Distance: 19.3km
Duration: 4.5h and 2.5h breaks
Weather: sunny, partially cloudy, 27C peak temperature
Saturday’s walk was a lovely and relaxed walk which took me for most parts through the forest, some shady paths in between trees and through the romantic park of Sieglitz. I saw a fox running for at least a hundred metres along the Elbe, storks standing in the grass or flying in the air and many other animals. As it was a Saturday and I chose to stay close to the cycling path, it was very crowded with people. There are always different reactions when people see me hiking by myself which go from complete surprise, via concerns (“are you not afraid all alone?”), curiosity (“what is your final destination?”) to astonishment (“Hamburg? That is far!”). What I really like is that most people greet you which gives you this sense of community. The closer you get to the city, the less people pay attention to it though.
During the last part, I came through the outskirts of Dessau with a lot of gardens and various parks. Dessau is primarily known for the famous Bauhaus school of design and architecture and is certainly the highlight when visiting the city. Having seen a documentary about the school and its influence made me curious to see it in reality. Unfortunately, the school closed soon after I arrived. Hence, I’ll have to come back as I want to better understand the influence the school had at that time and the challenges it had to face with the Nazis who saw the movement as communist intellectualism. I was lucky enough to see it from the outside with the beautiful light of a summer evening.
The day ended in a nice way with a joined dinner in a beer garden with my local host who was born and grew up in the Eastern part of Germany. It was super interesting to talk to her and learn much more about the way she was brought up in that part, the beauty and challenges that came with it and how the reunification had an influence on the life in cities like Dessau. One thing that really surprised me was that the local university apparently struggles to attract students from Germany. Students prefer cities like Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin, etc. despite the fame of the Bauhaus movement. The majority of the students come from China due to a local partnership with a Chinese city.
Sabine's blog 