Where it began - back to the roots

Eponym of the best pub in the world.

Just a few minutes ago I listened to a German song with a line - if you translate it - "Where it begins!". For me all the "madness" began after leaving a sheltered home after twelve and a half years of pleasant school and high-school time. With the possibility given by a prolonged Christmas break of course I just had to return to where it began and so I did at the beginning of the now already passed week. This is a short account of this travel.

The sky is grey, it looks like it is about to start raining. Feels more like my new home in Sweden than the sunniest city in Germany. And yet it feels right. Few hours to go till "we" meet in the city centre to haunt the pubs. "We" of course are all the physicist football players from "good old times" and my best friend where I stay for the two days in Heidelberg. It is even all right that he is not a physicist. ;) Using the time I inflate my air matress in my friend's kitchen/living room, throw the sleeping bag on top and we dive into profound conversations. Well, more or less ...

19:45 - we start to walk to University Square. Over the bridge, Bismarck Square, Main Street, ... this is just right, this is where it began, feels like coming home. University Square, we meet the others and start off to Hardrock Café Heidelberg. Beer for 1,- cocktails for 4,- - the usual start of a good evening. Only it is crowded as a rock concert. Surprise, surprise with beer prices like this. As soon as we captured one of the tables a waitress arrives and asks if she already should brink us a whole crate. We pretend good manners and refuse kindly, everybody ordering only one beer instead.

The reason is that afterwards we decide to go on in direction of - what else - BRASS MONKEY!!! :) The only interruption on our way there is a vicious call for food: "WEEEE EAT A SUB NOW!" Only problem: The store is closed. The sign says "open" but the door which even resists the food-craving attack of a hungry physicist proves the opposite.

Third wonder of the world in Heidelberg:
Brass Monkey Menu Tower.
The blurry image has nothing
to do with alcohol (except the menus ...).
It is just to keep people out of the picture in
case they want to stay anonymous.

So we continue our way slightly disillusioned about Subway as this was not the first time that this happened at this very same store ... However, the disillusion does not last for long as we soon enter Brass Monkey. Rustic interior, dim light, a counter filling half of the room, rows and rows of Whisky and other stuff, kicker, darts, ... - no doubt: still the best pub in the world - by far. We occupy the largest table and order food - a few "house burgers" and a "bacon burger". This is worth mentioning as after a few minutes one of the waitresses (still the same as always :) ) approaches our table to silently disclose that there is no bacon left. How is this even possible? There is always bacon! If nothing else is left then there is bacon! And beer of course ... We cannot believe it and after some time the incident shows to be a disaccord - the waitress returns and conveys the relieving message: Of course there is bacon left. And even better: Tonight is Bingo night!

So after one of the other waitresses manages to explain the rules and the layout of the unfamiliar looking Bingo sheets to nine stubborn physicists and a chemist without going completely mad we join the game. In the course of the evening we win free drinks for approximately everybody plus two bottles of sparkling wine. Phew ...

After hours and hours of burgers, Bingo, Guinness (Brass Monkey is an Irish Pub) and kicker this first wonderful evening in Heidelberg draws to an end ... almost. After leaving our second home in Heidelberg and diffusing into different cardinal directions two of us cross the Old Bridge to make our way home. Immediately at the northern point of the Old Bridge starts the "Snake Path" leading to the Philosopher's Path ... Easy, straight forward way along the Neckar on the left hand, steep, winding, hellish Snake Path (the name does not come without good reason) straight ahead. Well, the decision is easy so we make our way up the "Hallow's Mountain" towards Philosopher's Path. It is some climbing to do but even at night the view over Heidelberg is spectacular.

Snake Path in the middle of the night.

Further adventures we leave for other days to come and make it home afterwards. Only to find: The air mattress looses air ... dadum. At least the sleeping bag I borrowed from my brother is warm enough. Actually, the broken air mattress is not even annoying as I dream away in fond memories of rock hard physics exercises and panic slowly setting in a few days before exams ... Well, of course these are not really the fond memories but they are as well part of the madness that began in Heidelberg - the madness of becoming a physicist and most of all the madness of a new life. :) (Just to make sure: Madness is not a purely negatively connoted word. ;) )

Part two is to follow soon.