Deutschland!!

I'm in Germany!! I'm actually in Frankfurt right now, but I don't think I'll finish this post today. Yesterday (Monday 9/6) I was lucky and it was nice and sunny, but today it is raining and in the 50s! I wanted to go up the Main Tower, but apparently it's not worth it if there isn't good visibility, so I decided not to waste my money. Instead, of course I went to H&M and bought some jeans I'm going to have to carry around for 3 months. They were on sale, so that makes it okay, right?
Being here is making me remember everything I loved about living in Germany. I went down by the Main river, which runs right by my hostel, and a million people were biking, jogging, rollerblading, walking, or sitting on the benches and just watching the people go by. I love how half of them weren't just there to get some exercise - biking along a river is just their normal means of transportation.

Frankfurt skyline

I also walked around the neighborhood I'm staying in a lot, Sachsenhausen, which is apparently the hip place to be with the best gay clubs. Unfortunately, I'm still very jetlagged so I was out by 9pm. The old part, Alt Sachsenhausen, supposedly has the best Apfelwein pubs, where they sell wine made from apples. I thought I was buying some, but instead I bought just the normal apple juice. It was good though! One thing I noticed was there are lots of small parks with playgrounds and usually tennis courts or some sort of field. These were packed with kids, parents, teenagers, and even older people visiting on the benches. I think it's great for kids to go to the park after school. They gain social skills while being active outside instead of sitting in front of a TV. There was even a building I saw with tables and art supplies inside where older kids can do homework while their siblings play, or on days like today they can do art or read books or just play with other kid inside.
I've been through Römerberg, Frankfurt's old center square, quite a bit because it's right across the river from me and I pass through it whenever I walk anywhere.

Römerberg

The 14th and 15th century houses were destroyed in WWII, but they've been rebuilt. While they were rebuilding, they uncovered some ruins of an old Roman Bathhouse. Right around the corner is the Kleinmarkthalle, which is kind of like an indoor Farmers' Market. I love how they tell you where all the fruits and vegetables come from on the label. They even do that in grocery stores. There were also a few bread stands, some cheese, plants and seeds, "foreign" foods (mostly dates and figs and different spices and nuts and other Turkish type foods) and lots of meat. I walked down the Saalgasse, which is a street where a different architect built each house after the war, so they all are built differently, and the Fressgasse, which is filled with most likely overpriced restaurants.
Ok…now I'm in Heidelberg, but I was in Würzberg for 2 days before this. I met a Japanese girl in Frankfurt, and when we were both about to check out we found out that we were going to the same place next! We weren't in the same room though. My only roommate was on older woman who talked to me really fast in German and was not very deutlich. And by that I mean she slurred all her words together.

Hi! it's pouring rain and I'm hiking through the vineyards!

So now I am in Heidelberg! I'm working on my pre-semester assignments for studying abroad in Auroville, India and enjoying my time here! The sun has finally come out!