Spring Travel Journal Part 5 - Exploring the Area Around Schenna

Mother's Day Bouquet, watercolour pencils, 8.5" x 5.5"

 

Blog 27

 

The days of the reliable Deutsche Bundesbahn, the national railway company of Germany, are long over. Cancelled trips, construction delays and strikes are regular occurrences. Instead of spending Mother’s Day with our son, he had to leave early because of a threatened 50-hour strike.

 

Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle

 

Therefore, I went with my husband and his father to the breathtaking Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle, Meran's botanical gardens. I could not get enough of the blaze of colours.

 

Palm Tree, watercolour pencils, 8.5" x 5.5"

I wished that my painting buddies could have been there. With my companions, I only had time for a quick sketch of a palm tree while we waited for a snack. When it started to rain, we made our way home. Back at the house, I painted the wildflowers that my son had given me before his early departure.

 

 

Maiser Waalweg

The next day, the weather was fantastic: sunshine and mild temperatures. We drove to Meran, where we went onto the Maiser Waalweg, an easy trail along the Maiser Waal (irrigation channel) through a mixture of
forest and orchards with unbelievable vistas. 

 

 

 

 

 

In the afternoon, I finally enjoyed a whole afternoon of painting and felting on the balcony while listening to an audiobook. After spending most of the past years only in the company of my husband and our dog, being together with a group of people all the time was challenging, even though I enjoyed the company. It seems you have to get used to being among others again. Do you feel the same?

Wines Trellis, watercolour and watercolour pencil, 5.5" x 8.5"

I loved the variety of hiking and walking trails in the area. The following day, I went with my husband and his father along the rushing Passer River, stopping for a quick view of the lush gardens of the Gilfpromenade.

 

Gilfpromenade

At another spot near the river, I had just long enough for less than a 10-minute sketch. I would have loved to stay longer, but my two gentlemen were eager to move along when thefirst raindrops fell.

 

Luckily, more rain came, and we went to a covered patio for lunch. While waiting for our food, I drew the sculpture in the space in front of the opposing church.

 

Ulla, watercolour pencils, 8.5" x 5.5"

During the evening barbecue with good friends from the Schenna neighbourhood, the weather cooperated. While we were sitting in the lovely garden, I sketched a beautiful rhododendron bush. I was not thinking of creating a painting but a drawing practice. However, I liked my plant and wondered what to do with the foreground. A couple of days later, I added Ingo’s aunt, who is very knowledgeable about plants.

 

 

 

Dorf Tirol with the castle in the background

 

On our last day in Schenna, we drove to Dorf Tirol and hiked up the hill to the restaurant Gasthaus Schloss Tirol, where I ate delicious Apricot dumplings (Marillenknödel/Aprikosenknödel). They tasted just like the ones my mother makes. We continued our way on the family-friendly apple trail (Apfelweg). I wondered if they were talking about a family of mountain goats because part of the trail was extremely steep. We finally turned around when we reached a path with big slippery stones unsuitable for my 85-year-old father-in-law.

We left a sunny Schenna early the following morning for our final part of the journey. It was a drive with lots of excitement.