Tag: hiking

Two chapels

Today we visited a forest- and a field chapel. In the forest we found the chapel Dekke Tönnis – Fat Tony – for St Anthony. For fear of wildfires from candles the entrance was barred. Even more bars made the statue of the saint impossible to photograph. But it was a good place for a picknick!

After hiking through the beautiful forest we went to the Bruder Klaus Feldkapelle – Brother Klaus Field Chapel – a chapel built in 2007 in a very modern style. Parking is a kilometer from the chapel, so it’s a brief pilgrimage to get there. From the outside, the building looks a bit like a climbing wall. Inside, there is room for two people, it’s a really intimate space with big marbles in the walls that let the light in. It’s beautiful and has a very special feeling.

We were awed by the destruction in Bad Münstereifel, still visible after the floods two years ago, but driving through the Ahr valley, we saw that it was much worse there. It’s unimaginable what happened there. We ended the day with Flammkuchen in Bad Ahrweiler, where the marketplace was restored.

Roman temple

Did a beautiful hike today in the vicinity of Bad Münstereifel. A Roman sanctuary to the matrons – three goddesses – was very special to find. People had left some offerings, like Mexican coins and Dutch pre-Euro coins. They wanted to make a sacrifice but not one that’s actually worth something? What does that mean?

The town of Bad Münstereifel was badly damaged by the 2021 floods, now two years ago. The process of rebuilding is still ongoing, but it’s definitely worth a visit!

On second glance

Sometimes you take a photo and you come back home and it just doesn’t do anything for you. If that’s the case, it may be worthwhile to take a second look at it a couple weeks later. This one matured pretty well!

Madeira 12: Boaventura

Our final levada hike! In the northern part of Madeira there is more rain, but we were lucky with the weather again. Not with the levada, though, because a boulder had fallen onto the ledge and we couldn’t pass. It took us a bit to find a way around. In the end, it was more than worth it. Watch the video for the amazing views!

Madeira 11: Encumeada

We had planned to hike along an old trading route, the Caminho Real, but unfortunately there were roadworks with heavy machinery happening there and the road was closed. But nowadays it’s easy to find another hike on the many hiking apps, so we soon set out for a 9 km circular walk near Encumeada.

This walk started along another levada, and this time we would have to face the tunnels as well. The tunnels are passable, but you need a torch and some surefootedness! We were rewarded with some stunning waterfalls, so it was well worth it.

As we turned our backs to the levada and headed down into the valley, we found out what happens to the water in those waterfalls: it becomes a wild stream. We managed to cross one, but eventually we came to a river that was impassable. At this point we were about 7 km into our hike, and we saw no other option than to turn back.

The clouds are never far away in the Madeira highlands, so as we climbed back up, it started getting misty. In the video you see the same waterfall as in the pictures, but now it looked very different! We fortunately made it back in time to our car. Lesson learned: do not try to cross rivers in the rainy season!

Madeira 10: To Fanal and back

From the sunny seaside of Camara de Lobos we traveled up into the misty Madeira mountains to the forest of Fanal. I think Fanal was my favorite place on Madeira. Even though the clouds had cleared, the ancient laurel forest had a beautiful mysterious atmosphere. It is one of the few places on Madeira in which the volcanic nature of the island is clearly visible in the jutting rocks and even a crater lake.

Madeira 8: No Cascata dos Angos

We had planned to view the Cascata dos Angos, a waterfall on the south coast of Madeira that splashes right onto the road. However, in winter heavy rainfall makes the waterfall sometimes too big to safely pass through it by car, and also there is a risk of rockfalls. So the road was unfortunately closed. But the cliffs and fishermen were good alternatives to find!

Madeira 7: 25 Fontes

From the misty highlands we descended into a valley with levadas on several different levels. The famous 25 Fontes waterfall was an absolute highlight, but hiking along the levadas was beautiful too. And strenuous with over 500 meters of descending and then climbing back up!

Madeira 4: Levada da Ribeira da Janela

Many hikes on Madeira are out-and-back style: you follow a levada till you are fed up with it and then you trace your steps back. Following the Levada da Ribeira da Janela, we came to a lush forest of indigenous trees and plants, with water dripping through ferns into the levada. The views into the valley were stunning!