And so I found myself back in Wissembourg, without a clue what to do. It was two in the afternoon, and my train back to Strasbourg left at five thirty. There were no later trains. There was a bicycle shop down the road, but at this point, it was too late to bike, as it would probably have taken me more than three hours round trip. The tourist office was closed, and there really wasn't any one around to talk to. I had already inquired with the bus driver about other busses, and that didn't seem to be an option either.
At this point, I realized my only likely option was a taxi. Luckily, there was a hotel across the street. I went over, and in my very broken German, asked for a taxi to Wintzenbach. Although it is about fifteen miles away, this didn't seem like a strange request, and they called a taxi with no problem. It would pick me up in twenty minutes.
The only thing about a taxi was that I still wouldn't be making it back to Wissembourg. It was expensive already, and that was for one way. I wasn't going to pay to have the guy wait around for me, while I wandered aimlessly. Earlier in the day, I had noticed there was a train line that ran about three miles east from Wintzenbach, directly to Strassbourg. The only thing was I had no idea when it ran, if at all. My taxi came, and once again, I stepped into the darkness.
I think I slept for the whole taxi ride, caught in a spell-like stupor.
This part of the world was much flatter, and mostly fields, with much less forest. Not quite as beautiful, and as we arrived, I still felt pangs of sadness for leaving Wingen. The taxi driver dropped me off "wherever", and I began wandering into Wintzenbach.
My state rapidly changed. This was the town where my dad's mother's family came from, and for a long time, I've felt I was very much made from that line. I dream of my grandmother often, and have had multiple dreams of her ancestors. I felt very connected to this part of my family, even if I hardly knew them.
I hadn't walked very far before I started to feel like I was tripping. Everything became very vivid. I felt like the sky was bending down towards me, and I up towards it. The wispy cloud overhead seemed to be talking to me. Time stopped existing, and everything was very calm. The only person I crossed paths with was a man my age in a wheelchair.
The village is small, and I walked into the middle of it, and again found the Catholic church. It was dated 1722, meaning my family had probably helped build it. I walked around it, to the grave yard.
Again, no family names, but everything was fairly new. I sat down to take my ancestor's council. We had food and drink together. I then lay down and napped for a bit, letting the spirits talk to me through my dreams. I awoke a little while later. The only way I can describe the experience was that I was in a very in-between place, but also very comfortable. I couldn't have been more comfortable.
Strangely, a military convoy pulled up thirty feet from me, in front of the house next the graveyard. They went inside, and I half expected to hear gunshots and screaming, but they seemed to be just visiting. I don't know what this was about.
At this point, the spell was broken, and it was time to leave. I packed up, and began walking east. The town was beautiful, as was the countryside.
I was walking towards the train, but also towards the river Rhine. As I got closer, I really began to feel the presence of the ocean, somehow coming from the river. I decided to keep going past the train, and visit the river. It was really nice to cool off my feet there, as at this point, I've been walking in the sun for hours. The river is definitely in charge around here.
After a bit of well appreciated rest, it headed back to the train stop, so small it was overgrown with weeds. Thirty minutes later, the last train of the day took me back to Strasbourg.
Everything had worked out perfectly.
Here are a few more photos from Wintzenbach:
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