Der Früling in Heidelberg

Der Früling is just around the corner. Who or what is der Früling? It's the spring! The season, not the creaky things in beds. It has been a cloudy and cold winter in Germany and spring is definitely trying to take hold. 

If only Mother Nature would cooperate. I have decided though, that Mother Nature is a cruel and vengeful witch when she gave us one week of sunshine and temps above 50F° and then took it all away and replaced it with clouds and a biting cold wind from former East Germany. So that's what we get for tearing down the wall, huh? Cold wind? Thanks. Thanks a lot.

It is Good Friday today so everything is closed up tight and the roads are empty.

See?

After running a quick errand, I saw how deserted town seemed and so I took a quick drive around Heidelberg. Streets that are usually packed with bikers and pedestrians had become ghost towns. The sky was mostly cloudy, but the sun kept trying to peek out and so I walked along the Neckar and enjoyed my city.

The river was slow and lazy today, meandering down from villages higher up in the canyon and sliding quietly by me.

The river was so calm that these two guys were able to do this.

I walked along the river and noticed across from me daffodils had sprung up along the banks.

Bunches of crocus had erupted in formerly all green lawns.

The clouds were getting thicker and the air still had a chill of winter about it, but everywhere you looked it was undeniable that spring was fighting its way into our little corner of Germany.

I stood under the bridge, waiting for the sun to come out one last time (it didn't) so I could a picture of the river with the sun sparkling off of it. When I finally realized the clouds were here to stay I looked up and saw I was right under the old gate tower. 

To millions of people all over the world, Heidelberg will just be that place where they had an amazing vacation. Not me. It will be that place where I lived for a year. Where I walked, and ate, and got lost, and turned the wrong way on Einbahnstraßes (one way streets), and looked for parking, and made friends, American and German. And lastly, where I started to think, "hey, I can do this. I can live in Germany." Because for awhile there, I thought I couldn't.

I walked back to my car and passed tourists getting on buses.

The streets had been fairly empty, all except for these guys. Apparently they didn't get the memo that Germany shuts down Easter weekend. 

Just like spring was slowly working its way through Germany and taking hold, Germany was slowly working its way through me. And taking hold. I drove home thinking about no matter where I move to next or where I go in this world, I will always have been a Heidelberger at one point in my life. 

Which means I will never have to go in here.

Tschüß,

Kelly*

*Heidelberger du jour.