Today’s post is 1150 words, 16 photos, 1 video, a 5 minute read. Enjoy!
Hi everyone,
This week I’ll take you to a few sites around Julich on a rainy day before we make the 400 mile (620 km) to Hallbergmoos near Munich.
Before we start on our journey and if you missed earlier episodes in this series check out the links below.
Vienna here and here; Regensburg, here and here; Neckargemund; Mosel Valley here and here; The Rhine River and Bonn; Julich; and Cologne
A Drive Around the Jülich Area
We woke up to intermittent showers that lasted most of the day. It was one of those days where you want curl up with a book in front of a fireplace. We had books but our Airbnb on the horse farm didn’t have a fireplace. A hot water radiator would have to do. Wayne decided to stay where it was warm and dry while I took a drive around the area.
My first destination was Elsdorf, a town of about 21,000 people between Jülich and Cologne. The streets were eerily quiet and empty. My guess is that many of the residents commute to Cologne or other nearby cities for work. The reason for being there was they had a fabric shop. Those who know my regular Traveling Partner, know that she is a quilter and likes to visit fabric or quilt shops when we travel. She didn’t make this journey so I thought I’d scope out a fabric shop for something unique from Germany as a gift for her.
The sign below translated from German to English says “Fabrics and more for young and old.” Or is it “large and small,” it depends on the translator.
Here’s the entrance to Lindner Fabrics and Haberdashery. 
I was met by the door guard, Lumi, a French Bulldog. He quickly assessed the English speaking gray-haired feller and decided I was ok to enter. He liked being petted and followed me around the store, sitting by my feet waiting for a pat on the head. By the time I left the store, we were good friends.
Meet Ursula, Lumi’s pack leader and shop owner. She said her English is a little rusty but it was far better than my German. We chatted several minutes about quilting and sewing plus other topics. I told her I was looking for something for my Traveling Partner. After perusing the small shop I settled on a small kit that would fit in my suitcase.
Here’s a look at the well-stocked store, fabric floor to ceiling. I knew my Traveling Partner would enjoy the shop, Ursula, and Lumi.
As I was leaving the store, I asked Ursula about the nearby mine. She gave me directions a few miles out of town to a viewing platform where I could see the large mine that I mentioned in a previous post. With that I was off to see the mine.
RWE Mine
After finding the viewing platform along a side road, I gasped when I had my first look at the open-pit coal mine. Below is a panorama and a video taken with my iPhone. It’s big. According to information I found online, the mine is 7.5 miles (12 km) long and nearly 3 miles (5 km) wide. At the deepest point, the mine nearly 1500 feet (450 meters) deep. These stats make it one of the largest open-pit mines in the world.
Hambach mine is operated by RWE, a company founded in 1898 as a regional energy company. It’s one of Europe’s largest producers of electricity primarily from coal but with a gradual transition to renewable energy. The Hambach mine was opened in 1978 in an area that was once filled with forests. Only about 10% of the forest remains. About 40 million tons of lignite (brown coal) are mined each year to generate electricity. 
Please note the solar arrays in previously mined areas. RWE is making the gradual change to renewable energy to replace coal as a generating fuel. Also note the steam from the nearby power plant.
Originally, this mine was designed to be twice as large as it is currently. It was due to be expanded beginning in 2018. However, this plan was met with protests by environmentalists and legal battles over conservation and climate change. In addition, the German parliament passed the Coal Phase-Out Act in 2020 that mandated the gradual shutdown of all coal-fired plants in the country by 2038. It appears the phase out will be accomplished much earlier, as soon as 2030.
So what will happened to the mine once it is shutdown. It will become Hambach Lake. Filling the lake will take decades. Water will come from ground water, the Rhine, and inflows from regional water systems. Current estimates suggest it could take 30-40 years for the lake to fill and form. It will be one of the largest and deepest man-made lakes in Germany.
The overburden from this and other area mines created Sophienhöhe, the world’s largest artificial hill. Here’s what part of it looks like in an area of nearly flat farmland.
My original plan was to travel down to Aachen, a charming historic city on the border of Belgium and Netherlands. I decided against it due to the cool weather and continuing drizzle. As an alternative, I stopped in the village of Titz for lunch and a warm drink. Then it was back to the Airbnb for a relaxing afternoon and a tasty lasagna dinner at an Italian restaurant.
The Trail to Hallbergmoos
The next morning we checked out of the Airbnb on the horse farm and headed for Munich and Hallbergmoos. Before we left, Wayne and I snapped a few photos of the grounds and the exterior of our Airbnb.
In the photo below see the directional sign, the exercise arena, and the horses grazing in the paddock. 
And my last photo of the garden with the horseshoe plant adding whimsy to the greenery.
After eight hours of driving with three rest stops and once for refueling the rental car, we arrived at our last stop in Germany, Hallbergmoos. When Wayne and I were planning the trip to Germany several months before departure, we looked for places to stay near Munich. We knew that Oktoberfest was on during this time so lodging in Munich was limited and quite expensive. We settled on an Airbnb in Hallbergmoos, a Munich suburb near the airport where we could return the rental car and catch our flight home. Hallbergmoos also had a train station that would take us into downtown Munich in less than 30 minutes.
After shopping for a few groceries we settled in for the night and prepared for our visit to Dachau the next day. Join me next week for the sobering and enlightening visit to this infamous Nazi concentration camp.
But before I go……
THE FIVE SENSES PLUS ONE
Saw – fabric shop, large open-pit coal mine, deer (not jumping), two police cars (a first on our travels in Germany)
Heard – rain on the car, traffic, honking of a fast car, children playing
Touch – fabric, petted Lumi the dog, steering wheel and controls in the car
Smell – horse dung, fresh country air, mustiness
Taste – a good fresh made sandwich, lasagna, wine, good sausage and German potato salad
Learned – more about the open-pit mine, how tiring driving is
Until next week, happy travels!
Tom
PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM