Gunther and I had a great first travel day together!

We kicked off the day with an 8:30am train to Heidelberg. With the rain and fog, Gunther teased that I had brought London along with me :-) Even with the cloudy and damp conditions, the ride to Heidelberg was so pretty and had a very calming effect on me. So far Germany has made me feel very relaxed and laidback. Actually, the Aussie "no worries" philosophy has seriously taken hold :-)

When we arrived in Heidelberg, I had a couple of "fun" experiences right off the bat. At the toilets, I didn't have exact change to pay (again, *yay* for free toilets in the US), and an employee of the station came out to help me. She made change for my €1 coin and I got to say "danke." Simple, but my first and only use of German so far O:-)

Just before we left the station, Gunther noticed a ridiculous number of bicycles parked in a bike area. We were both so amazed at the sheer number that we each had to snap a photo. A German man on a smoke break took notice and very much enjoyed our curiosity. He found his wife and pointed out the silly tourists taking photos of bicycles :-)

The rain had finally slowed to a light but constant drizzle when we departed the station. Our first destination was Heidelberg Castle, and we figured if it was going to rain a bit, we might as well enjoy the 3k walk to the castle and take the scenic route along the river. The Neckar is very beautiful, and while the land was flat on our side, several hills stood in contrast on the other side. Some of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen sat right by the river at the bottom of the hills, and I am pretty pleased with the photos I took, considering the poor weather.

I had mentioned to Gunther that I would like to walk a lot during our day trips together. Apparently he took me seriously, because in addition to walking throughout the city, we also had two STEEP hikes, the first of which took us up to the castle. Seriously, note to anyone ever going to Heidelberg, the trip up to the castle is not for the faint of heart or out of shape. Thank goodness I have been lifting weights again and using the step mill at the gym!

The castle itself was even better than what I would have expected. The views of the city below were so great that Gunther and I snapped photos at every turn. Again, the weather wasn't our friend, but I think we managed to get a good photo or two between us.

After the castle we walked through the old town at the base of the castle, and I just loved it. Today is a public holiday, so most of the shops were closed, but we did pop into one gummy bear store where I saw a gummy bear as big as my hand. I almost bought it for the novelty factor alone but resisted O:-) And in the store, Gunther amused me greatly when he spoke in English to the woman working in the shop who offered us a free sample. He was so focused on being in English mode with me and he laughed when he realized he had said "thank you" instead of "danke."

By this point we only had a couple of hours left in Heidelberg, so we crossed the river to climb up another STEEP path to get a different view of the castle. I am not in the best shape of my life, but I am certainly on the right path, and let me say, those two hikes were a challenge for me today O:-) I enjoyed the view and was thrilled when we finally reached the top and could come right back down.

On our way back to the station, we stopped at a cafe for coffee. Our server didn't know I was not German until I paid the bill and Gunther had to translate the exact price for me (although I picked up that it was €5 something!). She spoke a few words to Gunther, smiled at me, and walked away. Turns out she wished me a nice holiday. Awww!

Robin and Dave should be happy to know that I already have Gunther incorporating "cute" and "awesome" into his vocabulary, although more intentionally than you all ;-)

Ohhh, dinner -- earlier Gunther mentioned that we would have "toast Hawaii" for dinner. Such a simple thing to make, but man, it was one of the most surprisingly good things I have had in a while. Toasted white bread with thin slices of ham, a ring of pineapple, and a slice of cheese, all baked together. I figured I would like it as I like each ingredient separately, but together, even better than I would have expected.

Tomorrow is a relaxed day around Pforzheim, and I am ready for another good night's rest.

Gute Nacht.