This is a long time coming I believe.  I have hinted about and gave you some bits and pieces and ideas about my village, but I thought it deserved more.

This piece was written for JPG Magazine a few months back and now want to share it with you.

Here begins, “Ladenburg…Where my Heart Found a Home”:

What city do you live in?

I live in a 2000 year old Roman village in Germany, called Ladenburg….I say 2000 years, but I believe it was established long before perhaps as an encampment by the Celts.

The neighborhood I live in is reasonably new. What use to be fields surrounding the walls of the city have with time become neighborhoods. My location is a little special as it is on the walking street to the cemetery. In most countries this may not be a favorable location, but in Germany, visiting your family members who are no longer with us, is an important daily ritual….thus forcing the entire town to pass by my house at least once a day… giving me ample opportunities to make friends and know the many faces of my village.
What are some adjectives that describe your neighborhood?

Along the tree lined streets are tall multi-dwelling homes, like town houses, each with their own garden. It is reasonably quiet, as are most German neighborhoods. I guess most Americans would call it “overlooked”, as my husband does, but for me…I call it intimate. I love having my neighbors close by so everyone can interact daily.

How long have you lived there, and what brought you there?

I believe I have been here now about two and a half years. My husband’s job has kept us overseas for about 12 years now so we have been blessed to have lived in many wonderful towns and countries in Europe.

What is your favorite thing about this place? Your least favorite?

I LOVE living in a village. It is my first experience with it and the feeling of community even for me, an outsider, is wonderful. If I ever feel lonely or perhaps a bit blue I just wander into the Old City, (downtown) and there I find many smiling faces wishing me, “Good Day or Good morning”. How can I stay sad or lonely? My dog Clover and I make a daily wander to the local beach along the Neckar river which is filled with dogs from the village looking for a friend to have a play date. Us “parents” will sit and chat about our 4 legged children, (as if they were real children) and for me these moments are priceless. I get a feeling of community, I get a free German language course and I get to burn out some of that Terrier energy all in one fell swoop! There are so many wonderful things about my village that I could go on forever.

What I don’t like??!!! That I know I can not live here forever.
Do you feel that you belong there?

Yes, absolutely! It is strange as I honestly don’t really belong anywhere. I have been constantly on the move since I was a kid. First foreign exchange, then college, then I married a soldier moved to Germany and have not stopped wandering long enough to plant real deep roots, but the shallow roots I did cultivate in each place….each tiny root has been painful to remove. Here in Ladenburg…I have forced down the closest thing to tap roots yet, is it age that makes uprooting so much harder each time? I do not know, but here in Ladenburg…. when I walk through town, connecting with it’s people, answering questions about my dog or my camera…I feel those root tendrils grow, thrive and spread. I am proud to say that I have made many close friends with the residents. One life long resident recently said to me, “Laura you are more Ladenburger than most Ladenburger’s”. I was so honored to be told that and I wear that title with pride…. “LAURA the LADENBURGER”.
What is the most common misconception about where you live?

I hear lots of misconceptions about Europe and being an American living here…Some of it is true…that at times it is hard to break through and form a real connection. I have been told by people in many cultures that since they are not as transient as Americans and they tend to stay in the same towns all their lives, near their family units and friends….so for them it is hard to fit in an outsider. BUT once they do…once you learn the secret handshake and are invited into the inner sanctum…you build friendships that are for life. People ask me all the time what do the Europeans think of America…it’s people..it’s president….THE WAR….I try to say, that I have found…when it comes to meeting people….it seems to be understood that there are People…and then there is Politics…I prefer to connect with the people.
What is a special fact about your city that you have to live there to know?

Carl Benz, of the car company Mercedes Benz lived and died here. That one of the largest Roman Basilicas in Western Europe lies under it’s streets and houses. That we have the most amazing poppy displays each year around the village.
What aspect of your city do you secretly love?

I LOVE it’s location…in the valley between two hilly ranges covered with vineyards and castles. A stones throw from the national forest of the Odenwald. Farms and vineyards surround us providing us with an endless supply of fruits, vegetables and most importantly WINE! The river Neckar, which has always been of great importance to people as it connects with the busy Rhine, now also a magical guide through the landscape for walkers and cyclist alike.
Anything else you’d like to add?

If you get a chance….and are coming to Heidelberg…. mark little Ladenburg on your map and come for a cake and coffee…..wander her cobbled streets….and then come to the river and look for Clover and I…we will be the one’s with all the cameras.

As a child I dreamed of Holland and it’s picturesque windmills from the stories my mother use to tell.  These descriptive stories were fuel for my young creative mind.

I often imagined the endless rows of multicolored tulip fields, spread out like a tapestry…with wooden shoe clad Dutch children playing to the creaking sound of the wooden windmills as their sails engaged with the wind…Holland in my mind…with it’s endless flat grassy landscape dotted about by happy cows and sheep.

As an adult, I was thrilled to discover my idyllic childhood dreams of the Netherlands were indeed reality.  Wandering about it’s countryside, you do feel as if you have some how stepped into the well weathered pages of long forgotten fairy tale.

This part of Germany is referred to as the Tuscany of Germany, which once you have seen it’s beautiful landscape you would agree.  Each year I mark my calendar to try and make the
Gimmeldingen Mandelblütenfest (Almond Blossom Festival)…the date of which can only be made weeks before to make sure the blooms are at their best.   This year it will be held on the 4th and 5th of April (09)…if you are in the area it is so worth the trip.

The word festival gives the impression of a more party atmosphere then I  experienced..it is more low key.  A quiet event, with people wandering along the many paths which all have wonderful views….wine is sipped, coffee and cake of course…I discovered the most amazing small sugar cookies representing the tiny blooms and iced in almond blossom pink icing.  Just perfection right down to the amazing packaging.  Many people were dressed in clothes to match the blooming trees and all were wearing smiles.

I can’t say enough about this sweet festival…to read more on the event and the beautiful village of Gimmeldingen, go to:

http://www.videokultours.de/gimmeldingen-erw.html.en

http://www.neustadt.eu/output/La2/1441.26/1441.303.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Wine_Route

In Germany, if you loose something, there is a great chance of recovering the item.  The important thing is not to panic and to make sure you look up and NOT at the ground.  When a German person finds a lost object, say a glove or a scarf on the street, they will pick it up and hang on the nearest available tall structure at eye level.   The cultural difference in this case, an American looking for a lost item will always look at the ground in search of this forlorn particle of clothing.  I have to remind myself constantly, “LOOK UP LAURA, LOOK UP Your in Germany!!” My neighbors in this village have been known to go so far as photograph or sketch the found item and create poster with details and contact information!!

With regularity I see gloves, scarves and even eye glasses dangling in trees and bushes, waiting to be found once more.  I have actually been the recipient of this considerate gesture when I lost my signature floppy knit hat and stumbled upon it on hanging in a tree…on a trail I hadn’t even remembered taking before.  Amazing…I certainly was happy but I fear my husband, not so much…he is not a fan of my “signature” hat.

In the Winter months, when berries are scarce, another common sight dotted about the bare tree limbs are small suet and seed balls suspended in little mesh bags.  Presented as gifts to the birds, during a time when foraging is difficult for them.  These little happy adornments never fail to bring a smile to my face while I am out walking.  Deep in a dark wood, these thoughtful gifts to nature’s winged creatures and the mind that thought to bring along the little offering.

Nothing thrilling but just some of my observations…that make me smile.

As an avid observer of another culture, I am always on the look out for those “special” moments.  The timeless moments, packed full of emotion that the busy work-a-day world may be missing or have forgotten.

While sitting in a bustling cafe on a sunny summer’s afternoon, enjoying a coffee, the air was suddenly filled with laughter.  Birds are always frequenting the alfresco cafes which line the streets of most European towns in the warmer months.   They hop about stealing bits of stray bread or happily receiveing a free hand out.

On this particular day, a rather gregarious aviary character came and visited with each cafe patron in turn.  Sipping water at one table, sneaking cookies at another.  This little visitors joy was infectious.  There wasn’t a person on that day who was not affected by this happy exchange.

The man in the photo, Herr Philipi, is a regular at the cafe and when I gave him a copy of the image he was overwhelmed with the memory of that special day.  One morning early, we woke to the ring of our door bell.  There was Herr Philipi smiling on our front porch.  He wanted to give me a copy of his latest book, being a poet and a lover of nature himself he felt we shared this connection.

I am always amazed how these simple moments balloon into greater moments and new friendships.

I am what I call, “Street Learned” in the German language.  What I have learned is from being out and about, listening and connecting with people.  Needless to say, I misinterpret things from time to time.  This is a story about one such time, but how mistakes can be rather wonderful if you embrace them.

On this particular day, I was excited to find a poster in town announcing a “Open house” or in German, “Open Door Day” at our local bee keepers organization.   Since moving to this village I have been a bit fascinated by this square box of a building hidden off the road a bit.  It had a sign with a painted bee and a hive announcing they sold honey.  Being a honey lover, I knew I just had to get in there one day.

When the  appointed day arrived and I waited patiently for the time printed on the poster…camera gear at the ready.  Ever in search of new and diverse subjects to photograph and document, the whole idea of learning more about the bees was thrilling.

I arrived on that sunny summers day, dressing in a thin cotton dress and sandals.  The parking lot was full, which was a good sign.   I entered the dark building and once my eyes made the adjustment to the low light, I realized I was standing in a classroom.  The room was full of adult students watching a slideshow…all heads turned.  With an embarrassed smile I excused myself.  I couldn’t help thinking…”Where are all the welcoming drinks and snacks”.  Thus, I leaned my translation mistake…this was a course on bee keeping, not an open house.  Oops!

Suddenly from around the corner came a friendly face.  Smiling, I explained how I must have read their poster incorrectly, that I was an American photographer living in the village and I would love to learn more about the bees and perhaps capture some photos.
With a big warm smile, she quickly dressed in her protective suit and gauze covered hat and led me into the “Hive House”.  This large metal pre-fabricated building with an entire wall of windows and a low slit spanning it’s length for the bees to travel in and out on their daily collections.  Inside were about 8 large hive boxes buzzing with life.

It was explained to me, that these hives were the property of some people new to bee keeping (those folks in the class) and before they can move their bees to their private lands they had to complete the course being offered and even then the hives must be kept here for a period time.  Everything is very regulated here in Germany but it was interesting to me to discover even been keeping is a pretty big process.

As a child I was attacked by a swarm of bees when on a hike a fellow camp goer unknowingly tread upon a nest.  Sending the angry bees into the air to protect their hive.  A frightening experience that affected me for many years until my parents moved to West Virginia, where a neighbor who kept bees shared with me his love of bees.  It helped me to be less afraid of the creatures, but never did I think I would ever be capable of what came next.

As I readied my camera and asked questions at high speeds trying to take my mind off what was happening around me, the bee keeper began to open the hives.  The air was electric with the buzzing of the copious amount of bees, wondering what was going on.    Strangely empowered and insulated by watching the scene through my lens, I keep concentration on setting the light and focus.   Attempting to capture the gold light which filled the room cast by the glow of the honey combs being held up to the light of the window.

Once outside, I asked why it was safe for me dressed in nothing but thin cotton to be inside with the loose bees.  The giggling director  of the center explained in a rather plain manner, “the weather is calm so the bees are too…now if it had been raining”.

I hope you enjoy the images from this amazingly empowering day.  It always amazes me how when we face what we believe to be our worst fears…we are in someway lighter!

After many years as an Illustrator, I have recently discovered my true passion actually existed in the images I created with my camera on my daily walks and not as photo reference for later works.

My life seemed to fall into place with the addition of a fluffy Wheaten Terrier and a Canon 30D.  Don’t get me wrong, I have always had a wonderfully creative life, afforded to me by my quiet and caring husband, but those two ingredients were what seem to be missing from my life’s bread.

Currently living in a 2000 year old village, at the foothills of what the Germans call the Castle Road and the very edge of the Odenwald Nation forest.  I have been blessed with a wonderfully diverse landscape in which to hone my skills.  Each morning I wake full of anticipation of what Mother Nature will provide me in the way of inspiration.

I wish to bring you along on this journey, should you choose to join me…make sure you have good walking shoes and an open heart.

Come on a long now…what I want to share with you is just around the next corner.