My first sight of the town of Nortorf was of its St. Martin Church, with its steep clock tower all covered with snow in the fading winter light. I could have stared at this 19th century church for hours, despite the cold northern German air.
I got spoiled that day, so my thought was: if Nortorf could be beautiful in the bleak days of winter, what was it going to be like in full summer bloom?
That, my Friends, would have to wait for another day. I was only too glad when it did.
Winter, Summer, it really doesn’t matter when you come to Noorddörp (as its called in Low German), so long as you do.
Hold on a sec, I take that back… If you’re walking along Emkendorfer Allee you might want to see it when all its trees are in bloom. You can also see 19th century ladies in their bustle skirts, men in top hats, and horse drawn carriages clopping along the avenue.
Whoa, where did all these romantic notions come from? Who cares — I’m loving it here.
More trees wait for you at the Keltischer Baumkreis Gnutz, or Celtic Tree Circle. Maybe this is where those romantic thoughts came from, hmm…. ;-)
No, it’s possible they came from the lovely Emkendorfer Herrenhaus, a mansion that’s a popular venue for the very famous Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.
There isn’t anything romantic about the Animal Park, but it’s really fun for the whole family with over 125 species. The Steinpark Warder isn’t as romantic as it is fun, open to anyone interested on the first Saturday of the month from June to October.
Nortorf’s Village Museum is also educational, offering exhibits from its Stone Age days; and some artifacts are over 12,000 years old.
I wonder what you can find out there in the Nortorfer Hochzeitswald, full of hiking paths. Can’t worry about it now, gotta go party at the Forest Festival — held every July. If you can’t make this one, try for the Summer Festival in August.
If only I could just hang around here until winter again — just to get another look of the place blanketed in snow. Oh well, I guess I’ll use it as an excuse to come back again. ;-)
