BMW - Tantelbruch - Brachter Forest - Reservoir - Viersen
Düsseldorf 2021
The BMW we looked at on the last Saturday in February really pleased us. A decision had to be made.
And as practice showed, the decision had to be made quickly, because good cars are bought fast.
On Sunday evening I wrote to Maria (the woman who showed us the car) an email saying that we wanted to buy the BMW. The negotiations about the purchase lasted almost a week. It turned out that the car was from the Netherlands — that scared us. The director of the dealership called me and explained that there was absolutely nothing to be afraid of.
Soon the original documents for the car were sent to us by mail. And I made an appointment at the Straßenverkehrsamt — the traffic authority.
On Friday, March 12, it was cold and very windy. Volchiy went with me to the office for company. We decided to register the car in my name. I was very worried about how everything would go, but it all turned out to be very simple and good.
Satisfied, with all the papers, near the Administration building
We waited in line outside for a little while. Then I was invited inside. The man who processed the car and checked all the documents didn’t speak English, but I managed somehow — luckily, he didn’t ask many questions.
We were assigned a license plate number. I went to the second floor of the office, where they printed the plates right away.
So half an hour later, I came out with the plates and all the necessary paperwork.
On the way home with the license plates!
★★★
On Saturday, of course, we went to pick up the car by train.
From the station where we got off, we still had to walk about 3 km. The car was waiting for us in the showroom lobby.
A wolf near our car :)
Maria gave us the keys, showed us a few nuances, and we set off…. The weather wasn’t great — cold and overcast. We pulled into a parking area in the forest to have some tea. And calmly process the fact that we already had the car.
Photo shoot in the parking lot
★★★
The next day, on Sunday, the sky was covered from morning with low gray clouds. Volchemu was eager to go somewhere, and he persuaded me to take a trip to the Tantelbruch woods. As we were driving, the clouds melted away before our eyes, and glimpses of sunshine appeared.
In the middle of the forest, we found a Christmas tree with ornaments
The forest was small, but the walk turned out to be very pleasant, and it was especially delightful that the weather cleared up so unexpectedly.
A Few Pine Trees
Picnic in the sunshine
★★★
Last weekend, on Saturday, the sun was wonderful! Volchiy found a large forest, Brachter Wald, on the border with the Netherlands, and we went there.
Until 1996, this place was used by NATO as an ammunition depot. There were about 200 storage buildings, 88 km of roads, and 15 km of railway tracks. It was the largest ammunition depot in Europe. Then it was turned into a nature reserve. And now a wide paved road leads from the main entrance. And in the forest, you can still see pieces of rail. Storage sheds and embankments still appear here and there.
But how beautiful it is there! Right at the entrance, we were greeted by tall pines. It was the first real pine forest we visited here in Germany. How happy I was to see the pines — I love them so much.
Tea from a new thermos at the observation deck
We almost immediately turned off the main avenue. And began wandering through the forest.
First, we came to the observation deck by the animals’ watering hole. We saw a young deer with antlers.
A deer came to drink
There are many paths in this forest, but most of them are blocked by wooden barriers with the sign - do not enter.
But I really wanted to wander among the pines away from people, so I had to disobey and go….
Completely alone somewhere deep in the forest
We wandered for a long time. We often stopped to have tea with cookies. We wandered deep into a dense forest where we saw a group of roe deer. We hid from them behind the pines, so they didn’t even run away right away. For me, it was like a miracle — to see animals in the forest.
Among the Pines
Rest Stop
Little roe deer
Posing next to the car. I still can’t believe it’s ours :)
★★★
On the last Saturday of March, we went to buy a used table that Volchiy had found on the local OLX.
The table turned out to be so huge! It barely fit into the car.
We and the table
After that, we went for a little walk with the table around the Talsperre dam.
There are a lot of dams of this kind in Germany - a wall is built here, and water from the surrounding hills and streams fills the reservoir.
Near the Talsperre dam
In the evening at the new table
At first it was very unusual to have such a huge table. It seemed to take up half the room.
But now I’m so used to it that it’s hard to imagine how we used to squeeze around our little table.
On Sunday it was cloudy, but I persuaded Volchy to go again to the park-forest near Viersen.
Which turned out to be pleasant and hilly, though a little crowded.
In the forest we collected a whole backpack full of pinecones — we were thinking of putting them in the table under glass.
Hills and Forest
That’s how our March went.
