Thüringen

This watercolor is from the back cover of, and it is also contained inside my latest book “Sea Shells, C’est Gratuit”. The state of Thüringen lies in the former East Germany, and after the fall of the wall (which is now probably considered ancient history), is accessible to all people once again. It is especially beautiful in the summer, when the golden wheat fields, flanked by long rows of trees (Alleenstraße), exude the abundance of a harvest yet to come. Sweet smells, sounds, and colors of the country — dragonflies and butterflies doing their summer dance; red poppies peeking up through the wheat stalks, cornflowers boasting their Prussian blue. I recall many years ago, visiting my parents with my young sons — when Germany was still divided and Thüringen was not accessible. We took a trip to the border — Thüringen was in plain sight — and saw an East German rabbit blatantly trespassing from East to West, oblivious to the ominous guard towers (I don’t believe he was in possession of a passport either). Thank God, the Wall is now long gone. The rabbit’s descendants (the ones, that have not landed in their proper place — a pot) must surely populate a united Germany now.