Holding A Piece of Spring In Your Hand (Photos)

To some degree it happens every year: Scharmützelsee freezes. It’s a large lake about an hour or so from Berlin. All water freezes at a certain temperature, little lakes and ponds of all sorts, but when you have larger bodies of water that can be a more amazing thing to view. Last year, if you’ll check the links, I was able to walk this see or lake from one side to the other and have great memories of that time, as well as some scary ones.

This year, since returning to Germany early January, my work and project schedule has been relentless. Throw in several important meetings and appointments as well? Yesterday was the first day in two solid months I’d had a true day off: not working in some way on any job. That may not seem like much to some, but for any people who also work from home may know, its a lot. My average work day is around twenty hours.

So I took a leisurely trip to the lake, stopping first in Fürstenwalde for a beer and appetizer, since I had to wait for the bus to Bad Saarow anyway.  Herrlicher Bar and Café is at the corner of Eisenbahnstrasse, one of the main streets of the town.

And then onward to Bad Saarow-Pieskow, and the lakehouse that is sometimes a home, and always a haven. Once I arrived, I headed for our favorite strand or little beach. The day was warm, warm comparatively at least, but breaking through the thinner ice near the edges, of course the water was icy cold and very refreshing.

If you’ve never been around ice of this magnitude, you may be surprised to know that it “sings” or “speaks.” Even in the depths of winter, during morning or towards evening, as the air temperature changes affecting the ice, the plates move against each other and make a unique song, almost sounding like whales. In Spring, as the ice begins to melt, it makes a different tune full of gurgles, bubbles and pops. It can even “chuckle” when a series of them come together. Afterwards, sitting on the back deck, enjoying the sun, I spend a few welcome hours reading and listening to birdsong before the evening’s chill rose as the sun set in the west, and it was time to head home.

More photos of the ice this year, and those from last year can be found at these links, here and here, all taken by and copyright to me. Some of them were used with agreement for the video of my dear friend who is a composer, musician and sound therapist, Ana Cristina Caelen: “Traces of Ice.”