Day 19: Experiencing Basel and Maria

Today was a fun day, maybe one of the best so far! Apart from sitting in a train for a few hours from Basel to Heidelberg, we didn't really have much planned. Decided we'd explore Basel a bit and see what we find.

First some scrumptious breakfast at the hostel!

I am, to be honest, right now a bit bored of walking around towns. They're all awesome, but it gets a bit monotonous even though obviously they're all different. That's why I think what we did in Basel was awesome – we found one awesome area, made the most of that for about an hour and a half, and then headed off to our next destination.

CC cheering on a baby fighting a goose

The very nice Quebec couple who were sharing our room at the hostel (along with a guy who I thought without question to be American... till he claimed to be Australian. I still don't get it. I've never heard an Aussie sound so American.) recommended we go up the Münster in Basel, that it has a cool view.

The Münster was a church. We looked around, looking for a way to the top. There were no signs, no indications, anything, that you could climb the tower. We went to talk to the nice man behind the desk, and he said yep, you pay 5Francs, he will open the door for you, and then you walk up up up up up many many steps.

The church itself

We payed, and walked to this random door he opened for us with a buzzer, and then we started the climb up the narrowest and most awkward steps I've probably ever been up in my life (with the exception of the upstairs of the Brays' house). It was AMAZING. There were levels after levels, we always thought we'd reached as high as we could and then we always discovered a new door, leading us higher and higher. 

 

"Camcam look nice"

The views were cool, but what made it so special was how it wasn't touristy. It was something you would have to know about to do – as I said there weren't any signs or advertisements that you could go to the top. So we were alone for nearly the whole time, apart from seeing a few other people on the other tower – they were confused how we ended up in one and them in the other – that just shows how many steps and different options there were!

After leaving, we happily decided we had now experienced Basel (in every way James), and we took the next train off to Heidelberg. Had the best ever picnic-lunch on the train again consisting of an amazing shop-bought Greek salad, chicken ceasar sandwiches, nectarines (I literally eat about a nectarine a day, just to live up to my blog title ;)) and BANANA BREAD om nom from the American Bakery at the station.

Our hostel community area/dining room/lounge, awesome! (Sorry about the foreground tho)

Free tea at hostel!! - I gathered this one probably shouldn't have had milk in it

At Heidelberg we were met by our friend and old housemate Maria!! <3 Maria is lovely, one of the nicest people there are. I lived with her in France, she was the German assistant at the school where I was the English assistant.

Random double decker bus in fronta Heidelberg station

We walked over to her's, and she cooked us a 'quick meal' which for most people would consist of I dunno, pasta and sauce, or an easy ready-made meal or something, but for her it was a very cool and way more complicated Indian sauce, home-made! Yep, it was ready quickly, but it wasn't in any way simple... Om nom!

OM NOM dinner à la Maria

Then off to explore the town. This is at the same time a good and bad thing about travelling – you don't have much time to explore so you have to make the most of all the time you have however shattered you may be. But, it was awesome, we took Maria's bike so I wasn't too tired.

A hazard to the Heidelbergians

Along the river

Creepy guy

We walked along the pretty river Neka (?), saw Heidelberg castle from afar, and walked through the extremely quaint and lovely town centre full of outside cafés and cheap ice cream stalls. So much fun just discovering an amazing German town (neither of us were particularly fans of Germany beforehand, I mean, just didn't know too much about it), and catching up with Maria :) A lovely ending to the day.

Heidelberg castle on the hill

Tomorrow, off to Wiesbaden to see yet some more friends – one of my (Finnish) relatives live in Germany since she married a German, and since it's on the way and she was very eager to have us, we decided next night will be spent there. :)

Tschüss,

Emmzzzy

xxx

Family-reunion!