Blogs from Weinstadt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Europe

“Der Frühling Kommt,” declared the banner hung in front of Remstalkellarai. The prolonged winter shows no signs of thaw but it’s time to explore the huge underground cellars of the local winery and revel in its exotic collection. Ingrid and Hakan Olofsson have invited Delma and me to the tour. The couple has already given us a taste of the region’s famed wines in our last evening as guests in their loft at Beutelsbach. Remstalkellarai has the largest wooden-barrel cellar in southwest Germany, Olofsson had told us, pouring a glass of Fellbacher Weingartner, which comes from another winery in the Rems Valley. The evening was a lesson in history and culture. We learned that the statue near the village square commemorates the 16th century peasant rebellion. We discussed the idea of converting kindergartens to ... read more

As you might recall, Mike Harker flew from Tegelberg last month. He said it was going to be his last flight. He sent me two pictures, one that shows him when getting ready for launch, and one that shows him in the air with the Seedwings Space. There was a little documentary on that last flight on German TV, nice one. Have a look url=http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/hauptnavigation/startseite/#/beitrag/einzelsendung/1054186/SPORTreportage-vom-23-Maihere. Go to the bottom of the screen and click on "Sport Aus Aller Welt" and then in the time line to about half way. His flight flim is the last minute of the broadcast. There is also an interview with him and a report on his flight from Zugspitze in 1973 and his bad accident in 1977 url=http://www.br-online.de/bayerisches-fernsehen/suedwild/schwangau-aktuelle-sendung-20100518-ID1274206253452.xmlher... read more

On Thursday, my mum, my aunt Lore, and I left for Bayreuth, which is about 300 km from here, to attend the Bayreuth Festival. It is a very famous festival, where operas by the German composer Richard Wagner are played. We spent the night in a very nice hotel, and the next day, we were picked up at the hotel by a shuttle bus at three p.m. Wagner's operas are very long, that's why they usually start in the afternoon. We were to watch "Tristan und Isolde", which would take around four and a half hours. The festival house is situated in a beautiful park, and we walked around that park a bit while waiting for the opera to start. The festival house is very functional. Wagner himself made all the specifications he wanted for that ... read more

Last Friday, I picked up my friend Rebi in Ulm, and then we drove to Regina's place which is not far from Munich in a most beautiful area. We were looking forward to a true girls' weekend. Regina had cooked lunch for us, and after lunch, she showed us around the - as I said before - beautiful area. We hiked up the Blomberg, a mountain that she flies from quite often. The mountain is about 500 metres high, and we walked all the way up without making a break. I did pretty well, did not even have sore muscles after that and was really proud of myself. Regina showed us the two launches and explained what flying from that mountain is like. For the way downhill, we chose a summer bobsled track. It is pretty ... read more

English Rehabilitation is hard work, believe me! And learning to walk again is not easy. After being discharged from hospital, I started ambulant rehabilitation. Three times a week, I go to a rehab place not far from where I live. When I'm there, I do physiotherapy, gym, and exercises in the pool. Physiotherapy takes half an hour. I'm alone with the physiotherapist, and she gives me workouts especially for the muscles in my pelvis, bum, and legs, and for coordination. It is really hard work. After that, I go to the gym for more than one hour and work on machines in order to build up all my muscles again. The exercises include the crosstrainer and treadmill. Finally, I go into a 36°C warm pool for some more exercises, in a group this time. As I ... read more