Setting out into the wilderness!

The grounds of the former NS-Ordensburg are sprawling. Once a Nazi training centre, it has been converted into an educational centre and place of experience for art and culture as well as a hiking centre as an International Place (IP) to support tolerance, diversity, and peaceful coexistence. A number of circular routes run through Vogelsang. Lake Urft is in quite nearby. The entire location is just beautiful. Still, I cannot help but remember the dark period of history that has brought this place to exist in the first place. The gloomy, robust, and solid stone buildings on site further reinforce the feeling.

The K13 guest house is another long stone building reminiscent of a barracks. A small incline leads down from the bus stop to it. Wow. The view of Lake Urft is downright incredible. Walking in, I feel zapped back directly to my school days, with youth hostel vibes galore everywhere around. They show me the premises. Here’s the coffee machine, there’s the wine fridge, the bedroom is upstairs. And by the way: “You’re here all alone today. Just lock the front door from the inside tonight.” – “Oh, so you’re going to leave for the night, too?” I ask, puzzled. I probably look even more confused when I’m told: “Nope. I’ll be leaving in a bit.” I was looking for some peace and quiet, and I set off right away because of it. But I hadn’t expected this to be quite so calm.

It's only my thoughts, birdsong, rippling water, and me. Walking around Lake Urft is as calming as it is idyllic. In the middle of the week as it is, there’s barely a soul around. Only two older gentlemen are approaching with binoculars. Were they aware that there is even an official bird-watching station here? I keep stopping along the shore to enjoy the view. The colour of the water changes depending on the incidence of light. The dense treetops around Lake Urft almost seem painted in different shades of green. How pretty can an area be? The Viktor-Neels bridge and the Urft dam seem to be yelling “this pretty!” at me. The pedestrian bridge and the dam offer another particularly marvellous view of the lake.

What a bizarre situation, I think as I unlock the door to K13. I’m all alone in the enormous guest house. I wander through the common room, tap “latte macchiato” on the coffee machine, and retire upstairs. In addition to my room, there is a kind of fireside lounge there. It’s very cosy, affording a great view. I’m all alone, in the middle of the Eifel, in a huge house – I am reminded all over again, and I find myself grinning as I quickly push aside any thoughts that liken my situation to an ideal horror film setting. However, I do check once again that the door actually is locked.

Nothing scary happens during the night. My start into the day is magical, with a soft golden morning light over Lake Urft. I am standing there without a soul in sight, enjoying hot peppermint tea, cool air, and sun on my face. Day 2 in the Eifel. I can hardly wait for it to start. Since I’m already heading back tonight, however, I choose to take public transport through the national park (I may be a bit lazy after the last day). That works surprisingly well. The SB82 line that I have used before takes me to the centre of Schleiden-Gemünd, from where I take the 231 bus. 15 minutes later, I have reached my destination at the Wilder Kermeter. Commuting through the national park is even easier on the weekends, when two leisure lines – the “Mäxchen” and the “KermeterShuttle” – are operated between various sights in the national park.

Here at the Wilder Kermeter, visitors will find some accessible outdoor experiences. Broad, asphalted paths, information boards in Braille and simple language, and various audio stations with all kinds of information on the national park’s flora and fauna make this hiking trail stand out. The walkable wooden footbridge and the tunnel shaped like a felled tree trunk on the “Wild Path” offer some particularly interesting sights. So do the many cosy, and at times hidden, seating areas in the dense beech forest.

“Hi girl, let’s get going!” my new bus driver of line 231 is greeting me in Eifel dialect as I make my way back. Alright then. I’m a “girl” here. I can’t exactly hold his manner of greeting me against the happily grinning older gentleman. The route through the national park is curvy, and the idyllic spa town of Gemünd is looking particularly photogenic from above. I switch lines at Schleiden-Gemünd to return to Vogelsang “Have a nice day, even if it’s raining, bye-bye!” Bye, Eifel! It was very nice to take a brief holiday here so close to home.