A Fairytale

This past weekend, I took a three and a half hour train ride to visit Katherine in her placement city of Mainz.  I have been to Mainz a few times already, so we didn't have to focus on the sights and instead could focus on our weeks (it had only been eight days since we had said goodbye at orientation haha) and enjoy the sunshine and temperate climate of Mainz.

And of course, what you've all been waiting forrrr... the return to Heidelberg. Yep, after 14 months, after our whole senior years at BC, we returned to our dear city of great memories for just one day.  We woke up at 6am so that we could catch a train to HD (just under a two hour trip) to get there around 9:15 so we could go to our favorite ExtraBlatt for the all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast!  Now let's remember that these cafes are a German chain and there are a number of them in every German city.  But no- we had to go to the Heidelberg one!  Despite being wicked tired, it was all worth it :)  Rolls and croissants and pudding and jam and cheese and meat and sausage and bacon and fruit and veggies and eggs and juice. NOMNOMNOM.

Moving on.

Next we walked up and down Hauptstrasse, not too crowded yet as it wasn't yet noon.  Stopped by the DAI where Katherine and I both had our internships during the semester and said hi.  Then walked back up the street, stopping at Studentenwohnheims where AJY people had lived, and making notes of every place a memory had happened.  Then turned around and walked back down to the Bismarkplatz bridge for my absolute favorite view of the city, and then hiked up to the Philosophenweg.  Those certain muscles required for all of that steep climbing were unfortunately a bit out of shape so we had to take a little breather when we got to the top.

i love the spot where the two hills meet at the river

the classic shot

Although we had seen this view of Heidelberg more times than we could count, it was still absolutely beautiful.  HD is such a small city, but I think that's what makes it so beautiful- because it's really only the pretty part that anyone sees, because the residential areas are on the other side of the river, where you would only go if you were living there or staying with someone who lived there.  Made a visit to the dear old Krampus as well, just as dangerous as ever, and then trekked back down the mountain.

We really thought all of this trekking around would've taken more time, but it ended up being only around 2:00.  And unfortunately Eckstein didn't even open until 6:00 so we had to wait around some more, and couldn't even eat anymore because we were so full from ExtraBlatt!  Rang the bell at the AJY Center and luckily there were a few kids in there, so we go to visit the center and chat with the new kids- hopefully they took note of our tips and pointers for how to have an amazing semester in Heidelberg!  Then we made a quick stop at Woolworth for some cheap household goods- neither Mainz nor Münster have this wonderful store :(

Then sat down outside at a cafe and went through two cups of coffee, just killing time and people watching... finally it was 6:00 and we could go to Eckstein!  Of course we were the only people in the bar at the time, and I was heartbroken to not recognize the bartender.  I asked him though if Dirk, Reinhardt, or Werner were working that night and he said they'd all be in just before 9:00, so thankfully Katherine agreed to take a later train so we could say hello to them!  Left for a couple hours to get döner at my favorite, Kebab Haus, and Katherine's favorite, Yufka's.  Made a stop at Reichsapfel, also empty, and then full circle back to Eckstein and Werner and Reinhardt recognized us right away, despite it being over a year since we had been in that bar!

Reinhardt poured us some free shots, and we happily put down a liter of beer and just reveled in all the memories we had from that small, dingy, wooden bar that played weird rock and metal music.  It has been such a surreal but amazing day walking around Heidelberg, but ending it in that bar was just icing on the cake.  Then we had to leave around 9:30 to catch the train back to Mainz...about a two hour ride that we slept for most of because we were absolutely exhausted.  Back to Katherine's flat and collapsed.  Spent Sunday in Mainz just chilling and then at a cafe before my train at 5:20- back in Münster around 9:00pm. 

It was absolutely wonderful to visit Heidelberg again, but it was almost weird being there because Katherine and I both noticed what a fairytale it really was.  Real cities don't look like that!!! And probably half the people we passed the whole day were speaking English.  I always knew it was a tourist city and that everyone spoke English, but I never realized actually how much, until now, since I've been in Münster where I have not heard anyone speak English while walking around!  It was actually bothering me hearing so many people speak English!  But now I know why my German never really got that good!- you would talk to anyone in shops in German and they would respond in English, whereas here in Münster, they give me a chance to work out the German, like today when I was depositing money at the bank to pay my bill for Uni whiich has to be done all via snail mail and through my German bank account.

But yes, it was absolutely lovely to visit and we will be definitely visiting again, most likely in the Spring, and will maybe even do the half marathon in Heidelberg!  I already know though, that a year in Münster will be much better for my German, even if my actual job here is in all the English classes.  I'm just here in such a different context than when I was abroad and I have to remember that.  It's been hard re-experiencing Germany without all the AJYers that made my semester in Heidelberg so incredible, but I just have to find other ways to have an incredible and enlightening year here in Münster!  And here's to that!