Splendid Isolation

Posted by MadScientist (Düsseldorf, Germany) on 13 November 2008 in Plant & Nature.

On my weekend walk through one of the forests of Bonn I had some really quiet moments. Sun was shining, it was really warm, the birds that stay here during winter were singing as in springtime, the soil was dry and the fallen leaves crunched under my feet.

It was so peaceful. An hour ago I walked through the city and it was stuffed with people. But here was a haven of tranquility.

Until I met the apologists of leisure industry: walkers and nordic walkers, bikers, joggers, runners, people with and without dogs, people with radios. Obviously the city had a desire for visiting the forest too. Or did they just follow me?

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Comments (13)

Observing from West Cheshire, United Kingdom

MS, you experienced a magical moment.... alas, there is no escape from the urban crowd. Fabulous image.

13 Nov 2008 5:11am

@Observing: What annoys me most is that so many people transfer their everyday hecticness into lovely places like this. It really got noisy when they rushed in.

Linerberry from Sumner, Christchurch, New Zealand

Wow that is just sooo beautiful!! The colours are rich and warm and the composition is amazing:-) sorry everyone decided to be there with you!

13 Nov 2008 7:38am

@Linerberry: I can't even be too angry with them as the weather was really fine (one of the warmest and sunniest Novembers I can imagine), but with these people immediately there was hecticness. In 'my' forest. I hate this.

Ronnie 2¢ from London, United Kingdom

Yes, moments of isolation to treasure . . they become increasingly difficult to find in my catchment of 14 million souls, too . . sigh . .

13 Nov 2008 10:24am

@Ronnie 2¢: Now you know why I'm a churchgoer. :-)

akarui from Kagoshima, Japan

Beautiful carpet of red fallen leaves and light. Not much left on the trees...

13 Nov 2008 11:21am

@akarui: Right, most leaves are gone, but the weather is still fine. One of the warmest Novembers we ever had, quite stunning.

Michael Skorulski from Cigel, Slovakia

Super work. Very good indeed.

13 Nov 2008 12:53pm

@Michael Skorulski: They tried to come close to English gardens as much as posible.

Eleftheria! from Athens, Greece

Fantastic!

13 Nov 2008 1:28pm

@Eleftheria!: And the leaves made crunch - crunch - crunch! :-D

PD from Overland Park, Kansas, United States

Great job. I really like the colors of the fallen leaves and the dramatic shadows cast by the trees.

13 Nov 2008 2:51pm

@PD: These shadows draw my attention at first. :)

Jen from Alpharetta, United States

Awesome light and reds!

13 Nov 2008 3:20pm

@Jen: Fortunately the soil was dry, everything else would have been quite messy! :-)

JoeB from Brampton, Canada

It seems we need these moments more now a little more, I get reminded of society by the bottles, coffee cups ...

13 Nov 2008 3:57pm

@JoeB: Fortunately there was no litter lying around. (It's just no picnic time.)

Ina from Krugersdorp, South Africa

I think they followed you! :)
Stunning colors, awesome light! Well done :)

13 Nov 2008 6:24pm

@Ina: Thank you, Ina! If they really followed me, I think I have to walk quicker! :-)

Ana Lúcia from Leiria, Portugal

That is a very nice scene. The red carpet, to pass kings.

13 Nov 2008 6:36pm

@Ana Lúcia: Unfortunately no kings there! Just people running through the forest!

Shrig from Washington, D.C., United States

One of my favorite things in the world is to walk on crunchy leaves. This is really a lovely photo.

13 Nov 2008 7:08pm

@Shrig: Thanks very much, Shrig! Glad you like it.

Twelvebit from Victoria, United States

Lovely shot. We were in a remote state park a couple weeks on, on a workday. Coming in we didn't see another vehicle. I thought it might be a good day for wildlife shots. Then, about 50 yards into on of the trails, three people were trampling through the trees scaring off all the animals. You can't get away, even outside the city.

14 Nov 2008 7:51pm

@Twelvebit: That's why I like visiting churches in the afternoon. (But it's quite astonishing to read that it's difficult to find a quiet place even in your vast country!)

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