A Long Walk

I wish Christ’s Ascension had taken place on 14^th May (so that we could have a longer weekend), but it being on the day before, we took the opportunity to get a first look at Heidelberg. We here refers to Abhirup and me. Who Abhirup? The Bengali guy from Tripura studying Engineering Physics at IITB and doing his intern at MPIK too. But I didn’t know all this before yesterday night. I was pondering over the possible internet-less neighbor-less lonely existence that I might have been subjected to for the nights of the next two months when I chanced upon him at the common kitchen.

A time line on the 13^th of May:

8.44: Bus leaves stop

8.45: We reach the bus stop running (unaware that the bus had already left)

8.49: Guard informs us, “Bus go, It go before you come Sir”

9.11: We walk past a car speed detector device on the road near Steigerweg that gives the speed of every approaching car, updated every half second. If the car crosses 30kmph, automatically a fine is levied on the owner of the car number. The notice is sent to his email. And there is no human interference in this whole process.

9.30: We reach the foot of the hill on feet and meet Sasikanth at Bismarckplatz. He looks different from his photos. He studies EE at IITG and is presently interning at Heidelberg Uni.

9.45: As we are crossing the Neckar river, a totally drunk guy takes a liking for Sasikanth, and holding him, explains to him that the history of the Heidelberg Castle extends for more centuries than is known.

10.00: I spot a cigarette vending machine (pic below)

10.15: I run along the river to get a photo of a swan.

10.25: We go along a steep winding road to the Philosophers’ Walk, on my unwavered insistence, thankfully to find that the scene was exceptionally beautiful – the complete view of old Heidelberg, along with castle and all, and the plains to the right.

View of old Heidelberg and the schloss (castle) from Philosopher's Walk

11.15: My camera batteries fail me as we cross the Neckar back to old Heidelberg.

12.10: Sasikanth and I sing praises of Debabrata Sengupta’s handwriting. (I don’t remember how it came up)

12.35: I take a liking for the elaborately designed knives and swords on the stores on Hauptstrasse.

13.45: Abhirup smokes his 3^rd cigarette for the day.

14.45: We wonder what “Noch einmal Sex” on a board by the street means. From a similar board beside it saying “Noch einmal Urlaub”, Sasikanth had come to the conclusion that it means “Do not have sex here” (assuming that urlaub having something to do with urine).

15.00: By now, we had walked around 10-12 kms, and decide to return.