The water wheel is turning, people are sitting on benches and at tables on the opposite site of the path.  They are enjoying the cold drinks, whilst next to them Felix, aged 7, is climbing up a mobile climbing wall for at least the sixth time.  At the top he can look down onto the Bleiche car park.

This is the “Mühlenfest” – the annual festival organised by the “Naturfreunde” (“Friends of Nature”) – that was revived in 2013 and took place last Sunday (27th July, 2014).

For their chairman, Uwe Oeckel, it is a good sign to see so many young people there.  The local organisation is trying to offer more activities for children, not just at the festival, to get them more involved. [Read more…]