The Rhine Flows In E Flat Major

 

Come June, the great mowing begins. All the spring grass that has been growing waist high in the fields and along the river banks, transforming the landscape into a lush green, so refreshing after the dreary winter, is cut down. By July, the yellow of hot summers dominates the scenery.

I hadn't been by the Rhine for a month. This morning, August 1st, I jumped on my bike and pedalled down to the river, eager to see how much the waters had receded as a result of the ongoing drought. It wasn't too bad. As expected, the banks were hay coloured, and there was a delicate cloud cover. The river was flowing without a sound*. Indeed, it was utterly quiet all around. I set up my tripod and made a photo, just meters away from where I had made another picture in April.

 *Did you know that "The Rhine flows in E flat major"? This saying, presumably common in German classical music circles, is a reference to Wagner's Rheingold and also Schumann's 3rd Symphony ("Rheinische"), both of which are in E flat major.