There is more then one city in Germany?

 

Saarbrucken is in the middle of nowhere, which means, in Europe,  it’s only 1-2 hours from everything  This gives us multiple airport and airline options to get back to it.  We recently have been using Ryan Air the super discount airlines that we love and hate.  Their slogan should be "you pay literally nothing so we treat you  like nothing". Ryan Air is like if the 99 cents store had wings.  But they do have vegan Prosecco.

Paris, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Basel and Luxembourg City are all close options, somehow though we almost always land or need to pass through Luxembourg City on our way from anywhere to Saarbrucken.  We’ve gone through it 4 times, and even though Luxembourg is famously small, we have somehow only managed to see about 2 of it’s 10 blocks.  Our plan this trip was to get in earlier to Luxembourg wander around a few hours until we caught the one hour afternoon bus to Saarbrucken.  However, Luxembourg City greeted us with a biting wind, so eager to return to Saarbrucken with our suitcase packed with grandchild toys we opted for an earlier bus. 

We have been basically homeless for 7 months.  Going to Saarbrucken almost felt like going home since we’ve spent so much time there, but we have done so at the expense of  seeing more of Germany.  We decided to try to squeeze in 3 other German cities in one day-Heidelberg, Mainz and Worms.

Heidelberg lies in a narrow valley with the lovely named Neckar River splitting the picturesque city like opening a ripe fruit. Lush green forested hills holding the old city of half timbered buildings, a castle ruin on the sloping hill overlooking the idyllic town, a world class university; history with every step including a lovely statue of Robert Bunsen, creator of the Bunsen burner.   


Almost overlooked amongst all this beauty were some particularly disturbing Stolpersteins .(https://thechosenfugue.blogspot.com/2019/01/they-do-make-you-stumble.html

Emigrated to Palestine

 

Jehovah's Witness executed for refusing to fight

  

Parents died in Auschwitz, children went to UK in Kinder Transport

We crossed the Nektar river and climbed up the hill along a very steep, old cobblestone trail to reach  the Philosopher's Path, named after the many poets and academics inspired by walking along the path.  

 

We were treated to a great view of Heidelburg, and then went

in search of Thingstatte, an open air amphitheater which was inaugurated with a Nazi propaganda speech by Joseph Goebbels at its opening in 1935.

We followed signs, used Google maps, and walked in multiple Philosophical circles looking for the Thingstatte for 90 minutes, finally asking someone and 30 minutes later finding it.

Origin of the expression “I can’t find the thingamajig"?

frighteningly, not unrealistic to envision a Trunp rally here.

As we wandered back to the town, this time in just 20 minutes rather then 90 minutes, you

could feel the ghosts in the forest stillness.

Heidelberg was stunning, but after seeing the numerous Stopelsteins, the Thingstatte and then later reading that the area was a stronghold of the Nazi party with a third of the teaching staff at the university forced out for political or racial reasons immediately after Hitler came to power, Heidelberg felt somewhat uncomfortable.  It is hard to align the beautiful, serene present with the tainted past in Germany (as well as many other locations in Europe).

Our navigation skills continued to mirror our struggle to find the Thingstatte, as we left Heidelburg hoping to continue our explorations.  Our anticipated 30 minute tram ride back to the main train station required two bus transfers due to construction on the tram tracks.  We made it to Mainz long enough to meander for an hour, but ended up on the wrong train thwarting our chance to catch Worms.

We’ll eventually make it to Worms, most likely via Luxembourg City.