The road less travelled and the HIGHWAY!

June 1 – June 5, 2005:

Hello All!

Last Wednesday I got a new roommate. She, Katie, is a chemical engineering student from
Kansas and she is working here at the university for 2 months. She's really nice and seems
to have alot of experience travelling already since she's studied in Spain and has
friends all around the globe. That same day a civil engineering friend, that I met at the
Hausmeister's office while signing my dormitory contract, showed me a little more of
downtown Stuttgart. I saw a lovely garden full of fountains, forests, and flowers. We
climbed a tower that resembled a twisted suspension bridge turned up-right. At the top
there was a great view of the city only you couldn't see Stadtmitte since there was a
green hill in the way....so much greenery, it's nice.

On Thursday night I met up with a Canadian gal from Calgary. We saw Garden State......a
good movie but yet again in English.

Friday I left work a little early and took a train (make that 3 trains) to Feldberg
Bärental in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest). I then took a bus to a youth hostel way up in
the middle of a ski resort. I had called ahead to make sure there would be enough space
for me but I had no idea how much room they had. This hostel had room for 270 people yet
I was the only one there. Picture this: It was a dark and stormy night, the thunder was
rumbling in the distance as I climbed the 4 flights of squeaky wooden stairs to my room.
As I opened the door the shadows bounced around the room and the wind blew in through the
curtains. Being the sole guest at the hostel, I knew that the creaking of the building
was due to the strong winds.- ………I assume an ordinary person may have found it a bit
creepy but I thought it was very peaceful and I slept like a baby. Obviously there are
tons of people there in the middle of winter but I was told that in the summer there are
quite a few people there who go hiking and biking….I guess the weather wasn’t nice enough
for people this particular weekend. The next morning I got up and went downstairs where
the inclusive ‘breakfast buffet’ was waiting for me…..this consisted of one tray of food
specifically for me. I ate up, grabbed a few things from my big tray, packed all my stuff
in my red knapsack and hiked 15 km to Schlucksee. The walk was very beautiful, through
the forest, and at times I felt like I was walking in the clouds because it was such an
overcast day and the mist was rising up from the valley below. I got to the quaint lake-
side town by 11:30 (it was so fast because it was all downhill) and had just enough time
to make it to the tourist office. I found out a couple places to spend the night but
decided since I still had half the day I would keep on moving. I hoped on a bus, since I
got a free day-bus-pass from the hostel, to Titisee where I walked around the lake and
explored the touristy shops. The shops were filled with kitschy blue souvenirs and tons
of Coo Coo Clocks. At about 4 I tried to find a place to stay at the local hostels but
they were all booked up. I hadn’t travelled more than 30km from where I was the only
tourist and now I was in tourist central. After trying to figure out what to do I
persuaded myself to just ask any hotel if they had a room…..no matter how swanky, or out
my budget they were. The first place I tried had 1 tiny room left but it didn’t have a
bathroom in the room. I was not about to complain because for 24 euros I got a cosy bed,
a TV (don’t worry I didn’t watch too much), breakfast, and access to a pool and sauna.
The hotel even provided housecoats :) This just proves that it never hurts to ask…..a
lesson that I am slowly learning.

On Sunday I got up early, walked up a hill to a nice lookout, walked back and took a
quick dip in the pool, and headed by train to Freiburg. In Freiburg I visited 4 museums…
most of which were solely in German….but I was able o learn a little about the history of
the town. Also I visited Münsterplatz and saw a large church that had been built and re-
built many times over the last centuries. I climbed up the steeple and saw all the
people;) At 1:30 I saw up close and HEARD the small bells of the church chime…..I can’t
imagine how loud the hourly, couple tonne, bells would have been while standing right
next to them. I was so tired by the end of the day that it was nice to sit on the train
back to Stuttgart and chat with a man and his 2 year old daughter.

See ya,
Steph 

PS – If I don’t write for awhile it doesn’t mean I’ve disappeared of the face of the
earth....it just means I’m having fun in Germany!