Elisa: Leaving Munich tonight!

the Heidelberg castle

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Elisa and our host Ben before our cake feast


us after the downpour


us before the downpour

Hello all. So much has happened since we last wrote, and unfortunately, according to the timer on this internet station, I only have 7 minutes to write about it.This is just about Heidelburg, with more details to come about Munich.

Melissa and I arrived to Heidelburg that day after Frankfurt, and locked our bags up in the station because we planned to meet Julie and her boyfriend, who we were couchsurfing with, late that night. We explored a lot of the city, which was beautiful and sunny, with a gorgeous river running through it and a castle rising out of the wooded mountains above it. The cobblestone streets were merry and we got some gelato in a small cafe. That night, we met Julie and her boyfriend Ben, who are Americans living in Germany and serving in the army. They were incredibly friendly and quickly offered us a glass of wine and chatted a bit with us before showing us to a nice pull out couch.

The next day, Ben took us to see a beautiful garden by the schloss (castle), and Melissa and I wandered around in the sunshine of this manicured park. Reaching the other side, after much walking and far from any shelter, it started to pour. Torrents of rain basically drenched us until we were like dripping rodents, and we crawled to a coffee shop to warm and dry ourselves under the hand dryer in the bathroom. We were happy when Ben came to pick us up again and took us home to change. We then visited the main castle of Heidelberg, up in the mountains, riding through the beautiful hillside in Ben´s little car. The castle was in half ruin and the view of the town and river below was beautiful. That night, we cooked Ben and Julie some Thai curry and bought them a bottle of wine. We then went with them to the house of one of their friends, who was having a birthday. There, we stayed up late singing kareokee/guitar hero and drinking wine and chatting with our hosts. It was lovely.

After saying goodbye to Julie and Ben, we took the train to Munich. Cal and Jesse were supposed to meet us at the train station, but we had given them the wrong time and after much confusion, didnt meet them until hours later at the hostel! It was such a wonderful thrill seeing them, as it had been weeks since I had seen Cal and months since I had seen Jesse. And seeing them in such a foreign place was so exciting and yet so comforting! Like coming home to something new. It was beautiful sunny day, with occasional showers, and we did what any good German would do-- we went to a beer garten! But Melissa can talk more about that.

One thing I would like to mention about Munich, more in depth, was a particularly amazing day: yesterday. The four of us decided to couch surf with Alex, which I am sure Melissa will touch on in her post. In the morning, we walked to a beautiful art gallery by the river, which housed Van Gough´s Sunflowers and a beautiful Klimt painting and many other wonders. It was only one euro admission on Sunday. Afterwards, we lounged on the grass in the sun and ate some delicious sorbet while chatting and people watching. The four of us then wandered to the English Garten, a huge urban park larger then Hyde or Central park, complete with nude sunbathers, many beer gartens and bike paths, horses, and even a strange wooden pagoda with a traditional German band playing music in it. After a pleasant walk there, Alex and his adorably kind girlfriend Susanna came to pick us up with their car.

The day got even more wonderful from there. They took us to a beautiful lake about 30 minutes outside of town. Not only was the lake incredible, but the drive (Alex took the scenic route) was stunning. We were awed at the quaint villages dotting the Bavarian country side, the traditional homes, forests and mountains-- so close to Munich! We were out in the country within 5 minutes of being on the autobahn! Our hosts took the time to stop so we could take pictures, and told us all about Bavaria and their country in general, answering many questions and asking many back about California and the US.

The lake itself was perfect. The water was surrounded with trees, the sun barely lingered in the sky, and the families were far and few between, leaving us a perfect patch of grass to settle our blankets and snacks on. We all put on our bathing suits and went on a giggly and invigorating swim, splashing and relaxing before get out shivering and scarfing down our snack on the blankets. It was a perfect afternoon with people who, literally 24 hours before, had been complete strangers. They opened their arms to us and showed us a Bavaria we could never have seen on our own. Couchsurfing is revolutionary. It is the opposite of alienation and of tourism. I cannot emphasize enough how inspiring it was to see a system so successful in its goals.

Now we are in Vienna and the city awaits us in the morning!