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Day two was spent visiting the Army post,
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On my third day I finally I felt more alive, and ready to see some of Germany. Rick took me for my first ride on the street car. That is quite an experience. These street cars are so narrow they only have a two seat bench on one side and one seat on the other. The other interesting thing is several doors along the side admit people and no one asks for a fare. It is totally on the honor system. (Untill the streetcar police come on board) You can buy a ticket which is good for the whole day at a ticket machine, at the larger stops or pay the driver upon entering the car. The street car is like a subway in that when the seats are all taken, any extra people stand and hold the straps or poles. The street car stops are spaced about 3 or 4 blocks apart and each stop is announced by the driver or a recording depending on the age of the cars. There must be 8 or 10 trolleys on each route because they are spaced 10 minutes apart and there is never much of a wait. Unlike subways though, are the exit buttons near the doors. If you plan to enter or exit you need to push the button. Since there are several doors, and don’t always need to be opened , it’s up to you to request the door to open. Despite the frequency of the stops the ride is amazingly fast. Since the street car has priority it accelerates very quickly. You actually get pushed back in your seat when it takes off and forward when it stops, if you happen to be facing the front (half the seats face backwards). When we reached the Bizmarkplatz ( the city center and the place where almost all buses and street cars go through) we disembarked and walked across the street to enter the Hauptstrasse (the street in the old city where no cars are allowed). Crossing streets in Germany is a new experience in itself. The walk lights are strictly adhered to. Almost no one attempts to cross until you get a green walk lite. The traffic drives so fast it is very important to follow this example.
On this first visit to the old city we only went about half way
down the seemingly endless Hauptstrasse, before I was became tired (knowing
I had to turn around and go all the way back).
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Entering
the Hauptstrasse you find yourself on a street lined with shops and cafe’s.
The street is lined with cobblestones and people. It is the most
traveled street in Heidelberg, and all on foot. The buildings are
hundreds of years old and only the first floor is converted into modern
shops. Many are seemingly unchanged, especially the cafe’s.
There are many of these and most have some tables and chairs on the street
for those who’d rather stay out in the sunlight rather than the darkened
cafe’. It appears the Germans love ice cream (called ice) since there
are almost as many ice shops as cafe’s. The other very common stores are
the Bakeries and Apothecaries.
Heidelberg- April 3, 1997- website
I finished reading my book "Seventh Scroll" by Wilbur Smith.
It was great. Can’t wait to read another by him. At 2pm I made myself
get out of the apartment. I hoped to take the bus to do some reconnaissance
but I was 5 minutes late and the next bus was not for another 1 ½
hours so I took the streetcar to town. When I arrived at Bizmakplatz
I went into the Horten Galleria and took the escalator to the top floor
and had a soda while overlooking the city. It was sunny so the view was
better than the first time I was there. When I went back to the first
floor I finally bought a doll for Jennifer, I had been eyeing the last
time.
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I walked around a little after that but was not feeling that good so I
want to the flower market and bought some roses and took the streetcar
home. I got off at Rohrbach Market and went to the Kronnenberg Backari
anyway. I tried a new cake that looked like my favorite streusel
kucken but with apricots and cheese filling. It was O.K. but I don’t
really care for the apricots. After taking the streetcar home even
though it was only a few blocks away (still tired) I lied down after arriving
in my room and putting my flowers in water. That's when I do my best thinking.
I decided to write these this account of my trip to Germany at that time,
so I got up and wrote several pages.
| Freiburg and
The Black Forest-
Rick had two days off April 7 & 8th and we decided to go to the Black forest. Looking g through the book o f Germany I found that Friburg was the seat of the Black Forest so we decided to give it a try. We had errands to do first so we didn’t get going until 12:30 p.m. but the Autobahn got us there in 2 hours. At first it appeared to be a smaller city than Heidelberg but the shopping was a lot more compact and I think far greater. Two scenes stick out in my mind. The lacy spire of the Munster Church which is the center of the old city and the two towers of the old city gates.
We decided on Italian food for lunch and ate at Restaurant Roma. There was a beautiful terrace upstairs and we sat in the warm sun. The food was not what we expected. Although we ordered canolli and lasagna it tasted far different than we were used to. The tomato sauce was mild and without tomato paste or the bright red color. It looked more like Campbell's tomato soup. Neither Rick nor I were impressed. I wonder if it is that way in Italy? After lunch we returned to our car and decided to register in the hotel just down the street as it was located so close to the center of town. After registering and finding out we could move our car to the hotel parking lot we found out that parking on the street was limited to 20 min. and we’d been there over an hour. So as expected we got a ticket. We had been so happy to find a place to park we never thought there might be a restriction.
The market place contained many stalls of produce and some local
craftsmen. There were the usual cafe’s and chairs and tables and many people
enjoying the ambiance and the sun. The architecture of the church
was fantastic. It was so huge and everywhere you looked there were
carvings and statues. I’ve never seen so many gargoyles. They were so fascinating
and sometimes bawdy! Many of the buildings lining the plaza were
also very fascinating. They were a grand mix and were a wonder in
and of themselves. I went into the cathedral while Rick remained
outside and ate a Brotwourst.
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After
we were settled in our room which was very tiny but comfortable we decided
to continue to explore. We were hungry again and stopped in a lovely
2nd floor cafe for a snack. When we emerged there were a troop of
French Dancers in the courtyard. It was wonderful to watch them.
But eventually we moved on. We loved the old streets and ally ways.
When you turned a corner you never knew what knew site would be before
your eyes. The spire of the church drew us to that marketplace and it was
well worth it.
Inside
was magnificent. The stained glass windows were immense. I’d
never seen any so large. There we no lights on inside. Only the light
from the windows and the many candles near some of the shrines illuminated
the vast interior. The pillars alone were enough to inspire but everywhere
you turned there was more and more glorious sites. Wonderful alcoves
lined the walls and enclosing either mausoleums or statuary. Staircases
shrines and alters were just some of the breathtaking art filling the cathedral.
I stayed only a few minutes but found so much grace and beauty, truly inspiring.
We shopped ourselves out including the visit to a wonderful store that
specialized in high quality local style clothing. I found fabulous
dresses with leather lace up vests. I fell in love with them.
Rick found wonderful vests and shirts. But when he tried on a size
39 , the smallest size, it was too big. He’s still looking for similar
shirts.
 We walked
ourselves back toward our hotel and almost got lost. We went a street
to far and I sat on a bench in front of a church and its fountain while
Rick reconnoitered the way home. He decided we needed to go down
a side street. As we crossed the canal running through the city I
thought it would be nice to stay in a Hotel near the canal. I took
a photo of the canal and we continued to the corner. And there we
were. Only 50 feet from our Hotel. And it backed the canal!
When we climbed the stairs I opened the window on our floor and leaned
out and there it was just below me. I leaned out and took another
photo of the same canal.
After resting for a while we dressed for supper and went down
expecting to eat at the hotel only to find it closed on Mondays.
So we asked the desk clerk for a suggestion. It seams most restaurants
are closed Mondays but he suggested the Colombi. It was close enough
to walk to but I was way to tired and suggested a taxi. When we arrived
it was easy to tell this was high class. Upon entering we were asked
for our name to check for the reservation but we had none. The young
man who asked our name checked with the head waiter or matre de and we
were escorted to the back of the restaurant where a quaint room decorated
in a cottage motif with lamps hung low over the table and covered with
greens. The only thing missing from my imagination were candles I
would expect to be placed among the greenery. The walls were lined
with wooden benches with clusters of pillows covered with a patchwork of
blue fabric and bits of lace. Very charming. Rick felt a little
snubbed being put in the back room but I was more comfortable there.
The waitresses were dressed in traditional type dresses over white blouses.
The waiter took our orders and the waitresses served us. The first
thing they brought us was a sampler of appetizers. There was a tiny
cup of soup, a little vegetable canapé and some type of chilled
gelatin type thing. After that our salads were brought. As I expected
they were completely made up of strange greens including sorrel.
It was O.K. but not really my taste. The medallions of beef we had
ordered on the other hand were just marvelous. But before the main
course was brought when we were asked if we wanted anything more to drink
Rick ordered water for me - with ICE! She brought me a pitcher full
of Ice and water. It tasted like ambrosia to me. The beef when it
arrived under a large silver dome was very rare for the "Medium " we ordered.
I’d never eaten such rare meat but it was elegant. It was surrounded
by assortment of vegetables that were also very good, including my first
taste of white asparagus. Yum! After the main course we were presented
with a pedestal tray of tiny deserts. Very nice.
We took another taxi back to the hotel and didn't stay up long before we went to bed, exhausted. But before that we had decided to travel into the Black Forest the next day,. after looking over my book and deciding to head for Triburg. It was a great decision.
After catching my breath we continued in the car to the town of Triburg and what a site it was as we came around the last few curves. The half timbered housed looked so picturesque and quaint. We also saw why the people continued down the paths at the top of the falls. The path arrived in town. It still must have been a very long walk but it was all downhill. We decided to have lunch on the patio of a restaurant across the street from the exit of the waterfall path. Although it was cold it was sunny and enjoyable. After our lunch of soup and bread we hit the shops! Every
one was full of coo-coo clocks. They were everywhere. Rick bought
a walking stick and we refrained from purchasing a clock but we were tempted
several times. But just outide Triburg we saw this giant coocoo house!!
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After a light
breakfast in the Hotel we set off. It was another glorious day and
the terrain quickly turned to hills ,mountains and trees, large dark trees.
The clusters of houses that formed the villages we’d seen up till now changed
in the hills of the Black Forest. Here houses where built one by one and
a small farm surrounded each, like I was familiar with in the states.
Since these farms were built into the hillsides it was more practical this
way. The beautiful green fields that surrounded each farm was lined
with fruit trees. Many farms had sheep and a few we saw had the first cows
we’d seen since arriving in Germany. It was such a lovely pastoral
view as we climbed higher and higher up the mountains on roads that switched
back and forth. Our ears felt the air pressure change frequently
and the views became more spectacular by the minute. We felt
like we were in a fairyland.
It was very beautiful. This photo of me is only the top of the falls.
The falls was crisscrossed back and forth with trails and bridges, all
lined with railings for safety. We decided to not go too far as we
knew we had to go uphill all the way back but we took a few pictures and
enjoyed our visit. We saw may people with baby carriages and although
we didn’t see any, all the paths appeared to wheelchair accessible too.
The paths seemed to go on and on below us as the falls wound it’s way down
the mountain and even though most of the people continued on way below
us we returned to our car and I was huffing and puffing by the time we
reached the car.
When
we had enough we left Triburg assuming we’d have more long winding roads
to get back to the autobahn but from there on the road cut thorough the
mountains with tunnels instead of up over. So it wasn’t too much
longer before we returned to the autobahn only to be caught up in my first
"stall". That’s the European version of a traffic jam. We
stuck for over an hour on a three mile stretch due to a broken down double
truck. By the time we passed it had been pulled over to the side of the
road in two pieces. We never found out what actually happened.
The rest of the trip home I napped and it was uneventful. But it
was nice to be "home" in Heidelberg. Now it was time to plan our
next trip, to Nuremberg, where I was born. We’d be going on Rick’s next
days off.