"Blue pot" and IKEA. Not! ;-)

Now my vacation time has been over for a week already, but still I am working on pictures taken in the last week when I mostly hung around with my brother and sister. Like that one day when he wanted to drive to Ulm to check out IKEA. It was hot, really hot, and I didn't feel like IKEA, I really didn't. I admit it, I don't like it. My sister promised me we would get to play in the ball room, but I knew she was just trying to hook me. Actually I told them I wasn't coming, but they voted me down and said they'd be right over.
So we sat in this burning hot car and I wondered what I had done to be caught in this hell with an AC. And we didn't go fast because we had to do this and that in Göppingen first. It was close to noon when we finally made our way to Ulm. Ulm is a beautiful old town which has the tallest church in the world, and they tried to comfort me with saying we'd go there after IKEA.

First we had to make our usual stop at the WMF Fischhalle, though. Not new to my blog, huh? I am addicted to this place and so is my little brother.
After buying something (for him, I was good this time) we headed to Ulm, but were surprised to see it crossed out on the road sign. Had it been moved? Had it been swallowed by IKEA?? I had the worst thoughts about it.
While driving on I kept nagging and making different suggestions where we could instead. What did I care if he needed a new armoire? I don't know if I was convincing or if he just couldn't stand my nagging anymore, but finally he gave in and we went to see the Blautopf. Translated that is Blue Pot (or Pot of the Blau, but not Bowl of the Blau as in English Wikipedia). The Blautopf is a karst spring with an intensive blue color that is the result of limestone distributed in water.


There exist many legends around this spring which is the second largest spring in Germany, for example that everyday somebody poured ink into it to keep up the beautiful color. Really this picture doesn't do justice to the spring's real look.
Also the "Schöne Lau", the beautiful Lau, the daughter of a human and a nix, is said to live in the spring.
Take a closer look, maybe you can see her?


Fascinating is also the rich cave environment underneath and around the spring. Diving is only allowed to experienced divers of certain organisations and still there have been fatal accidents. One dream is to be able to find a dry way to those caves who bear romantic and beautiful names like for example the Castle of Clouds, the Dome of Eons and the Realm of the Beautiful Lau.
After having something to eat we strolled around the Blautopf and then slowly walked back to the car.


We could have visited the monastery's church and the high altar, but I had seen it the year before and I have to admit the hot weather made us a little lazy, especially because we knew we wanted to head to Metzingen afterwards to check out outlet stores. Oh yes, I know. Outlet stores over culture? We were not ashamed at that moment. Both things have their time ;-)



The monastery is a school nowadays by the way. I wonder if you can really concentrate in these surroundings?



So off we went. I'll spare you the description of how I tried on 150 pairs of sneakers only to not buy any of them because they were never the right size. I'll spare you the description of how we soaked the car seats on the way back. Aren't you grateful I didn't take a picture of that?
It was a long day and I came home absolutely beaten, but I had enjoyed every minute with my whole heart.
And I even bought some tumbled stones and turned them into pendants!
Unfortunately my memory card is having a problem, so the first pictures I took of them have disappeared again and I have to take new ones to show them.
Cliffhanger!! ;-)