Sum Total

Germany is done with. I returned home bleary-eyed last night in a real crabby mood. Showered. Kissed the people sleeping in my bed without waking them up & felt a bit better. Crashed clutching my hurting head and before I knew it it was 10 am and a new day had dawned in my life and in Chennai.

It was an awesome few days. I had good company when I wanted. Lots of alone time when I needed it. High speed internet. I exercised a number of times. I explored trails and tracks and the whole town on foot. The weather was crisp and cold but not altogether unpleasant. The conference went well and I talked research for many hours with many intelligent people.

I did some minimal sight-seeing. It was not my first time in Germany (third or fourth time I have been there). I feel comfortable in that beautiful country now. I feel like I want to go back. I like their history. I especially like their old people, and I met one wonderful old lady who had tears in her eyes when we left her. I loved your enthusiasm Eve Maria Star, maybe we will meet again some day. 

I loved the trains. I loved traipsing around in the wonderful Inter-City Express, but also the tiny trams that took me to the little town we stayed in. Bad Herrenalb (pop. <10000!). This is right in the Black Forest, and had tons of beautiful trails going into the forest. It was like living in a fairy-tale. With a happy ending. And beer.

The images above are a collage of my experiences there. Except for the fact that I did not drink all that beer - that picture is from the internet (sorry!). The rest are my own. I drank some wonderful beers, I especially liked a thin but dark beer called Kostritzer. The last time I drank a Pils I really hated it, but the Pils I drank this time I liked, also.

My running was not quality running. It was exploring a new place alone running. It was pushing beyond the envelope running. It was being Indian and living in Chennai but getting out there at 6 am before anyone wakes up to crunch on the snow running (it was not all that much snow, but the temperatures were a little below 0 C). It was 'lets figure out how much you love running' running. The little green google map up there doesn't do justice to the wonder I felt.

I'll be back someday. To walk amidst tall Germans. To see apple-cheeked children carrying toboggans that I would like to try someday. Auf Wiedersehen!

Winter Wonderland

I find myself in Germany, for work. For a few days. My flight was as terrible as flights are wont to be these days. I was in the 'easy access to toilet' seat. The non-reclining one. At least I was in the aisle and next to a lady who was not super fat and spilling into my seat - nice, I thought, as I put my stuff down and fiddled around with blanket, ear phones, the case to put my glasses in, my neck pillow, and so on. But smaller the lady, smaller the bladder I guess. She had to pee several times, usually coinciding with the time I had just drifted off into slumber. I think its called 'a dose of one's own medicine' in some cultures. Though the crying children orchestra? That was just uncalled for, fate, just uncalled for.

On balance though, I got enough sleep. I saw a bit of Modern Family - which is my most favourite show next to Big Bang Theory. I ate some food. Not the disgusting veg puff they chose to serve at 2 am, but the breakfast they served in the morning before we landed in Frankfurt. That was okay, as airline food goes.

You know how I love traveling in trains? Well I love it more when I have less luggage. I have just a backpack and my usual pulling suitcase thing this time, and it was just awesome. I wouldn't much have minded doing this alone, but my colleague was with me and that was not so bad either. Four eyes are better than two in spotting track numbers and such! And keeping sight of which stop to hop off at. I thought wistfully about the beautiful German roads - how one might enjoy driving on it. But then not for long! The train wound its way up the mountains & forests - we are in the black forest region here - and it was all so beautiful and convenient.

We had a bit of hike to get from the train station here to the hotel (more like guest house) we are staying at. A steep climb! I am happy to say that I was only slightly winded. And that I blame on just feeling fat from reduced running mileage in the recent weeks. I kept glancing around, trying to see if running is even a remote possibility. Then it started snowing a bit and my fingers were really freezing and red and I forgot about that.

Outside my window, a little into the distance, I can see this ruin (or whatever). I googled this image as of course I don't bring cameras with me. At some point tomorrow I have to figure out what that is all about. And there is some talk about this town being a spa and a thermal cure place. Not that that interests me in the least bit, but ought to figure that out as well, soonish, out of idle curiosity and because it reminds me of Bath as depicted in long forgotten Georgette Heyer novels! (What? The empress was a die-hard fan and she told me its okay to read because its 'Historical Romance' back in college. And I actually liked them, so judge me!)

Meanwhile, its another day ripped out of the calendar of life. I am done with this one. My presentation is ready (finally!), my breath is caught (was a tough week in Chennai!), loved ones have received status updates, dinner is consumed (and, as a matter of fact, digested... these western 6 pm dinners take some getting used to!), and a tiny box of a twin bed beckons now... Who know what tomorrow will bring? I am charging my garmin at any rate!