Friday, February 26, I woke up bright and early at 4am to head to the airport for my flight to Frankfurt. I was on my way to Germany to visity my friend, Annalyse Hamill, from UMW. She is studying at Schiller University in Heidelberg, Germany which is about an hour south of Frankfurt. So I had to find the train station and get on the right train from Frankfurt airport to Heidelberg and let me just say that I know NO German. Fortunately everyone I talked to was really nice and basically everyone in Germany knows English. You just have to ask "Sprechen Sie Englisch?" (Sprecken Zee English) which is "Do you speak English?"
I arrived in Heidelberg around noon just in time for lunch. We went to Haupstrasse which is the main, old pedestrian street in Heidelberg which has all these shops, restuarants and churches. We ate at the Dubliner, an irish pub, (yes, i ate at an irish pub in Germany) and I had the BEST vanilla milkshake and bacon cheeseburger ever! It was like a taste of home. Next, we stopped in the Jesuitkirche, Jesuit Church, which is newer. Annalyse attended Ash Wednesday Mass there but she said it was all in German and she couldn't understand half of it. But the church itself was just beautiful! We also went by the older church in Heidelberg, Heilgegeistkirche, Holy Ghost Church, which was not as impressive at all at least on the inside. The outside was much nicer. Unfortunately the day was cloudy, windy and spitting rain. So we stopped in a really cute Starbucks to warm up! Oh how I miss Starbucks! It seems that every European country has them except Spain! It is not necessarily that I miss Starbucks, even, I just miss having a big, warm, cup of coffee to just sip on. In Spain all you get is these tiny mugs with an espresso shot that I can finish in two sips. I still enjoy those, but I do really miss Starbucks.
Haupstrasse & steeple of Heilgegeistkirche
Inside the Jesuitkirche
Alter in the Jesuitkirche
For dinner that night, Annalyse took me to the "Oldest Brewery in Heidelberg" called Vetter for some traditional German food. I had wiesßwurst which is white sausage that comes with a sweet mustard sauce and a soft pretzel. I also got a pale ale which tasted so good! Nothing like good German beer. However, I actually found out later that my meal is not usually a dinner meal, its usually eaten for breakfast or between breakfast and lunch. I still enjoyed it, however. Oh, but for dessert Annalyse and I shared an amazing apple strudel! It was drenched in a vanilla cream sauce and topped with whipped cream! It was the best apple strudel I have ever eaten!
Vetter- Heidelberg's Oldest Brewery
My German meal of wiesßwurst and Pale Ale
Best Dessert Ever!
After dinner, we saw the Alt Brücke, the Old Bridge, and Schloss Castle lit up at night. Also, next to the Old Bridge was this statue of a monkey that you can put your face up into and look out from it. Annalyse didn't really know why it was there but I still took a picture with it!
Old Bridge lit up at night
Castle lit up at night
Me inside the Monkey Statue
The next day we walked half way up the mountain on a path called Philosophenweg, Philosopher's Way. It leads up to an amphitheater created by Hitler and the Nazis which was used for Hitler to make propaganda speeches for the war. The people of Heidelberg were actually strongly for the war and Heidelberg University was one of the first universities to kick out its Jewish professors. Now the amphitheater is a popular place for people to walk up to and get a great view of the whole city. We could not have asked for a better day, upper 50s and sunny! At the amphitheater there were buttercups blooming which reminded me that Spring is almost here! We caught our breath after climbing the steep hill on one of the benches and just took in the view.
Signs of Spring
Amphitheater
View of Heidelberg
Castle & Church behind me.
Me & Annalyse
Then we climbed back down to where the Old Bridge is, took some pictures by the river and then went and found somewhere to eat for lunch on Haupstrasse. After being re-energized by lunch, we hiked up another steep incline to the Castle, Schloss. It was built in the 8th century but in 17th century it was bombed by the French so there are some towers missing and parts that are fallen down, but it is still a pretty castle. And we got to see another amazing view of all of Heidelberg.
Old Bridge
Old Bridge, Church, & Castle in background
View from the Castle
Annalyse and I at the Castle
Inside the citadel is a representation of how much Germans enjoy their beer. There is a monstrous Keg or Grose Fass, Great Barrel, which is 25 feet high and can hold 59,000 gallons of beer. When it was built in 1750 it was too big to fill with beer so they just made the beer inside the keg. I cannot even explain to you how massive this thing is! Quite a site!
Gross Fasse
I look so small next to it!
Schoss
Inside the Citadel
After exploring the castle more, we did some shopping on Haupstrasse and headed back to the dorm to get some needed rest! That night we went to a cafe for dinner where I got tortellini which is also a food I miss greatly! Then we hung out and watched The Office all night! The next morning is when the real adventure began!
Let me just sum up my traveling fiasco with a few bullet points:
- Left Sunday morning by train for the airport. However, I had to change trains in Frankfurt main for a regional train to the airport.
- While waiting for my airport train, every sign in the station changes to a German announcement which I found out said all the trains have been stopped until further notice.
- After an hour and half of waiting, I finally made it onto a train going to the airport.
- Arrive at the airport at 3:30pm, my flight leaves at 4:10pm, I was suppose to get there at 2:15pm.
- Check-in, sprint all the way to my gate which of course is the last one in the terminal. I made it just in time to find out my flight is canceled, along with just about every other flight going out of Frankfurt due to an incoming wind storm.
- Stand in the Lufthansa ticket line for 2 hours to be put on a plane back to Bilbao on Monday at 11:30am.
- Spent another night in an airport, which was very uncomfortable, long, and contained little sleep.
- Finally make it back to Bilbao at 2pm just in time to get to my afternoon classes but not enough time to make it home. After 3 hours of class, I finally make it back to the apartment at 7:30pm, quick dinner, and I pass out to get some sleep I desperately needed.
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