Deutschland
The name of a place should be the name that the people who live there give it, not what an outsider chooses to call it, but just in case you don't know its proper name, you probably know it as something like Germany or Allemagne or some other silly name.
A short stay with friends who live nearby. Axel, a fellow Opera colleague, and Kerstin, his wife.
The Deutsch/German autobahns are well known for not having a speed limit (advised 130 KPH). Our heavily laden car didn't want to break 100 MPH (161 KPH), but this is still the fastest we have ever seen it move. Axel smashed our speed in his car with 175 KPH (109 MPH). Most powerful German cars are limited to 300 KPH (186 MPH), but it's unusual to see anyone actually reach that speed, due to having to share the road with other drivers.
The industrial sprawl of Düsseldorf.
A more recent take on the windmill.
Sunset at one of the smaller cities around Dortmund.
A wild deer visiting the houses near Dortmund.
Bumble bee maintaining the cycle.
The Ruhr valley (a tributary to the Rhine). On the right is a hydroelectric station, where water is pumped to a reservoir during the night, then used to generate electricity during the day. This is kindof like a huge battery, storing the energy from the nuclear power plants, that cannot be turned down during the night.
Lake Hengstey, an artificial lake made in the river, used by the hydroelectric station, suffering from a bad weed problem.
The Kaiser Wilhelm memorial, originally much more elaborate, but completely restyled by the Nazis to suit their own purposes, as a place for their public speaking.
The view from the Syberg hill (locally called Syburg, not Syberg) by the momument, a whopping 242 metres altitude.
The ruins of the Hohensyburg fortress on the Syburg hill, dating back as far as the late 700s.
The Vincke Tower from 1857.
Hohensyburg monument, to fallen soldiers.
Hohensyburg.
The Syberg Mining Trail through the oak and beechwoods. This area was mined for sandstone, shale, and the coal which breaks surface here.
Within the last century, this area was heavily industrialised (basically the next stage of the industrial revolution, once Wales passed its technology on), producing constant thick smoke. This seems to be the effects it had on the trees.
Hornbeam bark.
Sandstone and shale outcrops.
Pedalo boating down the Ruhr, where we were treated to a display by three buzzards, and the low flying antics of a peregrine.
The Syburg hill over the Ruhr, with the monument visible.
A small house by the river.
Sunset over the Dortmund industrial area.
Stacked roofs in Altena, in the Lenne river valley, a tributary of the Ruhr.
Entrance to Burg Altena, the Altena fortress, which does qualify as a castle, due to the parapets on the towers and walls.
The driveway into the main part of the fortress.
The bucket winch above the well.
Looking down the deep well shaft, 20 metres above and below water - looks more like a mine shaft.
Holding up the joists for so long would give you such a headache.
Bear skeleton recovered nearby, displayed in the fortress.
The main fortress courtyard.
The main tower, flat on the back, curved on the front.
The dining room, from when this was the World's first youth hostel in 1912.
The beds, originally made of straw, and extremely uncomfortable.
Carving.
Decapitated once-proud wild animal.
Behind the parapets.
Some of the massive displays of armour.
A very elaborate fire cart.
Carriage.
A very early bike, with suspension on the seat instead of inflatable tyres, and pedals on the front wheel. There is also a brake activated using a strap at the front.
Climbing the tower, with Axel demonstrating how little space there is ... and looking kinda weird.
Inner tower.
the hills around the Lenne.
Discarded, partially used, damaged goods for sale. Get your spare sister here.
Oh, what a perfect name for an edible phallus.
Map of Dechenhöhle, an 870 metre long show cave (tour length 360 metres) in the Ruhr valley. The length is sometimes incorrectly quoted as 17 KM, which would make it the longest in Deutschland, which it clearly is not.
The nearby 800 metre Knitterhöhle, 78 metre Pferdestall, and 10 metre Kaninchenhöhle.
I hate showcave restrictions. Still, at least I can use the press pictures from their site, which are actually very good. The cave itself is beautifully decorated, virtually a continuous grotto with excellent adornments. I could spend hours in here with a camera. The stal is kept in good condition with dynamic lighting that only turns on when needed, to reduce plant and algal growth.
Orgelgrotte, the organ grotto.
Palmengrotte, the palm grotto.
Kaiserhalle. This is a very good example of what most of the show cave is like.
The Nightingale Mine in Witten, a deep and drift coal mine, and brickworks. The main deep mine was begun 1832, and converted to a brickworks in 1899.
Winding engine.
Massive pistons, far bigger than anything I have seen on a steam train engine, but seemingly based on the same design.
Engine pipes.
In the brickworks, built over the head of the deep shaft.
The shaft was once (if I remember right) 400 metres deep, but was infilled by the brickworks.
Piles of bricks on the old platform.
Trucks on the narrow guage railway, used to collect the mined shale for brick making.
Brickstack.
The brickworks.
Truck wheels.
Old trucks.
Ludwig Henz, a barge presumably for transporting finished bricks.
Forge tools.
Braking system on an old engine.
Ugly bug at the railway. Must get that fixed.
Mushrooms.
A shallow mine, using a small winch, and worked by only one or two people.
Narrow tunnel used to take the shale to the brickworks.
Rusticle flow.
When making the tunnel, they interected a thin coal seam, and started drift mining it.
Carrying stemple supplies into the drift mine.
The weather had been very hot and humid for the whole Deutschland visit. Suddenly a wall of water hit us, and the heavy thunderstorms began. It was time to head back to the Netherlands - low lying ground. We were chased by the storm the whole way, hampered by a car fault, and closed autobahns.
The Deutsch/German autobahns are well known for not having a speed limit (advised 130 KPH). Our heavily laden car didn't want to break 100 MPH (161 KPH), but this is still the fastest we have ever seen it move. Axel smashed our speed in his car with 175 KPH (109 MPH). Most powerful German cars are limited to 300 KPH (186 MPH), but it's unusual to see anyone actually reach that speed, due to having to share the road with other drivers.
The industrial sprawl of Düsseldorf.
A more recent take on the windmill.
Sunset at one of the smaller cities around Dortmund.
A wild deer visiting the houses near Dortmund.
Bumble bee maintaining the cycle.
The Ruhr valley (a tributary to the Rhine). On the right is a hydroelectric station, where water is pumped to a reservoir during the night, then used to generate electricity during the day. This is kindof like a huge battery, storing the energy from the nuclear power plants, that cannot be turned down during the night.
Lake Hengstey, an artificial lake made in the river, used by the hydroelectric station, suffering from a bad weed problem.
The Kaiser Wilhelm memorial, originally much more elaborate, but completely restyled by the Nazis to suit their own purposes, as a place for their public speaking.
The view from the Syberg hill (locally called Syburg, not Syberg) by the momument, a whopping 242 metres altitude.
The ruins of the Hohensyburg fortress on the Syburg hill, dating back as far as the late 700s.
The Vincke Tower from 1857.
Hohensyburg monument, to fallen soldiers.
Hohensyburg.
The Syberg Mining Trail through the oak and beechwoods. This area was mined for sandstone, shale, and the coal which breaks surface here.
Within the last century, this area was heavily industrialised (basically the next stage of the industrial revolution, once Wales passed its technology on), producing constant thick smoke. This seems to be the effects it had on the trees.
Hornbeam bark.
Sandstone and shale outcrops.
Pedalo boating down the Ruhr, where we were treated to a display by three buzzards, and the low flying antics of a peregrine.
The Syburg hill over the Ruhr, with the monument visible.
A small house by the river.
Sunset over the Dortmund industrial area.
Stacked roofs in Altena, in the Lenne river valley, a tributary of the Ruhr.
Entrance to Burg Altena, the Altena fortress, which does qualify as a castle, due to the parapets on the towers and walls.
The driveway into the main part of the fortress.
The bucket winch above the well.
Looking down the deep well shaft, 20 metres above and below water - looks more like a mine shaft.
Holding up the joists for so long would give you such a headache.
Bear skeleton recovered nearby, displayed in the fortress.
The main fortress courtyard.
The main tower, flat on the back, curved on the front.
The dining room, from when this was the World's first youth hostel in 1912.
The beds, originally made of straw, and extremely uncomfortable.
Carving.
Decapitated once-proud wild animal.
Behind the parapets.
Some of the massive displays of armour.
A very elaborate fire cart.
Carriage.
A very early bike, with suspension on the seat instead of inflatable tyres, and pedals on the front wheel. There is also a brake activated using a strap at the front.
Climbing the tower, with Axel demonstrating how little space there is ... and looking kinda weird.
Inner tower.
the hills around the Lenne.
Discarded, partially used, damaged goods for sale. Get your spare sister here.
Oh, what a perfect name for an edible phallus.
Map of Dechenhöhle, an 870 metre long show cave (tour length 360 metres) in the Ruhr valley. The length is sometimes incorrectly quoted as 17 KM, which would make it the longest in Deutschland, which it clearly is not.
The nearby 800 metre Knitterhöhle, 78 metre Pferdestall, and 10 metre Kaninchenhöhle.
I hate showcave restrictions. Still, at least I can use the press pictures from their site, which are actually very good. The cave itself is beautifully decorated, virtually a continuous grotto with excellent adornments. I could spend hours in here with a camera. The stal is kept in good condition with dynamic lighting that only turns on when needed, to reduce plant and algal growth.
Orgelgrotte, the organ grotto.
Palmengrotte, the palm grotto.
Kaiserhalle. This is a very good example of what most of the show cave is like.
The Nightingale Mine in Witten, a deep and drift coal mine, and brickworks. The main deep mine was begun 1832, and converted to a brickworks in 1899.
Winding engine.
Massive pistons, far bigger than anything I have seen on a steam train engine, but seemingly based on the same design.
Engine pipes.
In the brickworks, built over the head of the deep shaft.
The shaft was once (if I remember right) 400 metres deep, but was infilled by the brickworks.
Piles of bricks on the old platform.
Trucks on the narrow guage railway, used to collect the mined shale for brick making.
Brickstack.
The brickworks.
Truck wheels.
Old trucks.
Ludwig Henz, a barge presumably for transporting finished bricks.
Forge tools.
Braking system on an old engine.
Ugly bug at the railway. Must get that fixed.
Mushrooms.
A shallow mine, using a small winch, and worked by only one or two people.
Narrow tunnel used to take the shale to the brickworks.
Rusticle flow.
When making the tunnel, they interected a thin coal seam, and started drift mining it.
Carrying stemple supplies into the drift mine.
The weather had been very hot and humid for the whole Deutschland visit. Suddenly a wall of water hit us, and the heavy thunderstorms began. It was time to head back to the Netherlands - low lying ground. We were chased by the storm the whole way, hampered by a car fault, and closed autobahns.