2025-04-09 53 8

Location

In a tangle of trees and shrubs overlooking a public swimming lake in Bremen Burg-Grambke, Germany.

Participants

Beardygrade

Plans

I had to prepare a lecture for tomorrow and imagined to do this during the train rides to Bremen-Burg and back. There, I would possibly reach the spot within 20 minutes, right?

Expedition

On the first train, I was very productive. The second one was somewhat crowded and I had to get off at the first stop, so I didn't bother with working. After alighting in Bremen-Burg, I walked along the main road Bremer Heerstrasse, crossed the river Lesum and continued along the same road, now called Burger Heerstrasse. Because Open Street Map could be interpreted to show a path leading almost straight to the geohash, I turned onto Alte Lesumbroker Landstrasse and Dunger Strasse, only to be confronted with a fence, a wide moat, and another fence. I tried another approach in the park-like backyard of a retirement home, but encountered only more fences - and became aware of a completely overgrown "private property"-sign only when I left.

Somewhat ashamed, I walked back to the main street and ventured further towards Bremen City. At the next opportunity to turn right there was a printed sign telling me to continue in my direction. The main street soon changed its name again and became Grambker Heerstrasse. It took some time, but eventually I reached an unassuming residential street with an official sign indicating the swimming lake. The detached houses became sparse, there was a large tennis hall, and around the next bend waited desolate wilderness, decorated with a garbage container and some building materials. No lake to be seen. One more corner. To the left a soccer ground, to the right some kind of rampart with dense vegatation. Three fire brigade vehicles were just about leaving the sports area, kicking up dust. Only when I reached the end of this street, a parking space and finally the lake came into view.

I followed the path parallel to the lakeshore and without difficulties reached the area where a large lawn invites the merry masses to drop themselves onto towels and drowsily wait to get sunburned. The back end of this lawn was framed by trees and dense undergrowth, in the middle of which the hash was to be found. A strip of grass lay between the shrub and another moat, making it easy to circumvent the jungle. But to reach the hash I had to enter the vegetation at some point and started to weave my way among trees growing in every direction. Now this would be the moment when somebody notices the suspicious middle-aged guy limbo-dancing in the thicket, taking photos right next to a sunbathing area. They would confront him. And his incoreherent explanation (... "random coordinates" ... "dow jones" ... "graticule" ... "internet" ...) would magically cleanse him of any creepiness. It should have worked like this. But except for a dog walker on the far side of the lake there was absolutely no human presence in the whole area. Undisturbed, I located the spot and recorded proof.

Then I followed the moat some more and found a way out that brought me in almost no time to the point I had wrongly assumed to be a dead end. I could have reached the spot in 20 minutes, after all...

Several trains to Oldenburg were delayed and later canceled. An almost critical mass of human beings assembled on the platform until finally a train showed up. I waited for the next one in order to keep my physical integrity. Even though, working on the return journey was out of the question.