Gulliver's travels

December 26th

It was wild picking Kim up from the airport. It is really wierd to see someone you know from the states and show them around Germany. I forget how different things are for other people because I am so used to the way things are here. After meeting Kim, the three of us, including Janina, headed back to Heidelberg where we would be spending the next three days with Janina's Uncle Richie, Aunt Beate, and Cousin Lena. The first thing we did after arriving, was head into the city center of Heidelberg to give Kim a first impression of Heidelberg. I think it worked! It was nice because we were pretty much the only tourists out since it was still the 2nd day of Christmas and everything was closed. This meant that most of the American and Japanese tourists that are normally crowding the streets were not to be seen...except for Kim and I. That evening, Janina's family had a dinner planned at a restaurant that they usually go to every year. We decided to come along and make the group even bigger. It was fun and the food was delicious, but the portions were overwhelming. We recieved a plate for of Schnitzel which lasts a normal person 3 whole meals!!

December 27th

Janina's Uncle Richie took Kim and I on a driving tour of Heidelberg. First we ent to the castle and did the tour there so that kim could get pictures and see the famous landmark. Then we went from there to the monasteries that are on the mountain opposite the castle. From there you can get a breathtaking view of the castle. After that we went to the Thingstätte, which was a place used by the Nazis for rallying and Propaganda in the 1930's. I had seen all of this before but it was fun to tell Kim everything I knew about the places and to get Richie's input. He said these things are the must sees of Heidelberg and I agreed. That night the three of us went out ti Vater Rhein a local Restaruant and pub that is quite cheap.

December 28th

After shopping in the Haupstrasse, we decided to head to Mannheim, so that Kim could see another city, since we had pretty much exhausted Heidelberg. We just walked around the city and then sat in a cafe. Later Janina came to join us and we had Döner for dinner. This is a turkish version of a gyro and is the most popular form of fast food available in Germany. There are Döner stands on every corner.

To be continued....