Lauf an der Pegnitz

The marvellous weather continues to hold. I chose to go not too far afield and do a hike about 30 km from here, in the Hersbrucker Schweiz (how many Switzerlands can there be?). I remembered the village of Simmelsdorf-Hüttenbach because it was the end station of a small train line. It was often the goal of a hike starting elsewhere because it afforded a way to get back to the city. I remember, forty years ago, that the DBB wanted to terminate service on this line because it wasn't cost effective. But there was such a hue and cry from the hikers who use it primarily on weekends that it stayed in service. I wondered if it was still running now. I found Simmelsdorf by intuition and good luck. I have no map and just made a rudimentary one from the internet. Although the old station is abandoned and boarded up, the train still runs. Instead of the pre-war choo-choo that ran on the line 40 years ago there is a spanking new electric train. It's only two cars, but it runs once an hour. This exemplifies the difference between a democratic socialist state, such as Germany, and one where services are privately owned. The government is apt to make choices in favor of the common good while the private companies are only concerned with their profits. There was a large map with all the possible hiking trails well marked. I chose a tour that would bring me back to S-H in a few hours. It was lovely except for the fact that part of it ran by the autobahn. The sound of cars whizzing by is not anyone's idea of rural peace. If Herr Wolff had been here he would have seen that fact and chosen another trail. One pic shows the village of Simmelsdorf nestled in the hills. Note how much forest land there is around it.

On the way back I stopped in the town of Lauf an der Pegnitz, another cute little medieval town in Nürnbergerland. There happened to be a Volksfest going on with the usual booths offering food and drink with a live wind band for entertainment. I couldn't help thinking of a similar event I attended just a year ago in the South Tyrol. There, the event was hosted by an oppressed minority, the German speakers, reveling in their culture. This one was much more laid back by comparison. Tomorrow I leave Nürnberg heading south to the Bavarian Alps and reaching the Italian lakes by Tuesday.
[Soccer update: Germany beat England 4-1. I was out on the street at the time and heard some brief whooping and hollering, but they haven't torn the place apart yet.]