The best running trails in Schmidts Kiefern

It's impressive what was achieved here during the Cold War.

The color of the water never fails to draw you in. And there are plenty of blackberries along the path.

"FriedWald" is first and foremost the name and trademark of FriedWald GmbH in Griesheim. In cooperation with municipalities, churches and forestry authorities, this company offers the possibility of natural burial in appropriately designated forests. The forests are normally accessible to anyone at any time, even with dogs on a leash, and there are no special fences around the grounds. There are currently around 90 FriedWald forests in Germany. For the burial, you choose a tree in the forest area accompanied by a forester. The number of burial places per tree is limited, and trees with free spaces are marked with colored ribbons. The special thing about the burial places is that no grave decorations may be laid down, even during the burial; nature should really remain natural here and not be destroyed by seeds and contamination. The only thing that indicates the grave sites are small plaques on the trees with the names and dates of birth and death. The burials are non-denominational, but can also be carried out under supervision and with a small prayer by a priest or pastor. For deceased children up to the age of 3, so-called star children, there is a special shooting star tree under the protection of older, stable trees. Within the forest cemetery, there can be forestry work at any time and trees can also be toppled or broken by storms. This is part of the naturalness of the forest cemetery.

On my next exploration I will see if I can get closer

The second stage of the Unterweserweg also leads along here.

Map of Garlstedt, is great for orientation

destroyed nature, new habitats

At our age, you don't necessarily think about death and dying, what comes after, and perhaps even less about the forms of burial, especially when you go hiking. When we parked the car at the parking lot of the cemetery in Bremer Schweiz, we came across the information boards and first went for a nice walk. The surrounding forest area is quiet and very idyllic, a place to feel good for everyone who likes the forest. We are actually big Harz fans, without Corona we might never have hiked here, but we had to think about it a tiny bit. There are many trees of different kinds, different ponds, wonderful forest paths and it is also a bit hilly. Corona - that word again, the thought of illness, suffering and even death. Suddenly you start pondering on such a hike. What happened if? What would you want? Maybe such a cemetery would be something? You get a little brooding again when you hear the shots from the nearby Garlstedt military training area. Doesn't that also remind you of war, suffering and death? No! In our case, these noises mean peace! The knowledge that "only" is practiced, that these shots do not kill people, that we can continue to hike in a relaxed and peaceful manner, is priceless and cannot be taken for granted! It is incredible luck, because in other parts of the world it is not. So is the Friedwald a peaceful place? Yes absolutely! And certainly not a bad place to find a little peace or quiet. Further information is available here: https://www.friedwald.de/waldbestattung-bremer-schweiz