decided to take it slow and visit the coast on the way. The weather was adventurous. Somehow I ended up on this dead end road at a place that seemed very familiar. After having a look around there were no doubts – I ended up on the campground where my ex boyfriend’s aunt and uncle have (or had) a caravan. Me and my Ex stayed there for a week, something like 15 years ago. Amazing that I just stumbled upon the place and quite interesting to visit memories from a time that seems to be another life. I remember how I had some kind of meltdown there, getting worked up about being too fat – how far I have come, how different life is now, how fluent we and our personalities are.
I remember the walking path along the shoreline and we walk through hail and puddles and enjoy beautful views.
Afterwards we continue East along the coast. Next stop – Rerik for a fish roll, a play along the beach and watching clouds, rain and rainbows from my cozy passenger seat.

We spent two weeks in my old home and love Rostock, meeting old and new friends – two-legged and four-legged, eating good food … I visit a fleamarket and fill up my library with books about philosophy and psychology. I say goodbye to the Buddhilde, a shared multi family home with its own treehouse. Unfortunately it will be sold.
Once more we are staying with my dear friend Bauke and enjoy many wonderful moments with him.

DCIM100GOPROGOPR1201.JPG

DCIM100GOPROGOPR1202.JPG

After those two weeks full of impressions we crave slowness, space and nature and make our way once more to Tessenow. We get to slow down and spend a few days in this beautiful place accompanied by some breath-taking late summer sunsets. There is always something new to discover here. This time it is a toilet.
It’s interesting how your perspective shifts when you live a simpler life. How a toilet (without a door) can fill you with so much joy and excitement. How a toilet can get you lost in its creation.
This piece of art was created by Mike-Georg. He wanted to make something smaller and less “fancy” and he wanted to spent less time but . . . it just happened. It might just be the most beautiful compost toilet I have ever seen.

Johanna was so awesome to let us stay in her appartment while she was on holidays. We enjoyed some quiet and play time.

Together with Johanna and Filou we enjoyed a few more days in Potsdam and Johanna and me went to the concert of the magnificient Rising Appalachia, where we found space of colour and peace and appreciation and wonderful music.

From Potsdam Johanna, me and Raki and Filou head back north. We have a look at the Demeter Farm and living community in Medewege and spend the night with my Granddad and his partner, Röschen in their garden and boat house in Flessenow.

After this short stop we go East and spend time of relaxation and productivity in Weitenhagen in Johannas parents place, accompanied by wonderful food and a trip to the beach.

Afterwards Johanna and me and Raki and Filou say goodbye again – Johanna going back to Potsdam and me spending a few more days in Flessenow with my Granddad and Röschen before I go to my old love Rostock.

After the Ideenwiese we continued enjoying the late summer in Germany, wandering aimlessly and with aim – visiting friends, places, getting things done . . .

Our first destination was only a few kilometres further from the Ideenwiese. A place that has captured my heart and become really dear to me – Woland.
Woland is this Oasis of space and peace, a place with no street lights and only five neighbours. We visit our friends there – Martina and Inga with their animal family on their farm. Whenever I go there I realise again how much I enjoy living in nature and among the animals – having random cuddles, watching the horses in my pyjamas, seeing the milky way and hearing the beings of the night.

With our good friend Bauke in the passenger seat the journey goes south to Ketzin where we celebrate Johanna’s birthday.

We enjoy a wonderful slow day after the celebration, eating, chilling, lying in the sun. In the afternoon Bauke, me and Raki head back north. We drop Bauke off at the main station and arrive in my home town.

Das Schaf blökt wieder!

I found the Ideenwiese – a little festival based on participation and family – last year just two weeks before the event and I fell in love instantly (before I even got there). I arrived early to help setting everything up and stayed longer. I made wonderful new friends and knew I would come back.

So here we were in 2018 – Ideenwiese once more. I arrived some days early and instanly was home, in the lap of family. What followed was a special time with many, many beautiful moments and even more beautiful people. Moments of endlessness and absoluteness. Lying in the sun with Raki, while listening to people making awesome music, amidst dancing people and playing children; gliding into the cooling waters of the lake after falling out of the oven that my car had become in the morning sun; falling asleep with feet warmed by the fire; watching the perseides pass by in the endless night sky; eating alcoholic berries out of a traffic cone; late night pasta feasts; creating and teaching and many many many sandwich toaster sandwiches.
I’m so thankful to have found this place and its people. I can’t wait to get more involved and share more of this beauty.

The camera work was done by many great people so I immersed myself in the experience and only have few impressions this year.

Ja, Seba and me left the European rainbow gathering on the evening of the full moon. We drove four hours underneath the eclipsing moon until I found ourselves a spot for the night at the end of a dead end in a little village. After a moment there a man arrived in a car and looked suspiciously at my car. I greeted him, introduced us and asked if we could stay. He was very friendly and we had a quiet night and beautiful morning walk in the surrounding nature.
In the morning an elderly woman (supposedly the mom of the guy) comes out and tries to talk to me in Polish. After some failed attempts she waves me inside where she hands me a bottle of water, tomatoes and bananas. She proceeds to give us bread and cheese and asks the three of us – as Seba and Ja had made their way in in the meantime as well – if we wanted tea or coffee. The Italians almost had their eyes fall out. Shortly afterwards we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast on the front porch of this family, sharing travellng stories and contacts with the son, who had introduced himself as Krzysztof. The mother leaves by bike and comes back, handing us a whole loaf of bread.
Happy and really grateful we continue our journey west, interrupted by a break, walking through west Polish forests, swimming in a river and collecting beautiful rocks.

After many hours of driving we have a stopover in my former shared appartment in Potsdam. We leave Raki there and continue with the train to Berlin. There we dive into the night of the big city, riding on waves of the aftermath of Berlin’s Christopher Street Day surrounded by glitter and colourful people. We meet up with more Italians, one of them Alessandro, an old friend, schoolmate and fellow musician of Seba and Ja, another one beautiful, joyful Charlotta who we met at the rainbow. We spent hours of joy, chatter and game before I ride the train to what once was my home and still is in some ways.

The next day is Sunday – with the legendary Mauerpark calling us. I take Raki and the car and we ride into the big city, finally arriving in the heat of summer.
I feel instantly back home at this colourful and international place – the Mauerpark. Raki and me walk around, marveling at handmade jewellery, listening to singing people at the Karaoke held in this wonderful outside amphietheatre and talking to a Canadian couple, drinking a shot with them (me, Raki didn’t get one).

I continue walking around and stumble upon this guy singing about Italian wine while drumming on pots, buckets and a metal iron board. He is catchy and I dance a bit. Around him a few more people. I sit down and we chat, make music, enjoy.

Ja, Seba and Alessandro wanted to meet me at the Mauerpark and I tell them where I am. I tell the people around me about those three talented musicians and everyone gets excited.

What follows is the most epic jam session. Everyone there had come with no expectations, some just out for a lazy sunday afternoon walk. The more grateful we all were for this diverse, international get together of talent, passion and joy. We sang, played and danced together until it got dark. Then some of us went and enjoyed some shawarma.
Me, Seba and Raki spent a quiet night in the Beast in the streets of Berlin. The others – Ja, Alessandro and our new found Italian friends Fede and Pietro enjoyed showers and a crowded night in Fedes student appartment.

The next day we all – Seba, me, Raki and Ja, Alessandro met up again. We have lunch with Charlotta and say goodbye to her. Then we proceed to walk to Alexanderplatz to meet Fede and Pietro for some basking.
Our journey there is one of a kind. The cart for Alessandro’s amplifyer breaks, we try to fix it a few times but with little success. We find a shopping trolly in the street and take that. It has a safety on one of the wheels and we continue on our way, very loud and with a lot of MacGyver action.

We spent some awesome time in the middle of the crowded Alexanderplatz, surrounded by a crowd, making music, dancing in the heat of the big city summer.

It is already late when we drop of Alessandro at the bus station – he goes home to Italy and the rest of us ride the empty Berlin city autobahn back to my former appartment in Potsdam.

A journey, a lot lof music, many kilometres, many wonderful people. What a blast we had. Now we were tired and we spent the day doing resting, repairing drum tired hands and saxophone carrying backs, cooking Italian food.
The next day I drop my two Italian friends off at Autobahnrastplatz and we say goodbye, knowing we’ll meet again somewhere, some place.
They go South  – destination Spain, I go North – destination Ideenwiese.

Thank you! See you next time.