I used plenty of poetic licence when writing "The Schoenbuch Forest." Nonetheless, when writing about the protagonist's first meeting with Ulrich Schneider, I had the places above in mind. Picture 1 shows the interior of the church in Herrenberg. Picture 2 shows the Apostles Steps, which lead down to the guest house shown in picture 3. In the book, I called the guest house "Haus Kirchgasse." Below, written in italics, is how these places first appear in the novel.
I clattered down the staircase and out into the vestibule. Stopping to enjoy the sweet smell of old stone, I closed my eyes to the damp coolness that radiated from the walls and touched my cheeks. I was heading for the exit when curiosity stopped me in my tracks. It was not the church’s medieval architecture but the sound of shuffling feet that reached out like a hand and placed itself on my chest.
I peered along the aisle to the place where the altar rose dark against the darkness. To one side of it, shadows danced to the light of candles. In front of them, stood the old man. His hands were folded over his stomach, and his head was lowered in prayer. Perhaps it had been the meeting of our eyes on the bell tower steps, but this man and I had forged a relationship. It was respect for this bond, and his prayers, that prompted me to push gently at the doors and to tiptoe through them into the gathering darkness of mid-winter.
My hotel, Haus Kirchgasse, nestled at the foot of the long flight of steps, which fell away in front of me. Lamps were burning low in the hotel windows, and shadows arched over the ceiling of the interior. I shivered as a gust of wind cut through my coat. The hotel was suddenly inviting. I was halfway down the steps when I felt self-conscious, aware that someone was watching me. I span round. The church tower grew naturally from the top step as if both had been hewn from the same block of stone. The tower rose heavenwards, and balanced on the top of it was a golden dome that looked like an onion and seemed to retain the rays of the sun.
I let my gaze fall from the dome, to the balcony, to the bricked-in windows, to the gargoyles, and then to the old man framed in the church doorway.
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