I am no longer sure whether I have included it or not (not that I am going to check at the point) but for this block in the university, we only have classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. That sounds like a splendid treat from the school, but in reality, it can also have catastrophic consequences if you simply see it as a merit. This Tuesday, for example, I did practically nothing in the educational sense. What followed on Wednesday was that there was no difference than having class on another Monday, for the Tuesday was itself a virtual weekend.
 |
| In between the weekdays there were also some side projects made; Onion cakes made by Johannes and I. |
 |
| I made the dough! |
 |
| Guys who decided to throw a LAN party (whatever that should mean) in the kitchen. We had fun. |
Weekly Hike: Eberbach - Zwingenberg, 22km
Up until now, the hiking with Johannes has been a weekly event; an energy-drawing, time-consuming, but incredibly fulfilling event.
The highest point of the week required a 650 meter hike in altitude. There was this site that gives hikers recommendation as to where to go to, the length, and what to see along the way. In thirty minutes of train-riding distance, east to Heidelberg, There is a city called Eberbach. That was where our trail commenced at roughly 10:30 in the morning. Upon entering the train, our tickets were checked. The semester ticket I bought was certainly a good investment. During the ride, Johannes gave me a previewing lecture on the place we would be going to, same time talking about how we are crossing the lines of different states of Germany. The sun hadn't really shown itself as the train railed its way toward our starting point. Along the way, I heard a small scoff coming from Johannes, a smirk crawling on his face. I didn't inquire on what it was about.
Our website provided that the whole trail will be 19 kilometers long. It unsettled me a bit at first, to be honest. After the 40 km walk in Strasbourg, of course, I shouldn't have to worry, but I really don't want to be the person opposite to able-bodied and unable to catch up. The interesting thing was, when you really got into a pace and started soaking in your surroundings, you would forget that you even are moving your feet. The track started with a series of zigzagging among trees, fallen or standing strong in the chilly winter.
Not ten minutes into the lonesome crowds of trees, we came across a tower, brick walls half-crumbling, overtaken by moss. It was a combination of walls, greens, and muddy pathways, beckoning people to see what they don't normally see. I was walking around the structure, taking in the silent beauty that wrapped up this once-inhabited building. Until I heard Johannes' voice, presumably coming from the opposite side of one of the walls. I thought he was ready to get a move on, so I called out to him, only to draw another sound from him. It was... above. Apparently, there was a case of stairs, steep, but leading you to the top of the fortress. He was there staring down at me.
We continued on as I looked curiously at the moss that crawled its way up and over the landscape, how it differed in two variations(or was it three or more?). There were white sprinkles on the withering leaves that descended from the oak trees. At first, I thought it was more likely to be mold rather than anything else, and I was still a skeptic when Johannes told me they were little ice shards. Miniature hail, to be precise.
The meander among trees led us ultimately to a tower, much higher than the one we saw when we headed for the Thingstätte. Several people, bodies wrapped in warm jackets, were already coming out from the tower; We were not the only early ones, as it turned out. Right next to the tower we came to the highest point of the area: the Katzenburkel. I thought about having our first food break on one of the flatter rocks, but the wind was directly blowing in our face when standing on the rocks of the peak, with which inactivity would bring the felt coldness to a next level. We then resolved to climb the tower and had our break high up there. On the bricky parapet were several metal plates bolted to the surface, showing the direction and distance of the neighboring cities. The fog had yet to disperse due to our early arrival. Johannes thought it a pity, but I actually like the obscurity that the fog cast upon the land when you see it from above.
 |
| Looking afar |
We were walking among the woods as Johannes identified the trees for me, "We have time for some lessons," He said. Firs, beeches, oaks, red peaches, cherry trees. I tried to knead the characteristics of each kind of trees into my head, but I think it would take more time than that. I wasn't the one in the hunter's school, was I? But sure did it feel closer to the nature, now that I know what I was seeing. Along the track, there were also upended dirt that haphazardly littered the sideways. Sometimes a deeper hole, sometimes a downward slope that looked like a heavy object was dragged down from the slanted side paths. Johannes identified the disturbed dirt pits as the trails from the wild boars, simultaneously admiring the indication of how many wild boars there were. True, when you look up the coat of arms of the place Eberbach, you would see a wild boar walking on a blue ribbon which I guess would be a small brook. More interestingly so, the word "Eber" in German practically means "Male pig", while the word "bach" isn't referring to the musician, but a German word for "brook, creek". It is a quite straightforward way of naming, I thought to myself. The fir trees were all-surrounding, we're heading up or descending, you see the trees ever present with their majestic heights.
 |
| A road that led us Along |
It reminded me of the song from my goddess of French songs (insert dramaticism here), a song called Les Séquoias, a song about how sad it was to have the sequoia trees cut down, and I half-whistled as we continued down the lane. It needed no further inquiry to see that the trees, the dirt, and the nature is way elder than I am. The trees stood there impassively, unseen eyes transfixed on a tall German guy and a relatively-shorter Taiwanese, with not intimidation, but curiosity.
 |
| Drinkable fountain of the highest altitude in the area |
Moving on, we walked across multiple grassy fields that weren't quite of characteristic for winter, hills where oxen, horses, and bulls munched on grass in their respective enclosures, villages that were quite empty presumably because it was church Sunday. The horses kept by the locals were not kept in stables, for when they have this expanse of grass for them to mound on, dried hay won't always be required, and it was way more liberating to have them out in the open, in my opinion.
 |
| Beware of the electric wires |
 |
| Look it's a llama |
We happened to wander off-course for a while with the faulty GPS that didn't always.
Weaving back into the forests, there came from the sky a sound that resembled the rain; neither of us was prepared for rain, but as the sound continued on, I noticed the drops on us, though falling at the speed of water droplets, they were actually tiny ice shards, meaning that it was a hail that came upon us. It was still not quite snow, but as a progressive storyline that is pushing forward. One day, I told Johannes, one day, I will see snow for sure. If it doesn't come, I am heading for it.
 |
| Let it be my retirement house. Too soon? |
Abhinav called to check in on us, and as he and Johannes did their everyday trash talk, he knelt down so suddenly in a single swift motion, signaling that I do the same. I crouched down to an eye level same as his and squinting my eyes, willing myself to see whatever I was to see. We were silent and still, not hearing anything else aside from the falling hail and the rustling of the leaves blown by the leaves. We were facing a slope bathed in sunlight, trees poking out in rows, paving a virtual path of dried grass heading upwards. And then I saw it. In the middle of the path stood a roe deer, stationary, perfectly still, occasionally bending its neck for a mouthful of grass. With the light brown of its hide, it was practically camouflaged in the wild. 80 meters apart (according to Johannes' estimation) it wouldn't be able to see us or sense us if we don't make big and sudden movements. There was another trail above the deer, and a man walked past it without noticing it. Johannes also remarked how easy it would be for him to shoot it had he had his rifle with him. We knelt for five minutes, and we stood up. The deer noticed us finally, and retreated into a more concealed bush.
We came to the last part of the hike. There was a sign put in front of us: Wolfsschlucht in Zwingenberg ... Access at your own risk... .
It is the valley of the wolf (as implied by the name) and there is a downward-heading stone path. We went down.
 |
| A hunter's wooden stand. |
We hadn't seen the valley itself as we heard the singsong of a creek already, but continuing down the series of steps so steep that you can almost call it a slide, we saw it on our left-hand side, a constant flow of water coming from between the rocks that form the walls that were surrounding us. The walls that formed the valley. Antiquated, edgy, transfixing... rocky.
 |
| It looks way better than it smelled, this small stream of water trickling out from between the rocks |
 |
| A primitive beauty it was. |
I understood why the sign had to be put, for the small stream and the humidity can make the trail slippery, and since there were part of the track with quite a steep fall, and with the spiky logs that were leaning against the walls of the valley and the rocks embedded in the soil over the river, you are getting more than just a scratch if you do fall. There were anchor cables in some parts, providing an extra holding for safety. But I had to laugh out loud when we were blocked by two logs that fell over right above the only track, for it was morbidly entertaining to think about what this track was demanding us to do.
It was us with the nature, as close as can be.
At around the end of the Wolfvalley, we came to a castle sitting on what we call the Neckar valley, and we thought that we missed the main entrance by a corner and missed the chance to check it out. Reaching back down to the ground, it felt like I still had some stamina remaining for several more kilometers of walk but was nonetheless exhausted. The train took us home in another forty minutes or so, along with the muddy shoes and pants, and a pair of eyes, wide open.
 |
| Again, this was the trail recorded by Johannes' GPS-installed watch. |
Outing with Classmates
Throughout the week, Zaineb suddenly had the idea of visiting the castle with a view of the sunset. As the party planner kind of person, she managed to send messages to a dozen of people, calling for assembly on a day without any classes. Emily, Zaineb, and I met up on campus and took the tram over to the city center. It was another fifteen-minute walk until we met up with a group of American exchange students living together in an apartment off-campus. We kicked off our little hike and started up the paved stoney road to the castle. I learned that Emily, Zaineb, and Choong, the guys who've been in Heidelberg for as long as I am, have never been up to see the castle. At first, it was quite shock for me, for that was unimaginable at first, being in proximity with the castle and never really seeing it for what the castles has to offer.
 |
| I must have been up here for more than eight time until now. Still I take pictures. |
 |
| But it always is a different story when you come with different people. |
It was a moderate walk up to the castle, going in the opposite direction to that of the sun. It was the same sight, same buildings from afar, and possibly the same trees, under that same sky, dawny but constant. The sun continued its downward course, crooning the streetlights from their sleep. It was a serene scene, and even though the ball of sun was hidden behind a small hill, we still watched as the radiating light dimmed and dispersed.
 |
| Emily looking in the distance. |
 |
| Also the first time visiting the pharmacy museum of the castle |
 |
| Taking the mountain train downwards |
Johannes' Birthday
After three unproductive hours spent in the library, I packed my stuff into my bag and sulked feebly to the exit of the small library of the school. Clusters of chattering were ringing in the background, but it was of no concern to me. Some movements with familiar shapes did catch my attention when leaving the library, and it was Harish and Yu, with Yu hanging some bags by the wrists, and Harish carrying a big, highly eye-catching box that had ... cake in it. I called out to them, startling them for a temporal second. They explained to me how this all was not supposed to be known by Johannes, for it would be a surprise party thrown for him. I personally prepared a gift for him (which was a box of Ronnefeldt tea assortment), but I wasn't really thinking about anything big-scale. Nonetheless, when a plan was already in the making, there was absolutely no sense in bringing a finger to the tally and sticking it into the pie.
On the day before his birthday, Harish came to me and told me the finalized plan of theirs (Abhinav and I spent some good thirty minutes inflating and filling up the balloons for dun): The balloons were prepared, the cake in place; all they needed would be a diversion of attention, and since asking me to drag him out for a walk was no longer plausible (it was also the same day we went out for a walk) so they ultimately resorted to bring him to a bar near the center. Here came then the catch: A person would be needed to stay behind and really put some thoughts on the decoration. I was the person. At the very first moment, I was frowning upon the plan when Harish presented it (Such emotions were like ink blots on a blank sheet - clear and visible on my face which I never conceal such well) and I first thought about how far the bar actually is from the dorm and how things could go wrong should they fail to take the last tram before midnight; I thought that was the flaw I was seeing in the plan that made me disconcerted, but afterwards when I looked back on this, I think it was a certain part of malcontent with my role in the plan that started the inner cloudy drizzle. I am not good at decoration, and maybe a part of me was more willing to head together to the bar to chat and have fun instead of presenting something underwhelming or... unpresentable. I hated to have these selfish thoughts in my head that just was too adamant to disperse, especially when I am on a post that was supposed to be of importance; I wasn't even the main character of the day!
With the help of the people I was working with on the decoration, luckily, I pulled myself out of the seemingly endless rumination of negativity.With Abhidha throwing out interesting ideas by turning ribbons into letters that spelled out JOHANNES, I then told myself that we HAD to make the decorations work. Aaron, Yazdan, and Chelsey joined in, and this was the end result; it was not much, but we made do with what we had. In total, there were thirty balloons that indicated the age of the celebrated. At around eleven forty-five, Yu and Harish rushed back to get the cake prepared. From the door of the elevator came the normal raucous commotion that always follow Abhinav and Johannes around when they are together. And then he came into the room. His reaction was expected, a big dramatic "Wow what a surprise" followed by a big smile; It was as if he knew everything was happening but he still appreciated the whole effort put inside it. Later we learned that he knew about the surprise because he saw the pack of balloons in Abhinav's room and, come on, getting dragged out until fifteen minutes before your birthday? You smell the fishiness kilometers away from here.
The cake was presented and cut, candles blown, speeches given. I like the idea of having so many people so close together on the same floor.
 |
| The letters on the wall was Abhidha's idea. |
 |
| Most of the Taiwanese people I know over here were there as well |
 |
| I will miss the guys here... |
Happy birthday, Johannes.
End
Chapter One came along after the graduation. It was a random thought to turn my life into chapters. It doesn't make the most sense but still does to an extent when I move on to the next chapter on the week of my birthday, meaning that we have to put a halt to this chapter.
Life being divided into chapters; it is going on nonetheless.
Best regards,
Hugo
No comments:
Post a Comment