Melissa's Travels

gAfter a 12 day stay in Weinheim, it's finally time to say goodbye (or auf weidersehen rather) and head NE for a week in Erfurt.

Weinheim is located in the Baden-Wurttemberg state of Germany, situated pretty much between Stuttgart and Frankfurt. This little geographical fact was something I learned after our arrival in the city as it was nowhere to be found in any of the numerous guidebooks I'd scoured and could not be located on a map. I was nervous for the adventures that awaited us since only two of us spoke any German (with myself being counted in that duo!) and we had almost two weeks ahead of us before the German prof would arrive. Sure, of all Europeans, Germans are the ones most likely to speak English, but since we'd be staying in what I imagined to be a teeny tiny village, all bets for fluent English speakers were off.

As luck would have it, Weinheim was slightly bigger than I'd imagined. Home to a tram system, internet cafe and grocery store, we quickly settled into our home away from home. Unfortunately, the walk to get into town was 45 minutes from our hostel so we often reluctantly shelled out money for the overpriced tram. We also discovered that self service laundry was nowhere to be found in Weinheim. In my mind that instantly meant plan b:: "wash clothes in my sink," but for many of the students it meant paying far too much money to a woman operating a laundromat of sorts out of her basement. Drop off your clothes, she decides how much to charge you (based on some unknown calculations) and you return the next day for your freshly laundered clothes.

Thankfully, being in the middle of nowhere proved to have many perks as well. Without the distraction of nearby nighclubs, cafes or tourist attractions, we had a great deal of time for bonding, rest and rejuvination. After our nightly "family dinners," (homemade and courtesy of the hostel owner--which we literally cheered for every night it was wheeled in to the dining room), we often teamed up for group games--basketball, volleyball versus a group of french teenagers and my new beloved past time-- bocci ball! And even better, there was a track right next door which was perfectly suited for knee and back friendly running. We were also able to bring the siesta to Germany and gear up for the whirlwind adventures that surely awaited us as we headed through Erfurt, Weimar and Berlin. For myself, I'll still have another 3 weeks after that as well, which involve a week in a villa on the Amalfi Coast of Italy (yes, I am TOO lucky!!) and a jam packed sightseeing trip through Italy and Spain after my sister and her friend, Trisha, join me in Rome on June 16th.

Another perk of being situated in Weinheim was that it allowed for daytrips to nearby cities, which we did our best to take advantage of. First stop was Heidelberg--a university town south of us that I'd already visited back in 2005. It had been muggy all weekend so I finally decided to dress appropriately in a skirt and leggings. Unfortunately, my fashion change just so happened to coincide with a change in the weather. We were greeted in Heidelberg by a rainstorm reminiscent of February in Seattle. I was left to suffer through the day torn in two by my feelings of excitement to see the city and also wishing we could get home ASAP so I could put on socks, sweats, a hoodie, blankets, etc--anything but a dress and leggings!! Thankfully our tour guide's enthusiasm and knowledge left me distracted enough to survive the afternoon. Dr. Brian Tracy (Heidelberg prof in charge of their American exchange program) led us through a tour of the university's library, museum (we learned that the city was spared during WWII because an American student who'd attended Heidelberg was assisting with the plans of the air raids and has convinced the person in charge that the city would be a great location for headquarters following the war), and finally the student jail. I hadn't had the fortune this last destination in '05 and was delightfully amused at seeing the locations where Heidelberg's misbehaving students were "jailed." If a student did not spend time in this jail during their time at the university, they were considered a disgrace. The walls were lined with silohuettes of former prisoners created out of soot and paintings recounting the tales of their innocence.

After lunch it was time to head up the hill to Heidelberg's castle. One particular student was beyond excited for this part of the day. She had signe dup for this trip based largely on her love and enthusiasm for castles and had been thoroughly dissapointed that all we had seen so far were palaces. Personally, I never realized there was such a difference between castles and palaces. Apparently there is. I'd already visited the Heidelberg castle 4 years ago, but I still managed to soak up a few new things thanks to my audioguide. After wandering through the crumbling remains, we wandered back into town and took refuge from the rain in where else than Starbucks. If you're going to have weather reminiscent of Seattle, you might as well get the whole experience, right?

Our next trip started off with an early train to Worms. We visited the very cathedral where Martin Luther defended his thesis. Sitting there in one of the pews, gazing up at the grandiose altar adorned in gold, got me thinking about the purpose of cathedrals. Now maybe I have just reached the point in my trip where I am feeling burnt out on cathedrals, or maybe it's the fact that I don't identify as a Catholic myself, but I found myself thinking that maybe all of this was a little (dare I say it) excessive? I understand the purpose of churches are to bring people together--to create community and a place to support one another in your relationship with God. I understand how the light streaming in through the stained glass and the high vaulted ceilings are all symbolic of God and His creation. But didn't Christ preach to people in the streets? And isn't much of Christianity about seeking a life of simplicity? I'm certainly no expert on theology. One of my friends pointed to a Bible passage that seems to justify the aesthetic exuberance of cathedrals, but I don't feel like going into this here. Really, I don't want to argue one way or another. Especially since I am a huge fan of certain cathedrals I've been in, but I do feel like I need to nonetheless mention that the question crossed my mind.

After the cathedral and a quick stop at the once upon a time meeting place of Charles V and Martin Luther, we headed to the site of the oldest Jewish cemetary in Europe. The oldest legible headstone in Holy Sands dates back to 1076 and the most recent is from 1940. It is remarkable that the cemetary survived under the Third Reich. Walking amongst the headstones inscribed with a mix of German and Hebrew, I found myself filled with a deep appreciation for the opportunity to be there. It was surreal and holy and bittersweet. I am a fan of cemetaries (can you call yourself that? A fan? Of cemetaries?), but it really is impossible to walk through them without feeling a little blue after the blatant reminder of mortality. However, I had a little awakening as I left through the gates of Heiliger (Holy in German) Sand--hidden in my scarf was a tiny flower that had fallen from the trees as I was strolling the grounds. It was a befitting reminder that many of the things we enjoy and consider beautiful are actually endings. A boquet of picked flowers, the beginning of summer, a trip abroad, etc. A beginning? Or an end? All a matter of perspective.

Next it was on to Manneheim. It turned out to be a brief and slighlty disappointing afternoon. We arrived to discover that the art museum and palace (our intended destination) was just closing. I'm very impressed at how gracious and flexible my students are becoming when faced with unexpected turns such as this. Whenever something doesn't go as planned we all glance at one another and more often than not respond with, "it is an adventure!" When traveling you really have to go overboard on the optimism at times. Misfortunes become good stories to tell at home, material for journaling or adventures shared. Humor and optimism are essential. As it turned out, our trip to Mannheim wasn't a complete waste of time either--a few blocks away we discovered a beautiful fountain and water tower where we relaxed until the next train arrived to whisk us back home to Weinheim.

All in all, our week and a half in Weinheim was relatively "unproductive" by many traveling standards. There were probably many local castles, cathedrals and museums we missed out on seeing and we spend most afternoons holed up in the city's sole internet cafe. However, we made numerous new friends. The French High School students we challenged to an impromptu volleyball tournament, the woman who frequented the internet cafe and local ice cream shop (a former pilot and aspiring deep sea diver who wore a parrot on her shoulder), the internet cafe owner himself who frequently bestowed us with complimentary cups of tea and gifted us with ice cream bars on our final night in town, the Chinese restaurant workers who chatted it up with us in a mix of French, English and German and gave us free shots of Chinese liquor, and the Subway Sandwich worker who gave us free cookies and invited us to see his punck band play in Mannheim. In the travel adventures I've had in the past few years have allowed me to "refine" my "travel philosophy" and judging by our standards I think our time in Weinheim was as "productive" as could be. Traveling is about more than just how many sites you see, it's about the people you meet, the "adventures" you have and the siestas and journaling opportunities you indulge in. Weinheim left us rested, rejuvinated, slightly homesick, but with a great first impression of Germany and ready to make the most of our final 19 days together.