Monday 15 July 2013

A Walk through Kaiserswerth

Hi everybody!
On Saturday we had ideal weather for taking a long walk - not too hot and not too cold, just perfect. I went down to the Rhine, along the towpath and past the castle, and then through our little town, with its quaint old houses and alleyways.

In front of one of the old  houses, a few steps from the river, are some little brass plaques let into the pavement. They are called 'Stolpersteine' - Stumbling Stones, and are the idea of a German artist, Gunter Demnig, to show where people who got deported and murdered by the Nazis, used to live. The Nazis took away even the identities of the people by just giving them numbers. This art project is to give  back the names and places where they lived to these victims. The stones can be found in many towns in Germany, and are funded by donations. They serve as a constant warning neither to forget the awful things that happened, nor the people who lost everything, even their names.


The oldest thing in Kaiserswerth is a standing stone, or monolith dating back to prehistoric times. Every time I pass it I wonder what this stone could tell us if it could talk. I can see a face on the right-hand side, can you?
Perhaps you can see it better in this close-up:


Kaiserswerth itself is celebrating its 1300th birthday this year, and is well worth a visit. After strolling through the little town, I walked through the fields, and a little wood, and back home along the stream, and saw a lot of beautiful wild flowers, rusty old gates, a sign telling me I was in a frog protection area, birds and a stray cat that hissed and swore at me. I have put the pictures together into a little video. Please watch, and enjoy part of Mozart's Horn Concerto in E-flat major.


I am linking to Ayala's 'show me yours' link-up, to share the places where we live.
Have a great day, take care, and thanks a lot for coming by!

25 comments:

  1. wunderschöne Impressionen Valerie und ich bin absolut begeistert von Deiner Frida Doppelseite..GENIAL!

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  2. Beautiful Valerie, I remember this place well from my time there, it is a lovely place to be. Thanks for sharing! Hugs, Sarah

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  3. A wonderful place to walk Valerie and you always explain everything so well I feel I am there beside you. Bet if I was we would have made up a grand story for the 'standing stone of old'.

    Love Chrissie x

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  4. Beautiful photos! I always enjoy seeing where people live. :)

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  5. Thank you for the beautiful tour Valerie! You have highlighted everything so beautifully in your photos and I love the music you set your video to also. It was a wonderful visit but too short as I did not get to spend time with you. ~Diane

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    1. Thanks Diane, it would have been nice if you could have gone for a walk with me!

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  6. I need to get out a map and see where your town is located. I live in Florida, USA but I have always wanted to visit Germany. Probably because 300 years ago my ancestors immigrated from Germany to the USA. Thank you for such a lovely and informative blog post.

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    1. I would love to know where your ancestors used to live!

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  7. Thanks for the lovely tour, very interesting and informative, and you see a lot of things that most people probably don't! Hugs, Barb

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  8. Beautiful Country!!!Awesome pictures and video!!!

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  9. What a super post Valerie, your video montage was lovely. Thanks for sharing the story of the stumbling stones and there's definitely a face in the standing stone. Maybe he comes alive under the cover of darkness! xx

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    1. It's just on the corner of our street, I'll pop along after dark and have a look see!

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  10. wonderful video of a beautiful walk! Thanks for sharing, the flowers are all in bloom, great time of year!

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  11. Love these photos, Valerie! What a lovely place to go for a walk and even better with agreeable weather! Enjoy the week! Hugs!

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  12. Beautiful photos, will have to wait until I get home next week to watch the video, this laptop of mine does not want to play.
    Yvonne x

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  13. thank you for all the info and great photos, loved the video Valerie, hugs Annette x

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  14. I enjoyed the walk with you and the video was superb! Of course, I really loved the flowers, too, and saw lots of inspiration to bead!

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  15. Oh how exciting Valerie. I enjoyed myself in seeing all these photos and where you are at. Thanks so much. ::hugs::

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  16. Valerie, I enjoy all of your art projects immensely but for some reason when you post photos, they capture something special in me. Thanks so much and I in particular am attached to the one of the 'stumpling stones' -- what a magnificent idea. May we never forget!

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  17. Beautiful video, Valerie - enjoyed every step along the way. I too feel the stumpling stones are so important. I believe their are similar projects in other countries, for example shoes, down by the river where people were taken away in Prague. Thank you for sharing your beautiful little town. Many gorgeous places to walk and enjoy nature. hugs, Donna

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  18. Thanks for taking us on this interesting walk and for your story behind it. I watched your video yesterday and enjoyed it, and have just watched it again.

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  19. That was a lovely snapshot of your beautiful town Val. The name Stopelsteine sounds like Stiperstones which is a group of stones in an area of beauty in Shropshire. If only they could talk eh!! Yes I see the face, like an old wizened tree similar to your latest journal page about Mother Earth. It's on my list of places to visit, my offer is still open, if you want to come. Loved the little video toox

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  20. Vielen Dank für die Tour! :-) schöne Idee es als Film zusammenzusetzen!

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