Heilbronn And Some Pictures!

It turns out I really like Germany. I almost have to say that in past tense since tomorrow it's back to Scotland. We've been staying in Heilbronn for the past few nights with some really marvelous people, Zinnia and Hans-Jorg. They're kind in the way the Meltzers were kind; some people are just so immensely caring and welcoming! I especially like talking with Zinnia because she had horses when she was younger and is full of good stories about them, as well as wanting to know more about my pony, Ransom; a subject I always enjoy. Hans-Jorg is also really great, though his english isn't as good as Zinnia's so I haven't had a lot of conversation with him, but he is so hospitable and always drives and picks my Dad and I up from the train station. They live in a very large, very lovely house that easily made room for my Dad and I, as well as one of their sons, his wife, and their three kids who got here the same day as us and just left this morning. They were all just as kind as Zinnia and Hans-Jorg so it's been really wonderful staying here.

It's also been freezing, though. I don't need to describe what it's like to be unbearably cold to anyone in Maine - and it's been every bit as cold as Maine here - but we've still been going out every day for as long as we can bear. On Friday, our first full day here, my Dad and I went to a vineyard not far from Hans-Jorg and Zinnia's house. Heilbronn is very much wine country and there are vineyards stretching across the landscape everywhere. Like this:

Yesterday, Saturday, the two of us went into Stuttgart which is a 40 or so minute train ride from Heilbronn. The train ride there turned out to be much more eventful than I would have expected. You know the stereotypical crazy European soccer fan? Think Eurotrip. Yeah, so we accidentally sat down in a compartment with a whole lot of the German equivalent. These guys are insane. They had their scarves hanging out the windows and one guy had his hair dyed blue (I think he was their leader) and they spent the whole ride screaming "STUTTGART" and their soccer anthem as loudly as possible in between bottles of beer. I found it all very hilarious but most people in this compartment were not as amused. The guy in front of us, after hearing that we were Americans, started telling us in broken, but emphatic, english how this is true German culture that we needed to know and understand. At the train station they joined in the ranks with all the other insane fans who the police were trying to corral into one section. It seems like all good fun but I wouldn't want to be there when the other team's fans showed up.

The rest of the day was much more tame. We went to the Kunst Art Museum for an hour or two, which has a really marvelous collection. Afterwards we ventured out into the horridly cold streets and made our way to a falafel shop close by. Let's be honest, there isn't really a comparison to real Israeli falafel, but it was still pretty good. By now it was time to venture back to the train station but it was just too cold to be outside for more than a few minutes, so we made our way back by walking until we were frozen and then darting into the nearest shop to thaw out. Stuttgart, and what I've seen of Germany in general, seems to be pretty proud of its pretzels so we bought some still-hot ones at the station to keep us warm while we waited for the train.

Also going on in Stuttgart, along with the crazy soccer fans, are a bunch of protests against a new subway being built which, besides being pretty unnecessary, would destroy large sections of the environment. So good for you Stuttgart-ians! Keep up the rallies. They all wear V for Vendetta masks and the train station was filled with them coming and going to main protest, which was right by the museum. I don't know how these people could stand being outside for any amount of time, but it was very well attended.

Right outside the museum, a pedestrian mall

That brings us to today, Sunday, our last day in Germany. The kids and grandkids of Zinnia and Hans-Jorg left after breakfast, and the four of us that remained went for a nice, though cold, walk through a different vineyard area in Heilbronn. This area was very nice because you had a view of the whole city from up high. But like I said, it's really too cold to be outside for very long so mostly we've stayed indoors today.

To the left is a very misty Heilbronn

I'm not really looking forward to leaving Germany tomorrow, and I know my Dad will miss his friends. I think he's really enjoyed seeing them after 16 or 17 years and reminiscing with them about all their old friends and the music festival they used to go to, or play at in my Dad's case. 

Thanks to wi-fi, my Dad's laptop, and a borrowed cable I was able to put some pictures on Facebook so if you're on it you can see more from Germany, Scotland, and Israel.