If you’re wondering whether you’ve been here or not yet, this town of Geislingen lies in the Zollernalbkreis, and it is not be confused with “the other” Geislingen an der Steige, over in the Göppingen District.
This Geislingen is a bird watchers dream spot. Heck, I’m in love with these flying guys. You’ll see Blackbirds (the males have yellow beaks), Wagtails, brightly colored Gimpels, listen to a few varieties of Woodpeckers, find the Tree Pipets, Red Starts, and if you’re truly lucky — you’ll find the very rare Chaffinch.
I’ll give you a hint when to find them — they’re winter visitors to Geislingen.
That’s all right, come the summer months you’ll be too busy doing other stuff. The Schlossparkbad is open mid-May to mid-September, so you’ll be swimming at the Palace Gardens swimming pool. Don’t worry, the water’s not cold — it’s heated. And there are lots of BBQ grilling areas for picnics of good sausages and whatever else strikes your culinary fancy.
You’ll find some old buildings around town, too. OK, the Church of St. Ulrich isn’t too old, built only in 1928. But, the Geislinger Wasserschloss, that houses the town’s library, is a Water Castle from 1426. Built by the Bubenhofens and once owned by the Stauffenbergs, the white castle is the town’s landmark — so it’s a must see!
For anyone wanting to spend more time outdoors than in, might I suggest you find one of the two handfuls of hiking trails that lead around Geislingen’s two other villages (Binsdorf and Erlaheim)? Or, find one that just leads off into the Swabian Alb.
Your choice, but either way you’re not going to be disappointed.
I am disappointed in myself to think I would have forgotten such a pretty place like this Geislingen — and hope you won’t make the same mistake I did. ;-)
