Well, we caught the train from Magdeburg HBF at 8.01 and we had to change twice on the way to Heidelberg. The second train (an ICE) we were in crossed from East to West Germany and that was the most scenic part of the trip since we crossed alot of countryside..on boht sides of the train were hills rolling out...vast expanses of green countryside, dotted with the trees in shades and hues of green, red and yellow...I shall never tire of seeing them. Occassionally we spotted a village nestled in the hills, with their white-washed cottages and red roofs!!! The most charming sight ever...not to mention the sight of sheep and cows grazing on the hills, or those of horses running across fields, or even those of the little woods we spotted on the way...
Ofcourse when we entered Frankfurt, it was slightly different. It being a big city, we spotted many factories spewing smoke into the atmosphere, way too many buildings that hurt my romantic senses at that time (hahaha!!) and well, I was vaguely reminded of Blake's 'London' and his 'black-appalled churches'!!!!
We caught the last train from Manheim to Heidlberg, a Regional Bahn as compared to the earlier Inter City Expresses we had travelled in during the day, so it was slower and very quaint too!!!
At Heidelberg station I FINALLY got my Eurail pass validated and then we waited for didi to pick us up!!! Didi arrived and took us immediately down to the Old city area where we were left at our means to roam, around and absorb in all the sights and do as we please...and we did. The entire area is a treat to the senses...the charming cobbled streets are lined with old cottages, an amazing range of shops that were extremely irresistible (all three of us shopped!!!), and innumerable cafes, bakeries, restaurants, pubs and inns!! The walk was definitely a delight...the University building, the church, the student jail are all in these magnificient buildings, but nothing can compare to our first sight of the Heidelberg castle. Mindblowing, Awesome, Breath-taking...take your pick...the sight of the castle looming over us, nestled in the hill...I can't find the words to describe how it felt...we stood there for several mintues just taking in the sight before we got busy clicking photgraphs...and did we take some!! :)
We walked down to the Neckar river valley after that, and well, I didn't think it possible but it just kept getting better. The river runs through Heidelberg and on one side is the market are of the old city and on the other bank are rows of these old cottages and beyond that the hills...it was the most charming sight ever!!! We walked down the length and then over the Bridge...when we turned around, we just stood there gaping...why? We saw the castle...the sun had set by then and the castle was alit with soft glowing lights, looking down on the city in all its splendour...I think I won't be exaggerating if I say that the experience was very close to the sublime.....nothing more I can say will describe the moment....
It doesn't quite catch the essence, but well take a peek!!!
We walked back leisurely after that to meet didi at the Bismarck Platz, and after that we headed to Didi's house. She lives in a small town near Heidelberg and has a very nice three storeyed house. It felt sooooo good to be staying in a proper house, even if it was for only two days and the house not exactly fully furnished since Didi has shifted so much in the past that she's not collected much furniture!!! Anyways, we had a nice light dinner of soup and salad and talked till we decided its bedtime!!!
The next day, we had big plans but did just one thing...we walked up to the castle...the view of the city and the entire river valley, from that height was simply breathtaking...I went quite crazy clicking photgraphs. Inside the castle is an Apotheke (Pharmacy) Museum that traces the development of pharmacy over the centuries...most fascinating. I thought several times of Appu, coz she would find it most engrossing!!! After that we took the castle tour - our guide a German descendant who was brought up in Canada was a really charming guy with a great sense of humour making the historical details very interesting, and well, the tour more memorable!!! I will go into raptures again if I begin to describe each sight from the different levels...so I won't go into that again. The castle itself has an amazing history that I shall try to get in here a little later...we spent almost the whole day in the castle, and then went for a long lunch. Ironically we ate Thai food in Germany, since there were some problems with who eats what...Didi settled on a Thai restaurant, saying everyone will get something of thier taste there!! The meal itself was sumptuous...and very filling (I had duck in sweet and sour sauce with rice and white wine!!)..so much so that we slept without dinner!! Before we went home, however, we stopped at IKEA, a Swedish furniture store...Saima and I were drooling over their modular furniture and the various set-ups they had...
Once again once we got home, we started talking and I must say I really enjoyed talking with Didi. We were talking about scary experiences and how I find bungalows scary...we got onto the topic of our first week in Magdeburg when the radio had started playing in the middle of the night and I was so freaked out, thinking someone is in the house...and ofcourse the sounds the radiator makes when the pipes expand and contract due to the cold and heat...pretty darn wierd!!! We traded stories about such experiences and didi's own experiences when she first went to Maine to study...felt really good!!!
The last day there, we went to Bruchstal and Swetzingen. At Bruchstal, there is a palace which has all these figures painted on the outside but till you aren't really close you think they are sculpted onto the outside wall!!! It was really very interesting...Swetzingen Palace has the most amazing gardens I've seen. Even though it is autumn and things weren't as gorgeous as they are in summer, I could imagine how wonderful the place would look...the garden has sections with a Moorish style, Italian style, Greek temple, a grotto, some Scotland-type ruins, ducks and swans in a lake, formal British gardens, an Orangerie....I wish I had more time to stroll through at leisure...actually I wish I'd been there in Summer...
We caught out train back home after that...rather, trains, since we had three changes this time..we were exhausted by the time we got to Magdeburg and were actually relieved to be 'home'!!! Nothing like 'home' even if its a temporary one, is there? One interesting experience was on the Regional Bahn from Seesen to Braunschweig - we had to sit in the smoking compartment coz the non-smoking was full. In there was this very scary looking girl..but her looks weren't what we found fascinating...what was fascinating was the fact that she was making her own cigarettes!! She had a box full of tobacco and a machine that she used to actually make a cigarette!!! I think I gaped too much, coz she was shooting daggers at me later!!!
Ok I'm tired typing and its past 9 pm...must go home now...tomorrow is our presentation on Bollywood/Mumbai...shall be abck however in the morning to add more...I'm not done yet....
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