Summer getaway
June 28, 2009
In the town of Dormagen, not far from the Rhine River, Martin Poniewas has a unique home of his own, as a permanent camper. For him, camping is more than just bonfires and tents. He owns his very own trailer - equipped with nearly all the features and gadgets of a normal house.
"Camping for half the year is what I do and it's what I have done for about ten years, now," he says.
Poniewas is one of around 400,000 permanent campers in Germany who camp during the peak season from April to the beginning of wither at the end of October.
"Camping is a way of life. Either you like it or you don't," says Poniewas. He adds that for him, the trailer is a proper home - with a room, a kitchen and a bathroom inside.
Not just a trailer
Heike Weislovski, 48, has also latched onto the camping craze. She camps together with her daughter Natalie and her grandson on the weekend and whenever there is time. Camping, she says, is the perfect alternative to a vacation.
"Our camping ground is actually kind of like a family. Everyone knows everyone. When something happens we help each other," she says.
Camping isn't the only activity that brings people together in the summer seasons; gardening is another thing for people to escape their busy lives and relax in the confines of nature's beauty.
Greeting hedgehogs
All across Germany, there are garden colonies on the outskirts of towns and cities. Even in the capital Berlin people are using these spots as a weekend getaway.
"It's a quiet and peaceful place away from work where you can sit back and enjoy nature." said Toni Schäfer, an enthusiastic gardener. "You can watch the fish and frogs. When you meet a hedgehog in the garden - you just say hello. Those are the benefits of the gardens."
Garden colonies have been around since the middle of the 1900s in Paris and Luxemburg. In Germany they became popular around the turn of the century - they were called working gardens at that time.
At that time and still today the small gardens are subject to strict rules. The part of the garden that does not contain plants must not exceed one third of the entire area of the garden. Permanent living, including camping, is not allowed here. But many people still choose to vacation here – they come during the days and spent the nights in their city apartments.
Author: Andre Sarin (km)
Editor: Andreas Illmer