Heidelberg is such a tiny town, that it feels so safe to me. Apparently, that feeling needn't always be correct. Like tonight for example, when I left Ziegler's early (due to some real load of crap music, and a bit lack of energy) and decided to go back through Hauptstrasse, just to find my bike; I somehow got chatted up by some random stranger who just wouldn't give it up. It starts with a "Hey, I think I know you. Mind if I talk to you?" (note: all auf Deutsch). Obviously I did mind and said "Sorry, hab' keine Zeit." yet that didn't help so the man starts talking to me anyway. What do you anyway say in these situations!? This led me to lie through my teeth. I gave him false information, the same false information I always give and last time I used it was in Amsterdam. The story goes that my name is Emma (sometimes Anna), I study Law, I have a boyfriend and I am heading to his place because of _____________ (whatever stupid excuse comes up in that precise moment).
So this time "Anna" was in a hurry to get to her boyfriend because he was feeling sick and was completely alone (now that I think of it; it is the crappiest excuse ever!). Anna also studied Law and was in her fourth semester. Well... when that part came up (because he asked me what I studied and which semester I was in), he said "How come you don't know me!? I'm also in my fourth semester!" Hmm... maybe because I am lying through my teeth right now? However, I think he was too. Luckily he left me alone!
So as soon as I saw my bike, which now is again finally repaired, I hopped on it and peddled away along the then dark Neckar.
There are so many things that I love about biking at night in Heidelberg! Not only do you get to different places quickly but there are other things I notice when I bike than when I walk or even less, take the bus.
To list some, the first thing would be the quite empty streets in the calm quarters close to our residence in Feld. Beautiful houses with great big windows that I adore, clean smooth streets, pretty cosy street lamps and so on à la Wisteria Lane.
I also love biking, and then looking up at sky, trying to find star constellations. So far I can almost always find Orion's Belt and The Big Dipper - not that it is hard to find them in general. Then I recognize parts of constellations but I never remember the full pattern or the name either. Often when I stare up at the sky while the bike is continuosly rolling down the road, I need to remind myself to look down and focus, there were some times when I came close to knocking something over.
Then there are a couple of ponds on our Feld Campus. And after midnight, more like after 1am or towards 2 am, you can hear this massive noise of frogs "ribbitting" away in the night. Their voices just echo and bounce off all the building walls; it is pretty cool!
One sad thing that I just figured out is that I have a problem with lactose. I am not lactose intolerant but I do have some form of allergy. I get spots on my face when I eat an excess of lactose. And that happens quite often. Yoghurt and cheese are two of my most favourite food to eat! So I have to cut that out of my eating habits now..
Second my only pair of black pants are quite ruined, somehow when I bike the colour of those particular pants ware off, resulting in them having a very lighter shade of black on my pants' bossum, in a nice shape of my bike seat. Wierd isn't it?
PS. Mom do not worry about the Hauptstrasse-thingy..
Haha, Bianca, first you post something upsetting and then you put a PS like that to your mother. :-D
ReplyDeleteI'd love to meet Anna Emma. Or I'd like her to meet Helen, from Antwerpen, who studies Ethnology. (Remember?)
Haha, I know. Well so far she hasn't called me or mentioned it.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, lovely idea! I think you'll be meeting Emma since Anna is Emma's coverstory. :P