Castles, castles, castles

Germany has got to have the highest number of castles per capita of any nation, because these things are all over the place. Any German town worth its salt has got at least one, preferably multiple. I'm on the subject of castles, because two weekends ago my friend Marie (the one I visited in Copenhagen in April) came to Tuebingen for a few days to see everybody again. So we took a couple day trips while she was here; on Saturday (the 4th) to Heidelberg and then on Sunday to Burg (Castle) Hohenzollern.

Heidelberg is a beautiful city, and it's easy to see why it's so popular with tourists--and it's got a very famous castle, or technically, ruins of a castle. The vibe of the town reminded be a lot of Tuebingen, but Heidelberg is at least twice as big, so it was a little bit more happening. I think I would rank it as my 3rd-favorite German city, after Berlin and Koeln.

the Neckar (way bigger here than it is in Tuebingen)






views of the Alte Bruecke and the Altstadt



we did a little hiking on the Philosophenweg ("Philosphers' Wag"). Lesson learned? we're out of shape and I have short arms






crossing the Alte Bruecke ("Old Bridge") into the old town; crowded!; there was some festival going on, complete with grilled sausage, an oompah band, and of course, beer.



we went into this souvenir shop and there was a huge section devoted to Christmas (though it was only the beginning of July)



Schloss Heidelberg



views from the castle



some of the castle facade; finally, champagne glasses big enough for mom!


the castle walls




the monkey you're supposed to rub for good luck; the best umbrella in the world


the obligatory tired/sleeping in train photos


Burg Hohenzollern (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohenzollern_Castle) is a medieval castle on top of this hill/mountain near a village about 30 minutes south of Tuebingen. It's a little bit of a hike to get up to the castle itself, but the views of the surrounding countryside are incredible, and it's pretty obvious why some old noble decided to build his castle there!


pictures from the bus ride


when we got there there was literally a fleet of these Smart Cars and I have no idea why; hiking up to the castle; DREW


the ramparts; hi Zsofia!; Ade pondering the castle










Marie taking a picture; Drew looking threatening with Ade's duck umbrella



the main court/square of the castle



what, do they put Evian in the water bowls or something?; in the chapel



going through the little museum in the casemates




the village of Hechingen; a wisp of cloud that got stuck on the hillside; "die Frauen"



don't fall off the wall!


goodbye Burg Hohenzollern!


Dinner at Zsofia's; Marie and Ade hanging out in the park



When we got back to Tuebingen there were tons of people boating in the Stocherkaehne (those boats that are being punted with a long pole). The river was super-muddy because of the rains though.


Overall a great weekend: it was so nice to see Marie again, and I was also happy that I got to do a little more traveling and exploring around southern Germany. The only bad part was that Marie and I both suffered some kind of weird bug bite that made our ankle swell enormously, making some of the walking around a little difficult. But we survived!

The next weekend I went to visit Pascal, but we actually ended up going with his parents to go see his grandparents (the ones he and I visited back in January). It was a nice weekend, nice to see his grandparents of again, and nice to eat some good food, but of course I didn't accomplish as much work as I wanted to, so when I got back to Tuebingen I was a little stressed since I had 2 tests on Wednesday. But they went fine, and now all I have left is 2 more tests, research for my 20-page essay, submitting the IRB petition for my Senior Thesis Project (at WashU), completing all necessary paperwork relating to exmatrikulation and declaring the end of my residency in Germany, and packing up all of my belongings. Did I mention that all that needs to be accomplished within the next 10 days? That's right, only 10 more days in Tuebingen, then 13 days with Pascal, and then I'll (finally) be heading back to the US. I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly! I'm half in denial that I'm leaving, half already waxing nostalgic, and half anxious to get home. My emotions are so conflicting that I need 3 halves to describe them! But that's always the way it is at life's turning points: something must be left behind in order to enter into something new. And in the fall I have my senior year, my apartment with Elyse, seeing my friends again, and yes, even classes and my thesis project at WashU to look forward to. Now if it would only stop raining so I could actually enjoy my last few weeks here! German weather is one thing I will not miss, that's for sure!