In love with “The North”.
“Are you still?”, a friend of mine asks me on Facebook, teasing me about my recent emotions from travelling to the North Sea as well as Lüneburg Heath. “Yes”, I answer with a sigh, happily boarding the so-called “Heidesprinter erixx” train in a town called Buchholz. That’s way out in the countryside, located right in the middle of the city triangle Hamburg, Hannover and Bremen. I love train travelling. It is nice, easy, smooth, sustainable, and fits the ethos of my trip #EnjoyGermanNature.
Arrive, revive: Taking a fresh look at the landscape of northern Germany, near Schneverdingen.
Moreover, my local host Christian Glet happily lends his pretty bike, a bike which has no gears in this almost completely flat landscape of Northern Germany.
Well, it is what it is, I am left thinking, breaking into a slight sweat by making my way “uphill” (a little hill, but still). But it all compensates stopping here, because look what I found !!
My super cool bike has taken me to this famous local photo spot, a painted old telephone box turned book exchange!
“Did you know that the nature park Lüneburg Heath is the first, state-owned nature protection area of Germany and that the ‘local association for the protection of nature’ here has been founded at the same time as the Hohe Tauern national park in Austria? It all happened back in 1910, when some wealthy people thought, we must protect this exceptional landscape. At the same time, the national park movement had started in the US and people thought, if the Americans can do it, we can do it just as well here in Germany!” Always interesting, learning more about the course of history up until today, plus the connection to my own home country Austria, of course. Listening in on the explanations provided by my heath experts Jan Brockmann as well as local nature guide Jutta, I learn a lot about the context of this fascinating heath.
Jutta takes us right into the so-called Pietzmoor, at the heart of Lüneburg Heath nature park …
… where we spend a happy morning learning …
… things about the local fauna & flora, such as this sundew here.
Getting touchy-feely with the heath soil …!
And especially, those beautiful animals living here …
… right up close.
Today, the view is one of peace and serenity. In earlier times, people worked the soil here to collect firing materials for winter.
We walk along historic trails …
… thank you, Jutta & team, for so much passion in teaching us about the heath park that day!
The same passion runs through the Schäferhof hotel, right at the edge of the Pietzmoor heath. It all comes together here: Rest, peace, nature, great food & hospitality.
I still remember Christian Glet and his warm-hearted laughter. “Hallo Frau Paschinger ..”, he keeps addressing me in his cheerful voice every time our paths cross at his Schäferhof nature hotel, asking me what else he might be able to do for me. And yes, that’s partly how he ended up lending me his bike in order to go and see the famous “Heidschnucken“, a local type of sheep breed that loves eating the grass and bushes around the rather poor soils of the heath. Lovely. Let me show you where all the magic takes place …
… right here within the “natural triangle” between Bremen, Hamburg & Hannover, the beautiful nature reserve Lüneburg Heath.
My arrival at the “Schäferhof” hotel (shepherd’s place = Nomen est Omen) …
… is like an extension of being surrounded by nature …
… with nature getting up to greet you beautifully in the morning.
Love the breakfast around here …
… as well as the meals in the restaurant, tasting the famous sheep roast on my plate (yes ..!).
Next time you visit, don’t miss a nature tour with heath ranger Jan Brockmann, who seems to know his heath park inside out.
“After thorough examination, we confirm that Elena has approved mastering “Schnucken” sheep, blackcocks and “Heidjern”! Signed: Jan Brockmann. Heath Ranger (c).”
Beaming with delight, and some pride, I am taking my heath diploma, certifying my new knowledge after touring with Jan the heath park ranger. Very nice. I now know, for instance, to distinguish one flower heath from another, know the particularities of the local sheep breed called “Heidschnucken” (and where the funny name comes from, in German), why the local honey is so good and tasty, and how its historic roots came about. Off we go exploring Niederhaverbeck …
… together with Jan Brockmann and his passion for showing me around his “home yard” …
… Lüneburg heath and its many flowers, plants and interesting facts about the local area history and geology.
He even has animal (bird) voices saved on his phone that he shares with me …
… and proud what they rightly claim to be, calling their honey “Heath Pride”. At Schäferhof hotel, I get to taste it every morning – delightful.
An interesting look at how traditional farming houses look like in the area …
… and here they, are, finally: The cute little “Heidschnucken” sheep.
… sometimes mixed with goat and always in the three or four hundred animals herded together. They are among the few sheep races that “enjoy” eating from the heath grassland poor in nutrients …
… a photo that has us time travel, really – only backpack and trouser material of this shepherd tell something about the 21st century.!
Check out my travel video to the North Sea as well as Lüneburg Heath Nature Park, whisking you away and right into the beautiful natural landscapes of Germany:
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/9PRQOCHAyU4″ width=”800″]
Disclaimer: I have been invited by the German National Tourist Board to ” #EnjoyGermanNature ” on this nature trip to Lower Saxony. All opinions are my own.