The Globetrotting Geek

Tuesday/Wednesday – Day 33/34

August 26, 2012

Unfortunately there are no photos from the next few days so bear with till this blog becomes all colourful again!

Having reserved a seat on the six hour train from Mannheim to Hamburg, I was fairly confident that this time I would receive a seat. Littkle did I know that my train would be almost empty and thus I had an entire private cabin to myself. For the next six hours I drifted in and out of sleep, waking as the conductor came to check my ticket a few times.

Finally, at 1:37AM I arrived at Hamburg Hbf, an almost deserted station at that hour, with many shady types hanging around. My next task was to find the bus stop to the airport, which after about twenty minutes of walking round trying to keep safe I eventually found albeit, populated by a few drunks and some other individuals which to save on the description, I’ll just say I wouldn’t wish to meet on a regular basis.

After a half hour wait, the bus arrived and I nervously boarded with all my bags, arriving after a further twenty minutes to a shuttered Hamburg International Airport. I waited in a small area the security guard opened inside the arrival lounge and cleaned myself up a bit, taking all my bags into the bathroom with me for a shave and a semi-shower with the tap water. I read through “The Litigators”, the new John Grisham book, and spent time observing the other sorry souls surrounding me. No doubt they, unlike me, were catching the first plane of the morning, Airberlin to Berlin. Despite the moaning tone of this post, I quite enjoyed watching the airport go from silent, to bustling and full, as security guards opened up areas, activated escalators and the other staff wandered in, bleary eyed to greet each other in the morn.

I was first in line for my IcelandAir flight, on which no food was served. The flight itself was fine, but nothing special. However, the airplane itself was replete with Icelandic words covering it, and the interior was themed in much the same way. The music during boarding was Sigur Ros, a well known Icelandic band and though I am generally against bottled water, the water from the fjords provided tasted fresh and delicious.

My time after landing in Iceland was all too short! Unfortunately due to my extended stay in Europe and Israel, I had only the time for a transfer. Though I did not see the Fjords, I can comment on the airport shopping: fish and ice-gear. I sampled some of the wild Icelandic smoked salmon and can say that it was top notch. Adding Iceland on the todo list for later.

The flight to the USA was just about the same as the flight from Hamburg, and passed without event. Passport control and customs in the US were not at all a fuss and too, are not worthy of being described in print.

Exiting into the arrivals hall I saw one Samuel ‘Gus’ Ruchman waiting for me with open arms. A very close friend from ISSI who due to his volunteer efforts in Africa and busy school schedule I had found it hard to keep in contact with. This however was no barrier to our friendship and the next few days with him proved that though friends may not see each other for years at a time, it is possible to retain a strong relationship. His parents generously took me in, and after a lovely home cooked meal and a walk around the local nature reserve (I saw a racoon!), jet-lag took me and I was fast asleep.

The next day was spent hanging out and having a good dose of guy time, something I had been sorely lacking in a while, and though our choice of movie for Wednesday evening (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), isn’t exactly known to be the favorite of most guys, we enjoyed it thoroughly. Other hours were spent discussing musical composition and I had the opportunity to play on his grand piano, a beautiful specimen. I felt like a missing part of me had been filled, as though I have many dear and close friends at home, Gus fills a different part as he and I connect on a number of levels, from our involvement in Jewish life, to our love for musicals and political discussion. I was sorry to leave him on Thursday to give him time to prepare for his return to Harvard.

The Book of Mormon

August 24, 2012

We interrupt regular programming for a live update from the streets of New York city. I am sitting waiting in line for tickets to the book of Mormon,  having arrived five hours before the show for standing room tickets. Wish me luck.

Monday – Day 32

August 23, 2012

Sleeping in a bit to account for the 2:30AM return home from the walk, we got up at nine o’clock to prep for the day. Following that it was out onto the streets again to see Heidelberg and the castle by day. During the walk Elisabeth was on her mobile phone an awful deal, eventually revealing that she had in fact ended up with a most romantic guy by the name of ‘balcony boy’ as attributed to him by the fact that she had slept on his balcony the night before arriving to Heidelberg. The name stuck, and for the rest of the afternoon she received more than a little flack from Damian and I.

Again we began the walk up the hill, and this time through the sprinkler system, to make it to Heidelberg’s premier tourist attraction.

Following the repeat walk all the way up the mountain to return to the castle, it was time to go for icecream in Old Heidelberg! This time at an organic bio-friendly icecream place that charged an extra fee for the privilege of feeling pleased with yourself over its environmental care. Next stop was a lolly shop by the name of Zuckerladen that Theresa’s boyfriend’s best friend had told me was a must see. Owned and operated for twenty-four years by the eccentric Marion Brecht, Zuckerladen is a minuscule boutique, tucked neatly away in a corner of the Old Town of Heidelberg. Hanging from the roof is a large posted with a graphic of a tourists on it: “No tourists allowed” proclaims the sign. Arrayed on the shelves are hundreds of varieties of soft lollies, from the sugary fruit to traditional black liquorice, if it exists, Marion has it.

However, one does not simply pick out their desired sweets for themselves! Marion must come and select the ideal mix for you, by the amount you desire to the flavouring you like. “Sweet or sour” he proclaims in a questioning tone. I reply sour and he walks back and forth along the shelves selecting his finest.

When it comes time to pay he points to a large cup with three oversized dice inside and asks me “two of the same or all three different?” I reply two of the same (despite later calculating that it has worse odds) and sure enough the dice turn up: 2-2-5. I am then presented with a selection of ‘candy’ prizes and leave the store well fulfilled.

After a brief snack back at Damian’s place we set off to see Heidelberg University. Another forty-five minute walk and we come to the Max Planck Institute, which I am most excited to see.

Next we stop over at Damian and Elisabeth’s University for a little look around and food and drink. As we start to walk away to go back home, the previously sunny sky opens up on us and floods the path. We retreat to underneath a flimsy umbrella on the side of the path and huddle together as hailstones begin to pelt down on the hot ground.

As the storm started to pass, the beating sun was so strong that sheets of steam rose from where there were previously puddles. The air became thick with moisture and the air quickly reheated, to make for a most uncomfortable next section of our walk.

The next point of interest along our walk was a bear, simply placed in an enclosure along the side of the road.

After stopping to take a photo I asked Elisabeth for a little help on my Russian (she’s originally from Novosibirsk) in order to wish a dear friend back home Happy Birthday in her mother-tongue. Following a good few minutes of practice I had it down and made the call home, feeling quite ebullient to connect a little with what I was missing back in Melbourne.

When the phone call ended I looked around and we were now in a field of corn, in an agricultural region of the town.

Next followed a discussion of the ability of an individual speaking the German language, to make long words simply by joining together nouns. My first try ‘beenenfleisch’ meat bee meat but things only took off from there. Eventually we managed to put together the hideous ‘hauptüberapfelbluttransportsystembeamtenaufsichtsbehörde’ which is something along the lines of the receipt for the transportation of the main commander of the super-apple blood army.

After arriving back at Damian’s at about 6PM I tried to check in to my iceland air flight online. Unfortunately, the flight was not appearing, online the connection to NYC. Thus as I started to stress I called the airline (closed), STA Travel (closed) and then resorted to pulling my hair out. Damian’s parents then mentioned to me that there was an STA branch in fact just down the road. Rushing to the branch before my train to Hamburg, I hurriedly asked the girl at the desk for help. She reassured me that it was just the computer systems playing up and that I was to inquire about it at the check in desk.

I packed my bags and the three of us traveled by tram to Heidelberg Hbf and said goodbye.

The next part of the day is in the post that follows, and will cover both Monday night and Tuesday. My long day of travel to the states.