Like in the last years, I spent a few days with friends in the Lake Constance area at the end of June / beginning of July. Sabine and Manfred are living in a beautiful house on a hillside in Heiligenberg with a wide view over the area of Lake Constance. With much dedication, Manfred has transformed the small garden into a paradise garden with many flowers and fruits.
They provided me with a lounger in the garden under an apple tree – when I arrived I was a bit exhausted from the very intense preceding weeks and I enjoyed it very much to slowly come down here with the activities. I had also prescribed myself a few days of computer diet without internet… The sound of the little fountain and the birds made me relax very quickly.
Sabine had planned some excursions in the surrounding area. There are beautiful spots along the lake. We made a small excursion on the first day and first visited the Cistercian monastery of Birnau. The beautiful baroque church offers a great view over the lake.
As we walked to the church gate, some padres came running with swinging strides – I had to smile thinking of my youth experiences as an altar boy in a monastery very close to my parents’ home.
Later in the afternoon we attended a presentation at the Raffin barrel organ builder in Überlingen. While they used to build barrel organs themselves, today it is mainly a hobby. They restore old instruments and produce music rolls. Of course, we were also given the opportunity to try out how to operate this small organ.
On Sunday we went for a walk along the lake. Besides excursion steamers, a zeppelin from Friedrichshafen also flew along the lake shore.
In the evening we picked up an elderly group member and drove to Betenbrunn, a small village with a pilgrimage church of St. Maria, a rococo shrine. In the church in the evening there was an organ and clarinet concert with classical and more modern music.
Sunday afternoon there was a small group meeting for Cancer Full Moon with a fire ritual.
Meditations, profound exchanges, relaxing and gathering raspberries in the garden… It was a very nice stay.
Monday after breakfast, I had to leave already because Franz had invited me to inaugurate his new house half an hour’s drive away. He is living in the small village for a while already, but there is still a lot of work to do. For the house-warming ceremony, we put candles in all the rooms, went through the house with incense sticks, chanting the mantra OM Namo Narayanaya, and meditated in his meditation room.
Then after lunch, it was for me back to the motorway, back towards Bern.
