A4 – Kaiser Wilhelm Trail – art and history in the Teutoburg Forest

Today we visited a dear friend 🫶🏻in rehab and at the same time took the opportunity to look at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial in Porta Westfalica. Walking in the footsteps of history in wonderful spring weather and sunshine☀️... a dream 😎🥰

Very nice tour, steep uphill at the beginning but then fantastic views

The weather was far too nice not to go: so I promised the short guy a lot of discoveries to motivate him and off we went on a little tour. We slid uphill through a lot of mud ;) briefly checked on the gnome - but he wasn't there again - until we marveled at the excavation and church at Wittekindsburg (which was currently covered with a lot of poles). There was also a bit of action on offer, the wind was probably favorable for many paragliders - the sky was full of them :) There was one tower that needed to be climbed before we set off towards Kaiser. We treated ourselves to a picnic on the ridge and we had already reached our destination :-) the paths below the ridge are still closed, but we still discovered a lot and you can also see a little of the great cliffs from above. After a round of romping around in the new playground, we went straight back to the parking lot; time was a little short. Even the little one really liked it 👌🏼

So many different flowers: anemone, lungwort, violet, lesser celandine, white and blue larkspur, ground ivy, dead nettle, dandelion, cuckoo flower... Blue sky, gentle breeze, beautiful view, especially near the hang gliding ramp

Where the Weser River makes a wide curve, Where Kaiser Wilhelm keeps his faithful watch, Where half-liters are drunk in two gulps, That's my homeland, that's where I feel at home. We're moving to Weserland, To the beautiful homeland, I will love you Until death. (The Weser Song - sung often enough) First today, to the visitor mine in Kleinenbremen... https://bergwerk-kleinenbremen.de/ and then to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial, including a hike. It used to be my second home. At the Lerbeck Pioneer Training Area below the TV tower, I knew every mole by his first name. That was a long, long time ago.

HSL, I was kind of typing around and now I can't see your posts. 🤔

As time goes by, I won't fetch a pot of flowers. But it was the first tour after almost 14 days with the bad C. Just test what works again. I also photographed and filmed a lot. Overall, I should have been normal fast 🤣 I've been to the Kaiser Wilhelm Monument countless times and that's why I probably wouldn't have gone there in a long time if this little tour hadn't been offered there. However, Wilhelm's view is impressive. When the weather is nice, you can see far into the country. I particularly like the view of the Weser and the lakes and ponds. Water is good for every landscape, I'll stick to that. From the monument we continued to the Moltke Tower. 70 steps lead up (pant, that was only possible with a short break). Unfortunately, the view from the trees all around is pretty overgrown. I was alone up there for that, which is also worth a lot. Then on to the Gasthaus/Hotel Wittekindsburg and the hang-glider jump. The next station is the pretty Kreuzkirche and a little later the pavilion, through whose panes you can see the excavation site. Then it goes back to the parking lot, pleasantly downhill on a wide hiking trail, I started at the parking lot at the Kaiser Wilhelm Monument Porta Westfalica. Not wanting to walk any more (uphill) than I had to, I opted for the paid parking lot, but there's also free parking a little down the road. With weather like this, I advise getting there early, otherwise you'll go mad with all the hustle and bustle. https://youtu.be/lBa9aQVSdrI

We chatted back and forth, exchanging pleasantries. "Well, the Kaiser, the one in Barkhausen at Porta Westfalica, who raised his right hand in greeting as a statue atop the dome. The old fellow towers 88 meters high and has become a national monument of Germany. We were there today." For 5 kilometers, each member of our family huffed, puffed, and marveled at the Wittekindsberg. The first attraction was the monument. Even the Kaiser hasn't escaped the last 100 years unscathed; a support association made the facelift possible. (Personally, I'd be happy with just a small financial contribution to cure my corns; otherwise, everything will remain as it is in the North). Up to this point, it was the "hardest climb" from the free parking lot to the circular terrace. Now we could continue on a more pleasant, steady incline to the Moltke Tower. At the highest point of the hill, there's a magnificent panoramic view of the Weser Valley, the surrounding mountains, and the North German Plain. The shutter kept clicking. Climbing down, we reached Wittekindsburg Castle after just a few hundred meters. Currently a bit of a "lost place." Renovation work has begun. It's a gem with a phenomenal view. We're already looking forward to sitting on the terrace next time, basking in the sun while enjoying a delicious apple pie. Our tired bones rose from the bench, and my husband wanted to go back the same way. Not me, of course—there's that tree trunk; you can actually go under it. With a slight grumble, we set off. My grin widened after the next bend, and my husband quickly forgot about his limbo-like antics. Here, the Margaretenklus came into view. A chapel in all its splendor, dating back to 1224. Once a convent, it now occasionally hosts concerts and events. Just around the next bend, a glass dome came into view. You climb a stone staircase and can visit the remains of the Church of the Cross inside. It is also likely one of the oldest known family burial sites. Many impressions, new insights, and strengthened leg muscles from the climb make us practically fly down the mountain. What? I said, Wilhelm, you said, "Well, now, put on your shoes!" Have fun climbing! Love, Jule. [0] Larkspur, larkspur everywhere! You'd think you were in the Alhuser Ahe, really true. Enough inspiration? Minden also has a great ice cream parlor, and the Amarena cherry sundae definitely rivals the Smeraldo sundae with its sweet, red fruit. [1] A token couple for you! https://youtu.be/CUfkv4VZQ1Y?si=n111AogDu0p8MLGP