Today I rode my last DeutscheBahn train of my entire time here. It was a bitter-sweet experience, since every train in Western Germany seems to be running a perpetual 30 minutes behind (if you are lucky, that is), but it is still a luxury to be able to travel so easily within Europe. I was visiting my dear friend and frequent travel partner, Leslie, as she prepares to pack up and leave Mannheim. She is flying back to Canada the same day that I am, just at a 10min difference on another plane with several stop overs. Have fun, Leslie. My flight is direct.
This visit had the added bonus of another friend from back home, Nicholas Wuestefeld. Such a German last name. He has only been here for a week, and if flying back to Canada tomorrow from Frankfurt. He decided to have a mini-vacation (and apparently his first) while the lot of us are over here completing a semester or year abroad. Together the three of us visited the main Mannheimer Weihnachtmarkt, which was beautiful, large, and really not all that packed with people, although it is a Tuesday. As we stuffed our faces with Flammkuchen and Pommes, I could not help but notice that it is significantly warmer in Mannheim. Is it only Hessen and all that is north that has been hit by Winter? I doubt it, but man, is that not fair. I am freezing my arsh off up here. That winter came so quickly is quite a surprise to every German here. Normally in Hessen there is not a lasting layer of snow until late January. Evidently I brought the snow over with me from Canada, or so I am told. I could have done with the delayed snow fall, but I guess a white Christmas is in order. Hopefully it stays until then, while over the next few days the temperature is set to get a little warmer and it will rain a lot. Snow leading up to Christmas, but then gone by that day?
I feel as though I have been doing a lot of travelling this past week. First there was Visbek from Thursday until Monday, and then today, Mannheim. I can not begin to count the number of trains that I have hopped to and from with connections. The final two days of Visbek were unbelievably wonderful. On the Saturday I went with my cousin Franzi and her new beau to Oldenburg for the Weihnachtmarkt. I have never seen Oldenburg before, and while it was very, very cold, it was so beautiful. The Markt was set up in the Aldstadt (old part of town), around the church, and stretched on in so many different directions. We looked around a bit, drank some Gluehwein, which tastes pretty good in Oldenburg - the worst that I have had yet was in Bremen during the time I was waiting for my connecting train - and ate by a little chain restaurant called "Hardy's." It may be fast food there, but the atmosphere is very classy. It is themed around the turn of the 20th century. I ate currywurst, which I knew that I had to try in Germany at least once before leaving since it seems to be pretty popular. Actually, the Germans cook often with curry.
The Sunday following I had forgotten to set my alarm, and so I slept until about 11.00, which is ridiculous considering that I went to bed at 22.00 the night prior. I have been sick for the past 5 days; just a regular cold, but I have not slept that long in ages! My cousins Franzi and Niklas slept in quite late also, and Louisa was not there that night. Sunday was a quiet day then, a much needed quiet day, and I think that the rest really did me well. That night I visited more family down the street (everyone seems to live so close together) and answered questions about how everyone back in Canada is, what I have been doing, and how I have found my time here in Germany. That last question is answered with a simple whine about how I am not ready to go back.
With school supposedly on Monday (it ended up "snowed out"), I said goodbye to my cousins and wished them well, encouraging them to come visit and stay by Monique and myself when they get the chance. It was my first real taste of the goodbyes I am going to have soon, and I did not like it at all. While I was anxious to get the travelling back to Wetzlar over with, I could have stayed there easily another day or two without question. It was really too short. Life started up again for my family on Monday though, with errands to run and the cousins having a day off of school. I spent the morning getting some fresh air around tiny Visbek, and taking pictures. I had almost forgotten how adorable the town is. The locals probably are sick of how small it is, on some level, but to my foreign eye, it was heaven brushed with snow.
Franzi, Uncle Werner, and Tante Afra drove me to my train that afternoon, and I hugged them tightly before hopping onto the train. It is a painful memory, thinking of their faces through the train window as it pulled away. Afra mentioned that she had wished they had done more with me while I was there, but in all honesty, the rest was what I needed. I am so fortunate to have such an amazing family, and one that only would speak German with me to boot! The practice did me wonders also.
The trip to Visbek I had been waiting for since I got here. I knew that it would be wonderful to see the family again, but I also knew the once the visit was over, I would only have a week and a half left in Germany. That is the point that I am at now. When I left Visbek, time sped up again. Six hours on trains to Wetzlar can eat up an afternoon in the blink of an eye. I was home by 20.00 Monday night. Mia was still awake, and she ran to welcome me home and tell me about her weekend. I am going to miss that little girl's tiny arms.
-Candles
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