The straight route was actually a good choice. It was taking me back onto soft forrest ground and offered a nice scenery. At one part three roe deer jumped out of the trees only to disappear behind the next. It took me about an hour to get to the train station and I only had to wait a couple of minutes for one going to Hannover. Having had a bit of time until the train to Hamburg should leave I took the chance to explore the vast shopping area at Hannover central station.

Saturday, 21 March 2001 - Walk from Barsinghausen onto the ridge of the Deister  and from there down to Kirchdorf.

The German expression "Über den Deister gehen" means the same as "crossing Jordan". On this trip I went out to discover its root. I left my appartment at 7 am and took the train to Barsinghausen at the foot of Germany's northernmost lower mountain range. By regional train it takes about 3.5 to 4 hours to get there from Hamburg, but I normally don't mind going such a distance for a one-day-trip. However on this day the football fans of about three teams filled the compartments to bursting point, already stock drunk and bawling noisily at 9 o'clock in the morning. I fear concerning this sort of behavior I am absolutely intollerant. And even more so, when I am still half asleep and would have preferred to doze off.

In Haste our ways finally seperated and I could recover a bit before I reached the peaceful town of Barsinghausen at the foot of the Deister mountain range. (Every Bavarian, Austrian and Swiss would snigger now. It's highest peak is but 405 metres high and the highest spot on my tour reached 379 metres.) The sky was deep blue and the sun immediately warmed my face, when I stepped off the train. I dropped into the tourist office at the station to pick up a map and a bit of information on the area and then strolled a bit through the pedestrian, passed the abbey and from there took the direct root to the woodlands of the Deister.

Barsinghausen abbey

Welcome to the forest, welcome spring!

I greet your warmth with the warmth of my heart.

I cherish your sunbeams on my cheeks.

I welcome your breath into my lungs and my blood.

You fill me with gladness and song as you have brought back the birds with their joyful arias echoing from every bush

and a laugh bubbles up my throat together with the creek's happy rush over the stones, cones and autumn leaves.

Thank you spring for coming back!

Der Bullerbach - The Rumbling Creek

The Bubble Creek would have been a more fitting

name. The water was giggling and sniggering.

It caught me off guard and swept me away, drowning me in its happyness

filling me from my toenail to the roots of my hair with the joy in being alive.

The blossoms of the coltsfoot shine like little suns between the last year's brown leaves.

This plant is also known under following names:

Latin - tussilago farfara

German - Huflattich

Swedish - hästhov

English - coltsfoot, coughwort, foalfoot

This plant is a medicinal herb. Flowers and leaves can help to cure a serious cough. However current research warns that frequent use can cause liver cancer. So like every other medicine it might have its drawbacks.

Die Alte Taufe - the old baptistery

This sandstone block is supposed to be the origin of the saying "Über den Deister gehen" - "to go over/across the Deister", which means the same as "crossing Jordan". It has been laying here for millions of years. In the center of the stone is a ditch that is always filled water, even in the hottest summerdays.

The "Alte Taufe" was the center of a heathen place of worship. The Cherusci, who lived in this area, came here for sacrificing to their gods, supposedly the Gemanian god of war Tiu. To him they made blood sacrifices by slaughtering white horses.

Additionally there is the legend of the heathen aristocrate Lutter, who hated and therefore pursued the Christians. After a lost fight against those Christians he had to hand over his daughter to them and feared they would kill her. But he was wrong. She lived, married and got a son. One day Lutter arrested two men and forced them to worship the heathen god, but they refused. He killed them. He didn't know that these men were his son in law and his grandchild.

When Lutter's daughter got word of what had happened, she went to see her father. He was outraged and full of hatred, when he discovered the sign of the cross on the woman's breast. "Christ, the victorious, have mercy with the heathens and with me", she cried and collapsed. By her voice and the hearth fire he recognized his daughter and understood, that his prosecution of the Christians was not justified. He was baptized on the stone, that had seen numerous victims sacrificed.

I made one additional detour to another big stone called "Teufelskanzel" - devils pulpit. It was even more sizeable then the "Alte Taufe", but as it was in no special setting I didn't dwell there. My stomach was grumbling and looking on my mobile I discovered it was already 3:40 pm. The last connecting train was leaving at about 5:50 pm down in Kirchdorf. I was getting a bit short of time. Well, it didn't matter. I was hungry and I needed to eat something.

Shortly before my chosen downhill trail was a pub called the Nordmann's tower. It looked quite cosy inside, but as the weather was fine I sat at one of the tables outside. Fortunately they had prepared food that only needed warming up, and so I got a portion of bred dumplings with mushroom sauce within minutes. The warm meal was a blessing, even if I had to rush a bit. After having finished I took the straightest route downhill.