Yesterday was a warm and sunnt day, the perfect day to go "strolling" (as my guide book put it) along Philosophenweg! It's across the river from the old town of Heidelberg and is supposed to be really nice. Natalia, a Polish student I met at the hostel Firday, had also recommended Philosophenweg so I asked if she wanted to go with me. After an adventerous bus ride(the roads into the old town were closed for the Autumn festival) to my new hostel we set out on our way. If I thought the 303 stairs up to the Schloss were bad then I was in for a wake up call! The "stroll" was more of a steep uphill hike! I had to stop several times to catch my breath until we reached the plateau near the top. The view was breathtaking as it is directly across from the Schloss and you are looking down on the Altstadt (old town). The crazy thing is, people live on this hill and have to walk it every day! And if I thought the climb up was bad......the walk down was quick but wow are my legs getting a workout!
Later in the evening I headed back into to the old town to explore the festival! It was full of street vendors, shops, and performers. And not really that different from our own festivals, except I couldn't understand what anyone was saying! Haha Except the singers who all sang in English! I had a crepe for dinner and could read all the ingredients as they were mostly spelled the same! It had mozzerella, tomatoes, arugula, creme fraiche (spelled exactly the same), and a balsamic glaze! Not bad! After a winderful day, I headed back to the hostel....
After exploring Altstadt several times yesterday I thought I'd try and see something I have not seen yet! I have become quite good at taking public transportation, despite having no idea where any of the locations listed are! So I got on the bus and kept my eye out for Karlstor(Carl's gate) on the number 33 bus. We neared the area and according to my official Heidelberg tourist map the next stop was mine! Hmmmm....that's weird, we're at a main depot. No problem, it must be the next one. Nope, I end up taking the bus across the river to the othe side, all the way to Ziegelhausen. Far enough away that I don't know if I was in a suburb or a whole new town! Luckily the bus driver let me stay on when everyone else got off and take the bus all the way back (without buying a new bus ticket thankfully)! Aw well, it was a great adventure with great sights! I didn't get to see Karlstor on the way back either as there was no stop! I think I'll take a bike out tomorrow to see! Instead I wandered through the old streets, avoiding the busy Haupstrasse (main street). I saw the old University buildings built in the 1100's and some old churches.
While I've been lucky to be staying at some nice hostels so far, they are so noisy at night! My eye cover has been great at keeping the light out but I think I will need some ear plugs if I am ever going to get a decent sleep!
So even though it's late afternoon, I am going to have a siesta for a couple of hours to rest before the noise starts up again later!
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