Impressions - Flowing with the river

It is turning autumn. Time to let go.

A river makes its way like a human life.

In the beginning it emerges from the dark womb of the earth.

At times it is deep and still.

At times it widens and becomes shallow and faster. Superficial, but moving and flowing forward with speed.

Always growing.

Then contracting again, more depth.

Sometimes the plants of the depth reach the surface and illuminate and drink the light and air.

At times there are rapids.

Life is dangerous.

And there are obstacles to overcome.

Sometimes the view opens, sometimes it is overhung by trees.

At times full and powerful (voll und mächtig)

At times wide and uncrossable (weit und unüberquerbar)

At times deep and murky (tief und unergründbar)

At times quiet and stagnant

At times unstoppable and dangerous

And all-encompassing

Photos - Arriving in Lübeck

Approaching Lübeck

Lübecki island

Wet wet wet arrival

Crossing the port



Impressions - A quick note

The river always makes its way depending on the landscape and earth - geology.

It has no choice here.

As much as the water can overcome and bypass and conquer obstacles and hindrances, the way it is going be, show and make its form and express and present itself and its power, is always determined by earth, by the the landscape.

Way of the Trave

Jungle fever

'Waterslithering'

Water grasses

Always obstacles

Bridges and currents

On the Warder lake

Maddo trees

This misty landscape

Photos - Setting off



Getting ready



Floating on the river

Kajak Steph

On the way



Travelling the Trave - Start

At the beginning of last month (October 2011) I travelled down the river Trave, which flows throw my birth town Lübeck in Germany. (For more info on the river Trave and Lübeck see the Pages tabs to the left.)

I did this travel in a kajak and the experience of flowing down in the middle of the river was a totally different experience than walking beside it as we did along the Thames. Floating on the water and travelling at the same height as the water surface really connects the body with the mass of the river, its depth and 'spirit', or characteristics, so to say. And the element of Water! Through my hip I could feel the river's ground and the earth and geology which it shapes its way through.

This endeavour took me four days till I reached the Baltic Sea, at a time when autumn was setting in and nights were getting cold. At the end of the journey I had a bath in the Baltic.

I will share a few impressions and photos on this blog.

The source of the Trave - an overgrown pond!

An offering

Leaving the yellow ribbon

Distance Buoy from source to sea - 124km

Many thanks to the Kanuzentrale Lübeck (for being super easy going, flexible and helpful with tips and tricks), the GEDOK Schleswig-Holstein, and my Dad.



Day 14 - Thames Barrier and Goodbye

Today we walked from Greenwich to the Thames Barrier, where we offered my beaten straw hat to the river, for to carry it out to sea. We finish our journey here, as Mafe has to leave to see her family. Hopefully my hat  will travel the rest of the river course to mouth and the North Sea, a journey I am looking to finish maybe next year, on bicycle possibly. So far so long so good: Good Bye! Auf Wiedersehn! Good ole Thamesis!

Day 13 - Baths and Rainbows - Nearly the End

After a late night (thanks Juergen and Miranda!) we started in Richmond to a high tide. London is vast. Even after 5 hours of walking we only reached Chelsea!! I organised with Stephen to be picked up on a boat, but....I got the pier wrong. In the end he decided to dock it anyway. We had to jump the gates and it was awkward for the guys, as the pier wasn't sticking in far and the tide was moving out fast. It had to be a quick manoeuvre. We then flew down the river on an inflatable rib. It was stormy and lots of high waves. The theme for the journey was: Hold on tight!! We also got thoroughly drenched in Thames water (which tastes salty by this point, yuk), with a little extra help by the captain, we (the two girls at the front of the boat!) think.

We appreciated it, though, it was our first proper baptism to the river water. And what better place to do it, as at the end of the journey. We went to Greenwich and when we arrived back at St. Katharine's dock, a double rainbow came up just when were leaving the boat. An interesting omen for the end of the journey!

And as a topper we had a pint with 5 navy uniformed men at the Captain Kidd (a pub in front of where he was hanged for piracy). A great way to end the walk, wet and drunk and jolly.......

Second breakfast in Richmond

It was double, believe me!!

Wet poodles......

  

Day 12 - Into Richmond

By lunchtime we arrive at Hampton Court Palace and have lunch in the cafe there. The walk along the river is surprisingly woody from Hampton Court towards Richmond. I expected it to be all paved and build up with houses. Instead trees and gravel or sand and mud. The river becomes tidal from about Teddington lock. And much more dirty. Tonight we will stay with friends.

Lions and Unicorns!! Arriving at Hampton Court Palace

Last signs of open space (Hampton Court Park)

Day 11 - Nearer and nearer to London

Leaving Windsor and Eton behind we are approaching the greater London area fast. Everything is more build up now. We are passing Runnymede, but the actual place of signing the Magna Carta and the great Yew Tree are on Magna Carta Island separated from our path on the other side of the river. We pass under the M25 and the M3. We are harshly reminded by what our civilization is also about, when we have to follow a footpath diversion that takes us along the side of the motorway for a while.

Under the M25

Day 10 - Windsor and Eton

After our day of floating down the river, we walk all the way from Marlow to Eton in only 6 hours. We are becoming fitter, and faster!!

The rolling hills of Oxfordshire are dominating the landscape now. This morning we climbed our first proper hill and as a reward had a glorious view of river valley (and a little shortcut!). The sun shone into our faces and it was great to get a completely different perspective too. We met a couple of retired guys, who had worked on the river all their life. One used to be a lock keeper (at Boulter's Lock) and the other a boat maker. They were watching wildlife.
In Maidenhead Russell Brand and company wave to us from a boat going upriver. We presume they are going to cheer his mate David Walliams on, who is swimming the Thames for charity. Everyone we pass seems to talk about him. He started a little later than us, but we didn't know about this event till we were already on our journey and kept hearing about him. I can't believe he is stealing our glory!! ;)

So we arrived in Eton in the early afternoon. And decided to call it it day. But finding a place stay during the week and especially this week wasn't easy. I nearly managed to persuade Reverend Swift to let us stay in his church hall, but then Mafe sorted the cosiest beds for the night, that we have had so far, for us. In the course of it we met Andres from Mexico and had a brilliant japanese (!) dinner with hot sake. Yum! Ready to walk on.

Resting Mafe

Tree twister

Castle Walk

Day 9 - Another Ride on the River

We decide to hitch another ride down the river. Good to get a rest and another perspective. And to escape the rain! Even the air seems to smell different once one is on the water. Just before reaching Henley-on-Thames, where we will have lunch, our 'captain' shows us the outhouse of an estate that this year had been bought by a Russian millionaire for 140million pounds. Supposedly five years earlier it had sold for 42million. Even the estate agent thought it was a mistake when he first saw the price. And the captain tells us stories about it being haunted. The house is said to have a resident ghost, Mary Landy, who poisoned her father in 1752. We also hear about the Lady in White at Hampton Court. And that there are underground paths underneath the area stretching for 1.5 miles. Our captain lived near Hampton Court for a while, but never found the catacombs. 'Do you believe in ghosts?', we are asked. It was a very enjoying ride.

Whilst having lunch in Henley, we are watching the rain drizzle outside the window. Good choices we made. In the evening we end up at a scouts place in Marlow where we pitch up our tarp and have a fire for the last time.

Arriving in Henley-on-Thames

The captain

Bisham Abbey - another Knight's Templar place

Tarp and fire

Roaaar

South Park Mafe

   

Day 8 - Let's go to Reading

Leaving Streatley behind, where we stayed at a youth hostel and had a drink in The Bear the night before, a couple of hills had to be climbed which took us through denser woodlands. They had not featured a lot in the landscape so far. Otherwise large houses dominated the landscape of this affluent area for the last two days.

We were hoping to pass Reading, but we barely crawled into town today. Our vigour seems to steadily decrease each day for the last days, maybe time for a rest?!? It was hard to find somewhere to sleep, and we ended up in a B&B above an off licence run by the same owners.

Hills in the background

Yew tree in a Yew tree forest (nearly!)

Day 7 - The First Purification

Cifton Hampden's village store is open on a Sunday morning!! We buy croissants and coffee and have breakfast in style in the churchyard. We say 'Hi' to the Yew tree and walk off. Only half an hour later we find ourselves being drenched in heavy rain. Surprisingly for the first time! Our first purification. Mafe's rain stuff is failing and her bag is getting heavier. We reach Wallingford just to witness the 'bunk fest' with old and new Morris dancing and rough old folk music with as many rough old rockers having a few pints. We walk into Streatley hardly able to stand up..... 

Breakfast in style

Wet wet wet

Dancing in Wallingford

Day 6 - On the road to Clifton Hampden

On the road again! With new vigour. The rest really recuperates the body's energies. Our friend Bobby joins us half way for a half day of walking. She also carries each of our bags for us part of the way, which was absolutely wonderful. Thanks Bobby!! We arrive after a long walk in Clifton Hampden and have a drink in The Plough Inn. Steph's staff becomes the centre of attention and is admired by Mike and Oliver in the pub. They are telling us stories of The Barley Mow pub by the river dating back to the 14th century and having been featured in novels like 'Three Men in a Boat'. Clifton Hampden itself is an old English village, nearly all of the houses still thatched.

 After dropping Bobby off at the train station we make our way to Bridge House, to meet an old eccentric lady who runs a 'campsite' by the river. Elisabeth. It is as much a 'do as you like' campsite as it is a bird coop. She keeps, geese, doves, chickens, who either live in old abandoned caravans or roam around everywhere. We really like the place and pitch our tarp directly by the river, just to light a fire and watch the amazingly red sky reflected idyllically in the insect buzzing river surface, with Didcot power station looming in the background. Good sleep.

The wanderers on el camino

Mafe, Steph, Bobby

The outskirts of Clifton Hampden at nightfall

Day 5 - Oxford

We spent a day in Oxford in glorious sunny hot weather to let my blisters heal. I finally bought a proper sleeping bag and we had a good rest. Went to the Ashmolean shortly, too.  

Day 4 - Hitching a ride to Oxford

Waking up after a bitterly cold night to an amazing foggy morning. I decide to buy a sleeping bag at our next stop, because the army survival sleeping cover is just not doing the trick and it also incredibly loud. Good for scaring wild animals, but also keeping yourself awake at night! We walk for two hours very early in the morning to the next lock, when by my blisters are making me be in excruciating limping pain. And then we manage to hitch a ride with Sue, Martin and Steve on their narrowboat to Oxford. Life savers!! Thank you. I attend to my blisters and we let our bodies relax for a bit. this was necessary. Resting days are essential on a long journey. We are learning.

Foggy morning glory

In the mist

Tarp is doing well

Staff is head of construction - so useful

River path

Oh captain my captain

'Don't drink and drive'

Picnic

Reeds

Moooooon riiiiiveeeer....