Monday 20 October 2014

Meeting in Hafnerberg



The Hafnerberg Menhir (maen hir)

Asta


Christ being stripped

Nailing Christ to the cross

This morning I went to Hafnerberg and there I walked from the village church along the Via Sacra, a pilgrim way in the Vienna Woods. The path climbed through woodland and I discovered there were 14 stations of the cross along the way. Two are shown here.

The path then emerged from the woods and I entered a gated field in which the stations of the cross trail ended. I climbed a small hill in the field and in 5 minutes I was at the top and standing beside the Druidenstein Felsnadel and a sign stating that I was in an area of positive electro-magnetic healing energy.



As I gazed at the rock I became aware of a presence. I glanced behind me and saw a friendly farm dog. Her name was Asta, perhaps named after the cute fox terrier in the 1930's film The Thin Man, but there the resemblance ended.

I found Asta's name on a tag on her collar. In her mouth she was carrying a pine cone which she politely dropped at my feet. The message was clear. We would play for a spell.

I threw the pine cone hither and thither for nearly half an hour. It was impossible to tire her out. She ran up and down the hill chasing this way and that and all the time gaily tumbling over and jumping back to her feet.

She always quickly retrieved the pine cone even when it lay amid others or was concealed in dense undergrowth. She often found the pine cone by using her acute sense of smell.

Finally I returned to the main path and of course Asta accompanied me. A final throw of the pine cone then.

And then a voice calling Asta from a farm house two fields away.

The dog galloped home, it seemed to me with unflagging energy, and I walked thoughtfully down the hill and back to Hafnerberg.





4 comments:

  1. The depiction of the stations of the cross always interest me, having been to a Catholic school. How were these portrayed, I am puzzled, were they outside on trees, posts?

    You found a friend in the dog.

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  2. Sorry, I should have said that the images were inset into the sides of rectangular shaped small concrete columns at eye level. Yes, the dog was really friendly. She was a nice surprise. I also went to the hunting-lodge at Mayerling which is near to Hafnerberg. This is where Crown Prince Rudolf shot his 16-year old mistress and then himself in a supposed suicide pact. I'll try and put it up tomorrow.

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  3. Great to find a friendly farm dog.

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  4. I'll bow to you there Gerald.

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