Monday, April 27, 2009

27 April 2009 - Wandering


One of the things I have found interesting while driving around in Germany outside of the city is random, solitary people walking in big fields. There are narrow paths that they seem to be following, but it's not clear to me whether they are using the paths to go somewhere, are getting some exercise, want to commune with nature, or what.


I think I find this noteworthy because you just don't see that in the US for several reasons. First of all, there are a lot of fences enforcing boundaries. This is likely because of a desire to enforce property rights and lines, but also to keep people out. Second, and related to keeping people out, is that trespassers create issues like potential liability. Think back to law school or even business law about the "attractive nuisance" that draws in children who are curious to explore potentially dangerous things -- like bridges, railroad tracks, abandoned buildings or equipment. So the property owner has to take safeguards (like building bigger fences) to reasonably prevent injury and, hopefully, to prevent parents (who probably weren't properly supervising or instructuring their children in the first place) from filing lawsuits against the property owner. And finally, there's potential damage to property and littering issues, usually from those "punk kids" (the teenagers who have moved beyond the curiosity of attractive nuisance issues to being bored enough by life to do just about anything for a thrill). Not that I have opinions about these things....


All that aside, yesterday I became one of the wanderers. On Friday I had seen from one of the highways a brilliant yellow field -- not amber waves of grain, but truly yellow with some sort of plant clearly in bloom. I asked around and apparently they are rapeseed fields. Rapeseed, as background, is the source for canola oil and can also be used to create biodiesel. In other words, it's very green despite being very yellow.


So yesterday I set out to try to find a field where I could take some pictures as it was a bit difficult to do so from the highway while driving at a rapid speed. Imagine my delight when I saw a field and near it was a little area where a couple cars were parked and where a narrow path led into the field area. Oooohhhh.... So I parked and started my trek. In addition to the rapeseed fields and some other crop, I also saw some orchards with a beautiful field of buttercup flowers covering the ground and what look to be some gigantic patches of wild raspberries. And it was apparently fine to just wander around in all of this.


I also saw other humans. Some by themselves (often with a dog or two), some with others. Just walking around. And they were friendly, greeting me with a "Hallo" or "Guten Tag" as they passed by. What I did NOT see was human-generated trash. Or destroyed property. Or punk teenagers. Or fences.


Beautiful day. A nice wander. Some good photos. Friendly people. Respect for nature and the property of others. What have the Germans figured out that we haven't that makes something like this possible?

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