March turned out to be a colorful month, and not just because of the spring flowers, though those were often the main focus of my photos. The weather was also varied, but not in a way that would stop me from some quality time outside.

The first hike of March was, in fact, quite bleak. Cloudy with traces of mist that had made it seem like an autumn hike more than anything. Thus, my hike was a light walk through the woods and fields without any major sights.

The next week, it was pretty much the opposite. Spring flowers started to pop up even in the woods (they did so in the parks in towns a bit earlier). The weather was quite enticing as well, with mostly clear skies and no wind.

We started on a lookout, but from then, descended towards the river and its valley. The woods had no shortage of forest flowers.

We also passed through a place with a sad history – a former spa that went on a gradual downhill spiral after WWII and more so after 1990 – since then, it traded owners who hoped to revive the area but the extensive damage made it obvious that none of them had the funds to do so.

Since the mid-2000s, the buildings have been subject to further decline – holes in walls, collapsed ceilings, roofs, and staircases, as well as frequent vandalism and graffiti.

The nearby woods provided much better pictures in the form of spring flowers, some of which grew in large groups.

And, at the very end, ruins of a castle abandoned in the mid-1600s.

The third hike of the month was, in many ways, similar to the first. A light walk through the woods with very little for sights, but a good relaxation with my own thoughts.

The fourth hike seemed, at first, like the summer was three months early. By the time I started, it was already quite warm. The weather had brought a lot of people out to enjoy a beautiful day. Not only flowers – the fruit trees were blooming as well.

Thus, I decided to loop around the area to enjoy the warmth more. By 10:00, I was already stripping down to shorts, despite being only late March.

Shortly after noon, the wind picked up and brought clouds to the area. By that time, I still had around an hour to reach the blooming orchards. And still a lot to see as for flowers.

Some of which are typically blooming in late April or early May, which only proved how crazy the weather has been this year, more so the warm winter. Aside from the flowers, the landscape was also an unusual sight for me, a dry grassland is rare environment in this part of Europe.

By the time I reached the orchard, the first drops of rain started falling and the wind picked up. In short time, the groups of people who arrived to admire the orchards were buffeted by raindrops and petals from the trees.

The rain lasted for maybe 30 minutes, during which the temperature dropped from 25°C to somewhere around 12°C.

I wasn’t deterred and finished my walk around the area before heading to the town where we were to group up for our departure, full of people now noticeably wet and searching for a place to sit down and warm up with a hot meal or beverage.

The final hike of the month had led me to try and find some nice places off the main trails. I started by returning to one place I already visited years ago…

And then making my way across vast fields to another rock formation.

From there, it was mostly a calm walk through the fields and woods, where I could enjoy the scenery, including flowers.

And that was the end of my March hikes. I returned home happy, knowing that I managed to do a hike every single week for 3 months in a row, something I hadn’t done yet. And with hopes of keeping it up in April and beyond.

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That’s it when it comes to my March hikes and photos, but April is already mid-way through and I can promise it’s been going well on the hiking front so far, with more photos to come in due time.