We don’t get.our room cleaned for various reasons, the first being a cleaner stole our computer; secondly we don’t clean at home every day; the Ukrainian cleaner woman still gets paid and it pays to fight climate change. I believe that along with the dozen very quiet Ukrainian men whom we had a kebab with tonight, the government provides a room for them. I’m not sure how that compares with the also non-engaging (for understandable reasons) black Africans in town.

I also diid not see either of these cultures on the hiking trails and once again know not why not. I imagine they have more pressing needs than we have eg survival. We began with steep stairs that led on to a forest walk, a narrow path through mostly pines and finally to the top, a long plateau with what seemed a freshly mown top that swept down on to another forest below.

Then another hill this time, not just stubbornly green pines but trees strictly obeying nature by changing their colours accordingly. This was Germany at its prettiest, but in the distance was Germany at its grandest, those distant bright white mountains visible now after yesterday’s heavy fog. We continued on through Swiss-like serene fields, that controversial heavy bell tolling from one of the four cows’ necks.

Down those pristine hills and on to the flat and through what seemed to be a large company-owned farm mass producing I’m not sure what because there were no clues. I’m sure the tourist wouldn’t mind. Carefully graded white gravelled roads curved through the luscious landscape as only tourists gave them company today.

This unassuming town is followed by car and truck streets rather than Platz cobbled together to impress its daily visitors. To spark interest in this uncobbled town, the river Lechs comes into its own. This firstly narrow, fast flowing stream can be seen clearly heralding its entrance into town from a mile away. It joins the town zig zagging through a mass of rocks and man made waterfalls as though looking for a place to rest.

It eventually finds it in a substantial man-made lake that leaps down into a nearly impenetrable jungle deep below. Houses surround it like any suburban structure as though guarding it from those that dare enter. At nearly the end of town the water gushes through a building and then a channel flush with another building’s wall where it again spurts out. Nearby machinery is evidence of a fairly controlled but busy river. This, by the way, is the Lech river which rises from Lake Formarinsee in the Alps at around 2000 metres.

Oh, how I amuse myself and detract from my last most heavy going 5kms.