weekend of street festivals

Handschuhsheim. There were many street festivals last fall and as the weather is once again warm, they have started up the new season. Handschuhsheim is a Stadtteil (city part) to the north of Heidelberg. This weekend they held their street festival. Alison, the previous Au Pair, was visiting for the weekend so she and I went on Saturday evening. We walked around and viewed all the normal things, sweet vendors, bratwurst vendors, beer vendors and of course, all the rides for kids. We met some of her old friends for dinner and beers in the remains of the Handschuhsheim castle. It was great fun hanging out with new people but the best part was watching all the drunken adult dance to America oldies. It was entertaining enough that I decided to take some video footage!

Heidelberg. Yesterday was a different kind of street festival in Heidelberg where local organizations had booths to educate the community and raise money for their cause. The main street along the Neckar was closed for the day (which is not that complicated since no one really has anywhere to go on a Sunday in Germany). Alison and I met the Herzbergs for lunch in the field at the monastery. There was a maze of hay that Tom and Max spent most of their time enjoying. They biked the street for the rest of the afternoon while Alison and I walked. We past old fire trucks that were on display, the plans for the new tunnel that is expected to be built starting in 2012, bike vendors with a new model of a bike with an electric engine and much more! It took hours to make our way to the end, over two miles from the house. On our way back, Isabel had her hands full as she was working Moritz's kindergarten table and had an extra kid for the day. She spotted me and I volunteered to walk around with the baby and the kids. We saw some bike riders who had drawn a crowd; they were biking off ramps into the Neckar. It was a nice afternoon. I walked home on my own, as there was no other transport available. It wasn't raining when I started my was pouring when I finally reached home. Needless to say, I was in need of a warm shower!

Prague

The last time I travelled alone was over three years ago when I ventured to Fiji. Even then, I was set up with a tour so I was with a pretty steady group of people. This time, I was totally on my own in Prague. It was wonderful! I was on my own schedule and got to see and do anything and everything that I wanted to do. I checked the bus schedule last Wednesday morning and booked a ticket to leave for Prague on Thursday night. I took a Eurolines bus directly from Heidelberg to Prague. It was both less expensive and less timely than the train. I arrived in Prague early on Friday morning, leaving me two and a half days to explore the city.

Friday. I arrived extremely early in the morning and went for breakfast with some people from my bus. It was difficult to find a place that was open at 7 in the morning. After filling my tummy, I headed for my hostel. The weather was weird. It started to rain as soon as I exited the metro. It continued to rain throughout the rest of the day, about 7 times. Between each shower (or downpour) the sky was blue and sunny. I found some shelter whenever it rained because I hadn't packed an umbrella. Anyway, in the morning, exhausted from not sleeping on the bus coupled with the rain, I decided to sleep on the couch in the lounge of my hostel. After a nap, the sun was back out and I ventured out into the city. I walked to the castle and wondered around for a few hours. It was extremely crowded! I guess it is the main tourist attraction of Prague. It is kept it in really good shape; it doesn't even look that old with all the new paint... I enjoyed the gardens and all the pictures that could be taken of the rest of the town from the hilltop that the castle laid upon. I wandered down the hill and through the Lesser Town where there were lots of touristy shops. I went to the top of the Church of St. Nicholas where I snapped some nice pictures of all of prague. From there I continued over the Charles Bridge, which was really amazing, and back into the Old Town. I saw the clock which was gorgeous but the show on the hour was a little lame. After all this walking I decided to go back to check into the hostel and get settled. Before dinner, I went for a run in one of the parks semi near my hostel which was nice cause i got to see another part of town and a park that I probably wouldn't have seen otherwise. I ate at an indian joint that was vegetarian for dinner. I was tired and returned to my bed to read.

Saturday. I started my day with breakfast at Bohemian Cafe, which was filled with American students who seemed to be studying abroad. It was a nice place to read and enjoy a bagel and of course, coffee (no where near a NY bagel but it was still yummy). I walked through the 'jewish town' and saw the cemetery and the synagogues. I walked down the 'Fifth Avenue' of Prague, lined with Louis Vuitton, Lacoste, Burberry, etc. I just let myself wander, walking the whole day! Eventually, I ended up at the Powder Tower which I decided to climb for more great photos. I saw the eiffel tower (Petrin Tower) and headed for that next. It was a long walk to the tower, and another walk to the summit but totally worth it once I looked out upon Prague. Atop the hill, next to the Petrin Tower, was the house of mirrors. It was fun and I made some silly photos. I walked back into the Old Town and went to Clear Head, a well-known vegetarian restaurant, for dinner. The food was excellent; my favorite was the sun-dried tomato peanut pesto. I was beyond stuffed when I departed and walked the whole way home to help work off some food.

Sunday. I only had half a day to spend in the sunshine of Prague. I first went to Vysehrad, a fortress atop another small hill on the southern side of the Prague with a cathedral, large cemetery, and gardens. It offered even more views of Prague. Despite how many towers and hills I climbed, each view over Prague was truly unique. I didn't spend too much time atop Vysehrad as I wanted to visit the Communism Museum before I had to catch my bus. I had tried to find the museum the day before but had had no luck. Finally, after circling the block once more, I found it in the center of the block. It is as confusing as it sounds. It was well worth the second trip. I don't remembering learning too much about the political history of Czechoslovakia; I found it interesting to read about the details. Communism... Wow. I went for a warm lunch afterwards, as I would be on the bus for what would be dinnertime. I ate at another great vegetarian restaurant. Lonely Planet says that Prague isn't the most vegetarian friendly city in Europe but I think I have to disagree!

Great last minute decision; everyone should visit Prague.

Stateside

I used my frequent flier miles to take another trip home. At first, I did not make any plans in hopes to have a relaxing week. Unfortunately, that did not last long. I was busy but not as busy as during my trip home for the holidays. I was able to catch a Phish concert at Jones Beach, dinner at WD-50, a wedding in MA, Kenny's 25th birthday, and more!

WD-50 is worth noting as it was the best meal I have ever had. While I am a vegetarian, I believe my opinion is credible as many of the dishes were fish; I even ate snail (which apparently is related to seafood although I see them all the time here on the streets of Heidelberg). Jonathan and I both had the tasting menu, which was absolutely perfect as I love to eat lots of little things (aka appetizers) for my meal at restaurants. There were 12 dishes, which seemed to be broken down into 4 appetizers, 4 entrees, and 4 desserts. I could barely fit the final dessert into my stomach but I had to try everything! It is impossible to describe each dish as most of them I could not identify myself; Wylie Dufresne is known to use uncommon elements and techniques in his kitchen. For example, I enjoyed an ice cream bagel with freeze dried smoked salmon. It was incredible food in a vibrant atmosphere. Highly recommended!

Jonathan's cousin, Adrienne, got married last weekend in Concord, MA. The wedding was beautiful; it was held at a nearby country club. The weather was perfect and the ceremony was held in the evening on the porch of the clubhouse. It was the first jewish ceremony that I have every attended and it was everything I had hoped for, including the smashing of the glass (although when I found out that the glass is supposed to represent how fragile love is, it didn't seem like anyone should be smashing it). At the rehearsal dinner, the soon-to-be-bride asked me, "How common is the name 'von Glahn'? I explained that it was not common; in German, it translates to 'from Glahn' meaning my ancestors were once habitants from a place called Glahn. She continued by asking if I knew a Drew von Glahn. Although I had just explained how uncommon the name was, I denied any relation. The next day at the wedding, I was introduced to Drew von Glahn. He asked who my father was and surprised me when he said that he was first cousins with my father. He remembered playing as kids at the old house in Tarrytown... Who knew that I had to go to my boyfriend's family's wedding to meet my own family!

I have safely returned to Heidelberg where Tom is still obsessed with spiders and bees and Max is still obsessed with Hoffenheim : )