This weekend I went to Heidelberg for the Fulbright Winter Conference/Winter Ball, and it was so wonderful! I’ve never been to this area of Germany before, and I was really pleased by how beautiful it is, even in February. There are vibrant green hills and trees, light blue rivers and streams, and little red-roofed villages scattered about. Appreciating the scenery gave me something to do for a while during the 6-1/2 hour train ride from Berlin (although I did just happen to sit next to another American, so at least I had someone to talk to for a while).
I stayed with a German couple who were also members of the “Fulbright family”, Anja and Christian. We were placed together by the event coordinator, and so I wasn’t sure how it would go, but luckily they ended up being really nice, not to mention super smart. They lived in Washington D.C. for a year working on graduate degrees in American History and Literature, although Christian taught German in Oklahoma for 2 years before that. Their English was so perfect that I thought they were American when they picked me up from the train station. It gave me a sense of familiarity that was comforting after being away from home for so long.
Later that evening, our Fulbright group had a get-together at a place called “Das Bootshaus”, a rowing-themed restaurant right next to the river. I met some new people, ate too much shrimp scampi, had some great meaningful conversation, and enjoyed the evening.
On Saturday morning we went to a meeting that was pretty much the most boring thing ever (read: worse than school board meetings). Anja and I left with another new friend Kasey, and walked around the original part of the town looking in stores and taking some pictures. We also walked across the river to “the other side of the bridge”, a large hill with beautiful vintage homes. However, this is only for the elite, who can either pay millions of Euros for one of these homes. There is a pathway to the top of the hill called the “Professor’s Walk”, because it was where professors and intellectuals used to go to think for a while without distractions. Of course, I’m a little out of shape, at least by European standards, so this walk was a bit of a challenge for me…but we did have a great view.
After eating Falafel for lunch and stopping by a chocolatier, we went home to get ready for our super-exclusive, invite-only dinner/ball at the House of Congress. It was probably the most amazing thing I have experienced since being in Europe….I felt like a princess! Everyone was dressed like royalty, the Bürgermeister and other VIPs were there, and even the press was there snapping photos. It was comparable to eating dinner at the White House with the president. We had an amazing three-course meal that was very upscale. Afterward, everyone moved to the ballroom and danced waltzes, tangos, jitterbug, and all other possible things imaginable. Too bad my feet were killing me thanks to my stupid heels!!
The party lasted until 4 am, although I didn’t stay that long. Europeans are hardcore like that.
Today, everyone wrapped up the weekend by having brunch, but afterward there were also tours that people could go on. I did the castle tour, which was awesome. It sits on a hill above Heidelberg. The castle itself is now more or less a ruin…but a pretty one. It’s not super ornate or anything, but still interesting. We also had an amazing view of the town.
What a great weekend!
