We all know the colors that represent Germany are black, red and yellow, but right now Germany is showing all its’ other colors, and they are magnificent!
Since 2016 we have lived in Texas, South Carolina, and North Carolina, where the full array of colors autumn has to offer are not very prevalent, and they don’t last very long. I grew up in the Midwest where autumn colors were worth a drive just to take it all in, and I miss that. While it’s great having year-round mild temps with no need to shovel snow and scrape ice, I have to admit I’m happy to again be living where I can enjoy Autumn at its’ best!
My sister lives in southern Missouri where nature blesses them every year with what looks like a beautiful canvass splattered with gorgeous colors. Residents of that area probably begin to take those blankets of yellow, orange, and red for granted; it just reminds them that it’s time to change their clocks, that days will be shorter, and that Thanksgiving and Christmas are now within reach. Fortunately, she lives on a huge piece of property with a wrap around porch that provides breathtaking views from every direction. While autumn colors are a stunning way to start each day, I don’t think anyone fully appreciates it until it’s gone; until the trees are bare and limbs are covered with ice, or until they live in a part of the world where the full spectrum of autumn’s colors aren’t easy to find.
Where I grew up I was fortunate enough to live a couple blocks from Missouri Botanical Gardens, and on a boulevard where the many trees caused our sidewalks to be covered with gorgeous colors, but I have to say the very best view of Fall colors I’ve EVER seen was in Pennsylvania!
For most of my career, I traveled A LOT! I remember being on a flight that was circling the airport in preparation to land in Pittsburgh when I looked out the window and was reminded of everything that is gorgeous in this world! Perhaps it doesn’t look like that every day in the Autumn; I might have just been lucky enough to be landing on the prime day (yes, words we used way before Amazon’s sale days!) for all colors to be at their best with rays of sunshine causing them to look iridescent! A magnificent display that I guess my co-workers were not as thrilled with when I woke all of them up just to share the splendor:)
The video and the images shown here are from two days ago while driving near our community.
2020 has been so difficult for so many, and right now we don’t know when it’s going to get better. So, I think we have to revert to the days when the beauty of nature (along with knowing we - and all our friends and family - are alive and well) is all we need to make us happy. We live in Germany, where, like much of Europe, we will be back on “Lockdown-light” in two days in an attempt to get our spiking number of daily COVID-positive cases back under control. While I totally understand that Autumn’s stunning landscapes are not sufficient enough to thrill those whose businesses will be economically distraught by the new restrictions, for the rest of us…..I recommend looking around you for beauty to get you through November.
"Let's focus on what we CAN do; support local businesses through take-out and deliveries, keep our community safer by adhering to the rules of our host nation, and frequently reaching out to our contacts who are not dealing with 2020 very well."
While enjoying the fact that we are not restricted from exercise, which means we can still walk, ride our bikes and enjoy our surroundings, let’s not focus on what we can’t do right now, but on what we CAN! What we CAN do is support local businesses through take-out and deliveries, keep our community safer by adhering to the rules of our host nation, and frequently reach out to our contacts who are not dealing with 2020 very well.
Thank you for sharing the splendor in Germany. Here in the Midwest states, we are blessed with the beauty even on Halloween.