I know I've complained a bit about the cold. Okay, maybe more than a bit. But Heidelberg has totally changed it's tune with some of the most beautiful colors I've ever seen for Spring. When we moved here last year it was September and the flowers were still out, the weather was lovely, and the castle was gleaming. Being from Texas I was in awe of the pleasant temperatures outside. But then the cold hit and I didn't know what to do with myself.
Growing up in Dallas I wore gloves maybe a couple times a year. Really, if it snowed (a whole inch or two) or just for the fun of it. So wearing gloves, on purpose, every day was a whole new challenge. Sometimes I would take the dogs out in leggings and a sweatshirt and I quickly realized that just wasn't going to work. But as soon as Spring hit, Heidelberg turned a new leaf- literally. The flowers are in full bloom everywhere and I think the dreary cold was worth it to see the flowers.
We got back from Italy mid day on a Sunday. We left 11 days earlier to head to Italy and the weather was rainy and cold. Little did we know we'd come back to this…
I grabbed my camera and my bike and we headed outside to capture some of this beauty. The pictures don't do it justice but I just had to share some of these with you.
And because I can't ever just have a blog post with some pictures in it, I'm going to tell you a quick story about life abroad. Since we've been living here for 7 months, it's been fairly quiet in our neighborhood. There's a park just a few houses down where we take the dogs at least 5 times a day on walks. Well, as soon as we got back from Italy, the park seems to be overrun with people.
Which would be fine. Except they TRASH the park. For a country that seems to be overly obsessed with recycling, they don't care about letting other people pick up their barbecue rubbish. Every single day there is heaps of debris scattered around this lush green park. Luckily, there is a crew that picks it up in the morning. All the same, this made us realize how much we need a car.
Why do we need the car? So we can drive away from the par, up to the mountains, and go hiking with the dogs. Of course, there is public transportation. But picture us, leashes and walking in hand on a crowded tram in which we have exactly 4 minutes to hop from one tram to the next, running along with the dogs. It takes sometimes 40 minutes to go up the 4 miles up to the top. So a car would be ideal.
Michael knows exactly what kind of car he wants, so goes to a local dealer. He stands around the store for a while, no one wanting to help. Finally, a man comes by and asks what he's looking for. He tells him. His response: “No we don't have that, goodbye.” No negotiation. No, would you like to see another model. No… customer service. Nothing ever seems very easy.
Ah Germany. I love you. But you can be difficult. At least you're pretty!
UPDATE: May 2019
Heidelberg is still just as lovely as ever, even after living here for 3 years. the fluffy almond and cherry trees still flourish with flowers, there are wisteria covered homes, and it smells lovely as you stroll the cobble stone streets. Here are some updated photos from this year.
