After class I have a quick bite then go to the Israel 60th birthday celebration right in the middle of town. The event is organized by the Students Union of the High School for Jewish Studies with the support of the Oberburgermeister (Lord Mayor) of Heidelberg. There’s an introduction from the German – Israel Committee and an address by Dr. Joachim Gerner, Burgermeister fur Bildung und Kultur (Deputy Mayor for Education and Culture) who had just returned from Israel. I talk to him afterwards about speaking at the local High School. There are information tables from The Friendship Circle Heidelberg – Rehovot (Rehovot, Israel is a sister city) and Die Neuapostolische Kirche (New Apostolic Church – who run a sort of “Jews for Jesus” group) The event also offers a crash-course to learn some Hebrew and later Israeli folk dancing. On the way home I make a quick trip to the little supermarket and find that beer costs €0.40 a half-liter bottle (about 70 cents) plus €. 08 deposit! However the bad news is that for the first time the price for beer at the Munich Oktoberfest will rise to over the €8 mark; that is about $12 a liter!
On Saturday I go over to the Hotel ISG and spend an hour on emails. I cannot access the Internet in my guesthouse. The weather has been lovely and sunny with highs of about 80 and about 50 at night; the humidity seems very low. Montserrat Caballé, the famous opera diva and now 75 is giving a recital this evening in Heilbronn, about an hour away on the road to Stuttgart. Instead I drive down the hill to the huge Famila Shopping Center, which being Saturday is a zoo! I drop off shirts at the cleaners and pay up front €2.50 a shirt (about $3.75) and they’ll be ready on Wednesday. I walk through the enormous supermarket and treat myself to a plastic ice cube tray and a proper coffee mug plus a few other food items for €12. In addition I stop at the Provencal-type olive shop and spend another €10 on olives, hummus and a delicious cream cheese spread.
Later I drive into Heidelberg, stop at my favorite bar by the cathedral and have a very special experience. I order a beer, when a gentleman comes over and asks if he can sit down. We start talking and I tell him that I’m in Heidelberg taking German lessons. He asks where and I tell him “F & U Academy”. He laughs and says that he’s the Director, his name is Karl-Heinz Rippel; such a coincidence! We have a lovely conversation in German, with him correcting me every once in a while. He apologizes and I tell him that I appreciate it. I also tell him about living in Boxberg, he gives me his card and suggests that I come to see him and he will help. I talk about moving to Wiesbaden and he thinks it a bad idea. “Wiesbaden like Baden Baden and Bad Homberg are very quiet and only for old people! Heidelberg and Munich are lively with lots of young people and lots to do”. He is right about Heidelberg; if I lived in town I could go to a concert or other event every night.
We part and I go to the organ concert in the cathedral. The concert is very interesting and includes works by Buxtehude, Bach and César Franck. I talk to two Americans, one an organist, who explains that this Steinmeyer organ is about 10 years old; many German church organs were installed or rebuilt for the 2000 Centennial. This pipe organ is air driven (by electricity) and the pedals and keys are all mechanically connected to the pipes; however there are also electronic connections, which regulate the pipes. Fascinating!
Photos:
Heidelberg 2A#012
Israel Day, Heidelberg 2#003
Israel Day, Heidelberg 2#002
Cathedral, Heidelberg 2#005
On Saturday I go over to the Hotel ISG and spend an hour on emails. I cannot access the Internet in my guesthouse. The weather has been lovely and sunny with highs of about 80 and about 50 at night; the humidity seems very low. Montserrat Caballé, the famous opera diva and now 75 is giving a recital this evening in Heilbronn, about an hour away on the road to Stuttgart. Instead I drive down the hill to the huge Famila Shopping Center, which being Saturday is a zoo! I drop off shirts at the cleaners and pay up front €2.50 a shirt (about $3.75) and they’ll be ready on Wednesday. I walk through the enormous supermarket and treat myself to a plastic ice cube tray and a proper coffee mug plus a few other food items for €12. In addition I stop at the Provencal-type olive shop and spend another €10 on olives, hummus and a delicious cream cheese spread.
Later I drive into Heidelberg, stop at my favorite bar by the cathedral and have a very special experience. I order a beer, when a gentleman comes over and asks if he can sit down. We start talking and I tell him that I’m in Heidelberg taking German lessons. He asks where and I tell him “F & U Academy”. He laughs and says that he’s the Director, his name is Karl-Heinz Rippel; such a coincidence! We have a lovely conversation in German, with him correcting me every once in a while. He apologizes and I tell him that I appreciate it. I also tell him about living in Boxberg, he gives me his card and suggests that I come to see him and he will help. I talk about moving to Wiesbaden and he thinks it a bad idea. “Wiesbaden like Baden Baden and Bad Homberg are very quiet and only for old people! Heidelberg and Munich are lively with lots of young people and lots to do”. He is right about Heidelberg; if I lived in town I could go to a concert or other event every night.
We part and I go to the organ concert in the cathedral. The concert is very interesting and includes works by Buxtehude, Bach and César Franck. I talk to two Americans, one an organist, who explains that this Steinmeyer organ is about 10 years old; many German church organs were installed or rebuilt for the 2000 Centennial. This pipe organ is air driven (by electricity) and the pedals and keys are all mechanically connected to the pipes; however there are also electronic connections, which regulate the pipes. Fascinating!
Photos:
Heidelberg 2A#012
Israel Day, Heidelberg 2#003
Israel Day, Heidelberg 2#002
Cathedral, Heidelberg 2#005
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