It's not you, it's the night train

On Thursday evening I met Katherine again. Predictably this meant the start of an adventure. It all began in Münich Hbf, having spent the previous six hours whizzing backwards through Germany at 250 km/h on the ICE train from Bad Salzdetfurth. I had a couple of hours to explore Munich before Katherine arrived, and then we had another couple of hours to wait until our train departed. The train in question was the Lisinski, a night train from Munich to Ljubljana. Armed with 1,5 litres of ice tea and a blanket we hopped on the train and discovered that there were no other reservations in our cabin so we could both lie down and actually sleep. Well, sleep as well as you can on a night train. The trains stop and start intermittently, pull into the sidings for a break and are very noisy. Combined with a constant awareness of who is moving around while you sleep, the nights don't tend to be particularly refreshing.

We arrived in Ljubljana at 6:55am, and in standard Lucy and Katherine fashion headed straight to the bus station to buy a return ticket to Lake Bled. Because 13 hours of travel is clearly not enough.

Lake Bled

The colour of the water doesn't show up in the photos but it was a stunning emerald green. Snow capped mountains, emerald lake, castle, historic church on the island in the middle. A fairytale.

Lake Bled

Fortunately there were very few people around, so we ambled from bench to bench for a couple of hours before getting the bus back to Ljubljana.

After a brief stop to grab lunch we walked into downtown Ljubljana: Prešernov trg square, with the Franciscan Church and Tromostovje (Triple Bridge). We had a wander round the city centre, not just because it was actually a nice temperature to wander!

Stritarjeva ulica // Franciscan church // Ljubljanica // Market

Ljubljanski grad [Ljubljana Castle] is the place to go for stunning views of the city and is pretty impressive itself. We got the funicular to the top which was brilliant, aside from us pushing the buttons to try and make it work ourselves...oops. The castle is home to a museum of Slovenian history, a short film detailing the history of the castle and of course a good tower to climb. The view over the city and to the mountains beyond is certainly impressive.

Ljubljanski grad

The Ljubljana exploration continued with a visit to the town hall, assorted churches, the market and various other bridges. A sit down was required so we had ice cream and sat by the River Ljubljanica... how civilised!

I usually don't bother to write about our accommodation but I'm making an exception here. We stayed in the Celica hostel (celica translates as cell, which makes considering that the hostel is a former military prison). Built in Austro-Hungarian times, and in use until 1991 (when Slovenia gained independence) the building was due to be destroyed. It was protected by a group of artists and after years of struggling with the authorities the building was developed into a hostel. Twenty of the cells were converted into rooms, and it was one of these we stayed in.

Each cell was designed by a different artist. Our room, 119, was by Anthony Gormley. We found our room (or should that be cell) slightly disconcerting, firstly because there were dozens of screaming clay figures under a glass panel in the floor and secondly because to get into bed you had to climb up a vertical ladder and then across a second glass panel. Eeek. It was a hostel like no other, and a fascinating place to stay.

Room 119

The following day (yes that was really all Friday!) we went on another excursion, this time to the Škocjan Caves. What should have been an okay train journey descended into a replacement bus service spectacular. The villages were far too small for our bus and it became like a TopGear challenge: "you will now drive your bus along this narrow unfinished road, avoiding the tractors. Backwards". There were even spectators. And to make matters worse, we didn't seem to be getting anywhere; all the stations were all called Postaja. Somehow we made it to Divača, and looked confused enough that someone pointed us in the direction of the shuttle bus to the caves.

The Škocjan Caves were incredible. The system includes various caves, passages, natural bridges and sinkholes; all formed by the Reka River. The river still flows through the caves, so visitors walk along a path cut into the side. This path is lit at floor level, and snakes away into darkness, giving an idea of how vast the cave is. In fact the caves are the biggest in Europe: up to 150 metres high. Photography is not allowed so you'll all just have to visit for yourselves!

Škocjan Caves

Then came the unenviable task of getting back to Ljubljana. Miraculously the shuttle bus arrived, as did the replacement bus service and we got back without any problems (and much faster than the outward journey). This obviously called for a celebratory vanilla milkshake by the river. The main street has such a lovely atmosphere from late afternoon into evening.We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering because the weather was sunny and lovely. At tea time we ordered identical meals once again because it is just easier that way. Our Slovenian experience finished sitting by the river with a cocktail... not bad for March!  It was soon time to walk back to the station for our train back to Munich, our second night train in three nights. It was typically bizarre, being a night train and all, but uneventful.

Another adventure over... aside from the six hours back to Badse!

15 Staff + 50 Students + 1 Castle =

Schloß Dhaun. Two words which I first heard on a Warwick uni open day about three years ago, and have been reminded of at regular intervals since. Therefore it was a bit of a milestone to finally be on the ICE on my way there. To explain, Warwick German Department hold an annual 'year abroad residential school'. The lecturers fly over from England, meet the year abroaders and everyone spends a weekend together in a castle in Germany (called Schloß Dhaun). It sounds bizarre, as I realised when trying to explain it to my teachers/friends, but as one of the major selling points of doing a German degree at Warwick had a lot to live up to.

Schloß Dhaun

There was a definite feel of school trip as we arrived at the castle, found out which rooms we were in (or if we were relegated to staying in the hotel... hmph). Well, a school trip in which you haven't seen your classmates for a few months.

Over the course of the weekend we analysed some short prose by Kafka (one of the most confusing writers ever; the sort for which you need to suspend your concept of time and space to understand), had a day of translating and generally discussed our varying experiences of living abroad. There were personal tutor meetings, careers presentations and final year modules to apply for. But it wasn't all about the academic stuff.

It was just lovely to see everyone again. Between the walk, numerous coffee and cake breaks and a bar there was so much time to have a chat: sometimes to people I knew well already and sometimes to people I barely knew.

There was an open mike night which could have been awful but was actually brilliant. The lecturers sang and guitar-ed, the students sang and guitar-ed... we had an excellent singalong to Wonderwall... Even I got involved in a rendition of Is this the way to Amarillo, in honour of Marie (the departmental secretary who is leaving very very soon)... purely chosen so we could point at her every time we sang Marie! What could have been an incredibly awkward evening became a reminder of how lovely the department is.

The last night was a time to let our hair down (literally in the case of a lecturer I shall not be naming). There was a band and a bar so we had an amazing evening of dancing... potentially with the lecturers... 

Schloß Dhaun made me realise how much I like my uni department. I can honestly say that it was amazing to see everyone again, and I really mean everyone. What's so nice about being a small department is that you are not anonymous. The tutors actually seem to care, and I suspect that all the other students actually know who I am (a status which I never achieved at school!). We are all very different people, but together we form an amazing year group in the best department at the best uni (biased? me? nahhh).

I have far more memories than photos, but the memories will last for a very long time (the bus singalong, the midnight walk that never happened, the power of dance to name a few). It was a chance to spend time with everyone, lecturers and students alike. There are not many uni departments that could pull off going away for a weekend together but Warwick German definitely can. Absolutely amazing.

A day trip to Heidelberg

Warning: this is a photo heavy post because Heidelberg is stunningly amazingly beautiful. And for the Germany geography geniuses out there, yes Heidelberg is a very long way from Bad Salzdetfurth. About 6.5 hours by bus. I would know because I've done it. I got a night bus. I would love to be able to say that the night bus was amazing, because I fell asleep in Hannover and woke up in Heidelberg. However, it was more like 'I fell asleep in Hannover and then woke up from semi-sleep at least every 20 minutes the entire way to Heidelberg as we stopped for fuel/a break/to change driver'. Because why would anyone choose sleep when energy tablets and coffee work just as well?!

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The number of times I arrive in a new city with no idea where I'm going and when tourist info is closed is alarmingly high. This is what happened when I arrived in Heidelberg at 6:15am, hopping of the night bus into the unknown. Because my phone is incapable of loading maps I resorted to looking at the bus routes and working out from those which way I needed to walk to get to the old town.

Heidelberg // Brückentor

Being 6:30am, the Altstadt [old town] was fairly deserted so I had a nice solitary wander though the main square, the high street and across the Alte Brücke [Old Bridge] towards the Philosophenweg. I do love a good cobbled city centre. After breakfast in Starbucks, selected because it was open and had a toilet, I set off to Heidelberger Schloss [Heidelberg Castle].

The funicular was closed and the alternative was a replacement bus service (no thank you) so walking up the very steep steps was the best option. All 310 of them. But there was a gorgeous view waiting at the top, over the old town and along the Neckar valley. You could see the paths snaking up the hill on the opposite side of the valley (which were explored later in the day).

Aside from the view, the castle itself is spectacular. It was built around 1300 but the sections vary hugely in style and age, having been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times over the centuries. The castle was resigned to being a ruin forever when it was struck by lightning in 1764. Incidentally, this was the second time it has been struck by lightening... what's that saying about lightning not striking twice...

I returned to the castle and castle gardens in the evening to watch the sunset. The evening light brought out the reddish glow to the castle walls. It is easy to understand why these romantic ruins of a castle are world famous.

Heidelberg Schloss // Rathaus // Broken Turret // The Ruins // Schlangenweg // Sunset // Heiliggeistkirche

The other main feature of my day in Heidelberg was the Philosophenweg [Philosopher's Walk]. This was reached by walking up the Schlangenweg (literally snaking path), which unsurprisingly is a very wiggly path carved into the side of the valley. At the top of this path you join the Philosophenweg, so called because it was popular amongst philosophers. Maybe it was inspirational or something. In any case, it provides stunning views of Heidelberg. I spent most of my day sitting down and admiring the view (although this was probably helped by the weather: sunny and 20°C).

There were various points to stop and watch the world go by. A stunning view, a blossom tree and a wall to sit on... idyllic.

Heidelberg is the Oxbridge of Germany, so there are plenty of university related buildings dotted about and lots of students. It has a feeling of academia to it. On the high street I found a fabulously cluttered second-hand bookshop. Inside, you could hardly move for books. The floor to ceiling shelves were full, and the overflow books were stacked in haphazard piles on the floor. I had an academic moment and bought myself an old copy of Wilhelm Tell as a souvenir of the day.

So my verdict on Heidelberg: beautiful, peaceful, tranquil, picturesque... the list goes on. As you may have gathered from this blog, I'm not usually the 'sit down and watch the world go by' sort of traveller (my reputation is for excessive amounts of walking) but here sitting and watching was the thing to do. And to be fair, I was tired. Energy tablets and coffee cannot replace sleep.

At the end of my day trip to Heidelberg I got back on a night bus. This time I managed to get a bit more sleep (at the expense of my neck) but was still zombified when I arrived in Hannover at 4:50am. I was pleased I'd opted to get the bus from the airport, because at least there were plenty of other people around. Back to Starbucks for more coffee...

Ice cream and sunshine

Exchanges reunited.

When I was in year 10 at school I took part in the German exchange. A 15 year old Lucy headed over to Fürstenfeldbruck, near Munich, for a week. A couple of weeks later my exchange partner, Sarah, came to visit me for a week. The experience completely changed how I viewed learning German; without it I would not be where I am now.

Lucy and Sarah

Sarah and I continued visiting each other for a couple of years but then life got in the way: I hit A-levels and moved to uni whilst Sarah went to the USA for a year and then did Abitur. There was never enough time. So when I realised I'd be living in Germany for a year I was determined to see Sarah again.

On Thursday, after four years of not seeing each other, I was reunited with Sarah. So much has happened in four years but it felt like nothing had changed. There was something strangely familiar about walking along in the sunshine together. Over the course of the weekend we did all the 'Lucy and Sarah traditions': making Eierlikörkuchen, playing yahtzee and laughing at me trying to ride a bike that is so big I can't touch the ground. There is something worrying about cycling around a city knowing that the only way to stop is to fall off.

Friday was spent in Nuremberg/Nürnberg, which is only about 20 minutes by train from Erlangen. To go all British on you, the weather was absolutely gorgeous: sunny and warm and lovely. It was a momentous occasion as I actually went out for the day without a coat... now when did that last happen?! The first thing that struck me about Nürnberg was how tall the buildings are. Not the skyscraper sort of tall, but normal, tall buildings with steeply pitched roofs and dozens of windows. The city has retained a medieval feel, despite the majority of the buildings being reconstructed following World War II.

We had a nice wander round the city, to the Frauenkirche [a church], Mauthalle [toll house], Hauptmarkt and Schöner Brunnen [main market and beautiful well]... you get the idea. It was a standard 'Lucy exploring a city on foot': see as much as possible. Visiting the Kaiserburg [imperial castle] is a must so off we went. It is a steep climb into the castle, but it unsurprisingly offers lovely views of Nürnberg. And even better there was a tower to climb! But before climbing the tower we saw the Deep Well. I can confirm that it was very deep. Apparently this is a famous feature of the castle...

It was a hazy day, but the view from the top of the tower still impressive. Underneath each window there were photos of what the view had looked like before World War II and then immediately after the war. I had no idea how badly hit Nürnberg was - second only to Dresden in terms of extent of damage and civilian deaths. Being able to compare the 'before' and 'after' made the view even more interesting.

Rathaus // Nürnberg // Schöner Brunnen // Frauenkirche

After lunch Sarah and I set off on the trail of more recent history. Nürnberg has the dubious honour of being a favourite city of the Nazi Party, with numerous conferences and rallies being held there. There is now a museum on the former rally grounds, the Dokumentationszentrum Reichsparteitagsgelände [Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds]. Henceforth referred to as the Dokuzetrum because there is no way I'm typing that again. The Dokuzentrum is a museum housed in the unfinished Nazi Congress Hall (which was designed to hold 50 000 people- that's twice the size of the colosseum!). It was a fascinating museum, detailing everything from Hitler's rise to power through to the Nuremberg Trials and executions. There was almost too much information but it was so interesting. At the end of the museum tour you walked out into the centre of the hall, which felt absolutely colossal. The Nazi architectural aim of making the individual feel insignificant certainly worked here.

The rostrum

Suffering slightly from the information overload, Sarah and I walked to the Zeppelinfeld. This was the part of the rally grounds I recognised: a huge grandstand with steps down to the 'Führer's rostrum'. Nowadays the grandstand is slowly falling apart but you are still allowed to climb it. Up the stairs and along the back of the stand to the metal double doors, then down the central stairs on to the balcony. This was where Hitler stood in front of his people. He stood where I was standing. Knowing who stood there before you and what he did is a feeling unlike any other. The rally ground still has a certain atmosphere. The stands may be crumbling and there may be a football pitch and lorries in the middle of the field but there is still a presence to it. The scale of it all is hard to convey. Zeppelinfeld is bigger than 12 football pitches. The rally grounds covered 11 square kilometres. Eleven.

The next day was Erlangen day. With Sarah as my tour guide we had a relaxed day wandering round, visiting the assorted churches, squares and the Schlossgarten. Erlangen is the perfect size place: it has everything you need but is still easy to get around.

Erlangen

All in all I had a fantastic weekend with Sarah. It was a bit of a relief that we still got along so well, and I loved being back in Bavaria. I can't wait to spend the Summer here (spoiler alert!).

Surprise!

This weekend was one I'd been looking forward to for ages. I had that 'nothing can stop me now' feeling all week, that is, until I saw the size of the plane I was about to get on. It was tiny. And it sounded more like a car than a plane. But hey, as long as the car with wings could get me safely to Birmingham I didn't really care.

Three hours later I was standing on Reubs' doorstep. I was feeling slightly apprehensive. He was presumably feeling just as normal, mostly because he had no idea I was visiting. Fortunately he was pleased (but confused) to see me. And he promises that he genuinely had no idea.

It wasn't just him that found the whole experience confusing. I found it really strange to be back at Warwick as it felt like I'd never left. It was more like I'd been home for the weekend than been in Germany for six months. Maybe that's not such a bad thing though. I'd been a bit nervous about seeing everyone, having had relatively little contact with them for the last few months, so it was a relief to find that nothing had changed.

One evening ten of us headed to the Phantom Coach for Reubs' 21st birthday (it's almost like I planned it...), where we practically had a feast... there may have been some discount vouchers involved. Although more food was definitely not required, we then had birthday cakes complete with an amazing firework candle thing. It was a lovely evening.

Other than the meal, I spent most of my time walking around campus or at Curiositea. I love the Warwick campus, as you are straight onto open fields and woodland, and as anyone who regularly reads my blog will know I do like walking. I surprised myself with how happy I felt wandering around uni. I went to the library, the learning grid, the humanities building... all the places that usually mean studying. I'm not ready to go back just yet but I do like my university.

Warwick Uni // Canley // Warwick SU

My other favourite thing about Warwick is possibly Curiositea, a really cute coffee shop in the SU. It's beautifully vintage style, with teapots and bunting everywhere. I had my favourite Vanilla Velvet (latte with vanilla syrup and whipped cream) and a slice of red velvet fudge cake. So amazing we went twice.

The weekend vanished. When I was back at Warwick it felt like I'd never left, but sitting in Bad Salzdetfurth it now feels like I've never been. It was so nice to see everyone (well nearly everyone) again and have a good catch up. Whilst it might have been the most surreal weekend, at least I have supplies of mini eggs and bournville to get me through the next two months.

So thank you to Alex, Anna, Brendz, Catherine, Georgia, Hazel, James, Mike, Rach and Reubs for a brilliant weekend. It was amazing to see you all (running out of adjectives). Good luck with the exams/dissertations/projects/life in general!