Stepping Around Heidelberg

 I realize the title may not be the most grammatical, but I also think the title is warranted seeing how I averaged about 18,000 steps a day during our stay in Heidelberg. Anne and I were kindly welcomed into her friend Nele's home for the last five days. I just have to say, the best part of this trip (besides my birthday treat) has been meeting wonderful people along the way. 

"For people who specialize in communication disorders, you aren't always the best at it," someone said that to me recently... The following conversation may or may not have occurred on a train headed to Heidelberg, Germany:

-Is your friend's house far away from the station? (i.e., how far are we walking to meet her at home?)

--I'm actually not sure! 

-Do you know where it is? (i.e., do you at least know what direction we are headed in once we get to Heidelburg)

--Nope!

-Do you have a way of getting in touch with your friend once we get to the train station? (i.e., how in the world will we find out how to get to your friend's house?!)

--Nope, no wifi at the train station. 

At this point, I knew something was wrong. It wasn't that I worried Anne was about to leave us stranded at the train station. I was just worried that Anne and I weren't on the same page. There I was, riding a train in a foreign country, with my traveling partner letting me know she knew nothing and didn't seem to mind. I think Anne read the horror on my face because the next thing she said was:

--Oh! I'm sorry, Nele is meeting us at the station in Heidelberg! 

Phew! I am glad we repaired that 'communication breakdown' before I busted out my amazingly slow German to ask if anyone on the train knew of a Nele Stoldt and to please show us how to get to her house. I will remind you that, despite our nap, I was still very much sleep deprived! 

Once safely on the train platform, Anne, backpack baby, and I made our way up yet another flight of stairs up to what seemed to be an impossibly far away Bahnhof. I looked at another sea of unfamiliar faces and quickly spotted Anne's friend Nele. 

"There she is!" I waved to her and watched as adrenaline-Anne ran with a very heavy backpack to embrace her friend and ex-roommate, the lovely Nele Stoldt. Aside from knowing she was Anne's roommate for a semester at SDSU, I didn't know much about her before meeting her, but she is absolutely stunning with one of the kindest and warmest hearts I've ever met! She was horrified about my backpack baby and promised to find a tailor as soon as we got back to her apartment. The way back to her place was about a seven-minute walk, and she helped carry backpack baby most of the way there. 

She had planned to prepare dinner for us, and as she worked on the "so glad you finally made it!" meal, we got to meet her roommates. They joined us for dinner and made us feel welcome all five days of our stay. Dinner was a German specialty, Spätzle, which her roommates were quick to comment is a delicious meal to have. It was very cool listening to a group of young adults speaking German like they did. The pace was much different than what I heard back at the train station in Düsseldorf, still very rapid but much more relaxed. I'll admit I was suddenly very self-conscious about speaking German. I think I made myself believe I refrained from veering away from English to keep Anne included in our conversation, but I was secretly relieved to have a reason. As the days went by I became more comfortable and even ventured a few phrases as I ordered items during our meals...but more on ordering food later. 

After dinner we headed over to Altstadt Heidelberg; the streets that lined old town Heidelberg housed living quarters, tiny shops, and restaurants as well as cafés galore. Aside from taking down information for tailor shops we walked by, we mainly walked around to experience typical weekday nightlife in Heidelberg. It is mainly a university city, so a lot of its inhabitants are students. Along one of Heidelberg's main avenues, Hauptstraße, we walked the evening away, stopping only to treat ourselves to some yummy gelato. I bear no shame in admitting we had gelato almost every day we were in Heidelberg! This first gelato experience tasted of mixed berry icy goodness, and I have to say that although not usually a big ice cream fan, this gelato really was the icing on this June one-one day. 

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of friendly chatter and a yummy breakfast consisting of German bread and a spread including salami, cheese, and my favorite Spanish treat I didn't know existed outside Spain: nata! In German it's called Magerquark and it's so good!! We enjoyed this wonderful spread all four mornings while with Nele, and I would have eaten it for all three meals each day but Anne said I had to be adventurous...

Nele had found a tailor who would fix backpack baby, but she was unsure as to how much the tailor would charge. At this point, I was less worried about the amount to repair as I was dreading carrying backpack baby for the rest of our trip. We walked down to the tailors and as we explained the situation for them, I faintly heard French lyrics accompanying a radio they played on a portable stereo. I turned to the tailor and tentatively asked, "Vous parlez français?"

 "Mais avez vous dites ça avant mademoiselle!" was his response. This is probably one of the reasons I now don't mind backpack baby and it's existence. I was able to meet two tailors from an Algerian community making their living in Heidelberg. Once we had established a native reference, we both let go and we let culture take over. Suddenly he was telling me he would reinforce both straps on backpack baby at no extra cost, and he would test their hold before having me come pick it up. He charged me less than what he had originally explained to Nele, saying he hoped my trip was better once  backpack baby would morph back to an adult status.  We paid and headed back to Altstadt where we would walk to Heidelberg's castle before walking Nele to her class for that day. 

The castle was better preserved than the one at St. Goar. It took about 350 stairs to reach the courtyard at the top, and we made our way slowly as we learned about the beautiful homes belonging to the fraternities of Heidelberg. Most of the homes were of multiple stories, all along the mountainside; Nele informed us that many fraternities require members to give back in some monetary fashion once they have earned their degree and are out in the working world. Once at the castle, we took in the breathtaking views of the city. It was very special to be up there and have a view of the entire city. While taking pictures, I decided to sit atop one of the ledges. I felt the need to experience the city for myself, in a quiet moment, with my entire body perched atop the castle. Anne happened to take a picture of me right then, and thus began my photography project for our trip (see below for details).

After the castle, Nele headed for her afternoon class while Anne and I walked over to the Neckarwiese, a stretch of green grass along the Rhine where students often go to relax to take a break from classes and catch a bit of sunny rays. What ensued was similar to what I experienced when Anne and I drove from San Diego to her home in Turlock last October for the Nike Women's Half Marathon. She and I sat and ate our lunch for what seemed like ten minutes. It was actually a little over an hour of discussing everything under the sun, complete with moments where I almost teared up. I remember at some point (and Anne, if you read this, I apologize!) I completely tuned out what Anne was saying and I thought to myself, you are in a quaint village of Germany, hearing the sounds you for so long only heard in a dusty El Cajon classroom; everything you read in books has now come to life right before your very own eyes. It was turning out to be a really good day, Thursday June one-two.

We meet back up with Nele after our lunch and the three of us walked back to Altstadt Heidelberg to visit one of the Protestant churches. While in the middle of the town square, very few tourists pay the 3€ to climb up the church tower to the viewing point at the top. While not as high as we had stepped up to the castle across the plaza, we were still pretty high above the town square below us. Guess who decided to sit on a ledge and look out... once we climbed down, we walked into the church where we saw a wall for prayers, praises, and thoughts. I took the liberty of writing down a few of each for various members of my family as well as my friends. It was good to take a moment and think of home and those who are wishing me and Anne well on our trip. I think I can speak for Anne as well as myself when I say thank you to anyone who is keeping us in their thoughts and prayers during our European adventure. 

 After the church it was time to get ready for perhaps the biggest event across Europe that night: the opening of the World Cup! One of the things I was most excited about was being in Europe during the World Cup. Fußball, futbol, or fut is a sport that I hold near and dear to my heart. It is one of very few strings that keep me strongly connected to my multicultural heritage, and watching my countries play has always brought out a sense of pride in me. Of course, it has also been a time of great distress whenever Spain and France play against each other...but let's not let this post take a turn for the depressing. Nele, Anne, and I headed back to our living quarters to freshen up and get ready for the big event. It would be the first time I ever was present in Europe for such an important event, and I was filled with jitters at the expectation. Nele decided the best place for us to watch the game would be at the Mensa, there was an open courtyard right outside a university cafeteria where students and non-students alike joined together for game viewing nights. 

 As we walked in, I think I wore a really big smile because I could sense the excitement in the air. The three of us had a student dinner consisting of cafeteria food--and by cafeteria food I mean German cafeteria food, which Anne and I agree is much better than any cafeteria food we have experienced. Of course, neither one of us had been to Facebook or Google headquarter cafeterias, so we may not know what we are talking about after all! Anyhow, this food tasted really great: vegetable pancakes, white asparagus, grilled chicken, and bratwurst. Of course, we had to get some gelato before the game. Of course. So we headed up the street to the same gelato place as the previous evening. My second dose of gelato was Erdbeer; have you noticed I really enjoy the taste of berries? I asked for two scoops of strawberries that night. 

Heading back to the Mensa, we found Nele's roommate Philip, who kindly shared his bench with us. It was pretty crowded with five minutes to game time. Although it was the host country of Brazil playing against Croatia, it was fun to see how everyone at the Mensa really got into the game. It's such a pity that we won't be in Germany to see them play. I know I cheered and cried out whenever a goal was made or a player was unjustly treated by the referee. That is how we do fut, be it in France or Spain or Germany: we live it. I get jitters thinking back to that evening. Also, I tried German beer for the first time last night. A shout out to Philip for offering some to me, it was delicious!

Friday was our hiking day in Heidelberg. Nele was kind enough to make the 12 kilometer trek up on the north side of the Neckar up to the amphitheater called the Thinkstätte. It was a beautiful hike with plenty of views including the city, the river, the castle, and the home where Nele plans on living one day.  Once at the amphitheater, we took a few minutes to take in such great views at our altitude. I went to sit on a ledge to perch myself on tip of yet another great view when I suddenly felt a sharp sting at the tip of my right pinky. I looked down to see what sharp object I had pressed my finger on but saw nothing except a few rock chips. As I lifted my hand my right thumb brushed against little leaf that had poked its way out of the bush and I felt another sting right as my skin made contact with the beautiful green leaf. 

"It's a Brennessel," Nele said laughing. Apparently, little kids always manage to brush some or most of their bodies against this type of plant when they disobey their parents and go explore the brush away from the sitting areas. Thankfully it wasn't not poisonous, it just stung and throbbed for a few minutes. Unfortunately, I may still be a kid at heart. 

We walked back in the direction of our Heidelberg home and stopped by the market on the way. We bought the ingredients to make lasagna and then prepared it at Nele's. Then it was time for yet another  Fußball game, this time the lovely Spain vs. the Netherlands. I'll just gloss over this part of the night because my team ended up being torn to pieces by Holland, to the tune of 5-1. Yes, in Fußball you love big and you also hurt badly. Let's hope they get back into shape for their next qualifying game. 

Once the game was over (it was over back when Holland scored goal #3, in my humble opinion), we decided to take the city by night! We started our night off by trying Melonschnapps, which were a delicious start to our evening. We then walked over to another bar and tried Sambuka. The licorice flavor of the shot is supposed to be nicely complemented by the coffee bean you bite on at the end. While this drink wasn't Anne's cup of tea, I was thinking one word as the liquid slowly filled my mouth: yummy! Next on our "dancing" plan ended up being a shot bar appropriately called Shooters, where we cheered as we took the last shots of the evening. They were a fruity mix of calm and relaxation, and I enjoyed trying each one! In line with our plan, we headed over to a nightclub that students frequently visit during the weekends, and Nele and I had fun dancing to a mix of American and German music, a playlist combination I loved including what has now become my favorite German song for partying: She Moves by Alle Farben. Under what I believe was a combination of alcohol and jet lag, we decided to head back to Nele's and help Anne recover from the fatigue she was experiencing. Once back home I fixed her quick sandwich to help her stomach the alcohol and we headed right to bed, at 2:00 a.m. Hey, you have to party like the locals, right? Well apparently not, as Nele informed us the next morning that most people in town who party don't get home until about 4 or 5 a.m. 

We got a late start to the day on Saturday, as Anne and I were not up and having breakfast until about 10. We rode the train over to Ladenburg, a town smaller than Heidelberg. We walked around the cobblestone streets and even watched a bride get into a beautifully adorned black Audi on her way to the local church. The best part of Ladenburg was watching a store worker walk out to enjoy her cigarette as well as the view of the bride and the commotion around her. Nele and Anne laughed as I paraphrased what I believe this store worker was thinking as she surveyed the scene before her wither head leaning to the right and her body in a defensive stance: let's talk after a year when you realize marriage is all about washing dishes and making babies. It really did seem as if the store worker did not approve of the marital union happening right then. 

Saturday afternoon we treated ourselves to a döner kabob, a pita bread-like tortilla with a delicious inside consisting of of lettuce, cabbage, corn, two different types of sauces, onions, tomatoes (which I kindly shared with Anne), and kabob meat. Finally back at Nele's, we sat on her porch as we took in a Heidelberg sunset for our last evening there. This morning, Sunday, we packed up our few belongings, and after a quick stroll to Old Heidelberg as a goodbye, we tentatively our backpacks on (no backpack baby anymore!) and headed for the train station. We are now on our way to Paris, and I am not shy to admit I almost cried and shrieked (two very extreme emotional reactions for me, I'll have you know) as I heard my beautiful language being spoken over the intercom, "Mesdammes et Messieurs, nous commençons notre voyage à Paris Est. Notre heure d'arrivé est approximent à vingt heures cinquante quatre." 

Paris j'en y vais!

Paris here I come! 

Since I am now on a train travelling a speeds exceeding 190 miles per hour, whizzing past the French countryside, I will bid you adieu with a simple:

Au revoir!

P.S. I just remembered; we also had gelato on our dancing night. I have to mention it because I asked for a scoop of Nutella and it was delicious! We also had it on Saturday, when I enjoyed two wonderful scoops of strawberries and almonds. Yes, I have had gelato almost every day since I've been in Europe. No, I am not ashamed. 

Walking around on our first night in Heidelberg. This was taken from a bridge over the Neckar river and the castle is in full view on the left! 

So many bikes! We walked mostly and took some trains and buses, but the atmosphere in Heidelberg really is geared towards bikers and pedestrians. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you backpack baby. Anne is holding it so lightly as there was nothing in it. This was en route to the tailor.

 

Pakou tailor! This is my new best friend for ever Aigou who fixed backpack baby and brought it back to life. Merci Aigou, vous m'avez sauvé!

On our way up to the castle, this is just one of the many fraternity houses we encountered. Frat parties anyone?? 

Atop the castle in Heidelburg. Seriously, the view. See the tower just left of my knees?  

I got these girls to join me, briefly, for an amazing picture. It was worth it ladies. Am I right or am I right??

This is atop the church tower from two pictures above. The girls were a little more worried as I sat atop the tower. While I was determined to get this shot...

...they held on to the wall for dear life! 

Downstairs in the safe confines of having feet on the ground; this is where I lit candles for the loved ones in my life. 

Birthday gelato! 

Watching the opening of the World Cup. It stays so light out until very late over here, this was around 22:30!

 

The amphitheater at Thinkstätte. After walking 6.5km to get there, I'm proud to say we walked up all those stairs too! 

Had to take a picture before walking up though! 

My view from the top of the stairs. Little did I know those leaves on my right would cause me such pain! I'm exaggerating a bit, but seeing as how Nele said lost kids throw huge tantrums when they touch a Brennessel, I figured I have some poetic license to describe my anguish. 

My breakfast while in Heidelberg. I did not get tired of this, although I did mix in some Nutella for a change on two days. I'm missing the salami and cheese on German bread already. 

Speaking of food, take a look at these strawberries! Anne and I bought some for the train ride to Paris. They are the sweetest strawberries I have ever tasted. Schmeckt gut!!

Dressed to represent my beautiful Spain. Anne is wearing orange for Netherlands, while Nele remained neutral in her lovely light purple dress (although she secretly cheered for Spain, right Nele?)

 

At the game. I'm smiling because Spain is still 1-0. My German beer surely eased the pain of a 5-1 loss! 

This is me on the ledge of a bridge over the Neckar. I was wondering if people thought I was weird for being so silly...

...and then I saw I had started a photo trend...

...so I stepped it up a bit! 

Yet another gelato picture! I figured the girls needed something to calm their nerves after my daredevil antics. 

Chit chat and lasagna on our last afternoon in Heidelberg!

Our last sunset in Heidelberg! Nele du warst eine sehr cool Gastgeberin! 

For all you non-kilometer folks, that is about 200mph on a train headed to Paris!