Wurmlingen Chapel (10-01-04)

We could not have picked a more perfect day to go hiking. Guess we were able to bring a little South African weather to Tüebingen with clear, sunny skies.In fact the weather was so good that Marion had to wear her sunglasses to shield out the glaring rays...a rare sight in Tüebingen during this time of the year.With the arrival of the last few students, we took off for Wurmlinger Kapelle. Walking through the town of
Tüebingen is always a new experience, as you´re bound to see something you may have missed the first few times, like a bakery or bookstore. Something we had not seen previously was the Tübingen castle. With such magnificent architecture on the outside one can only imagine the grandeur of what the castle walls enclose. What was interesting to learn was that students actually attend lectures in the castle. The castle houses the schools of Anthropology, Archaeology as well as a museum.It was wonderful being outdoors, walking through the forest and breathing in the crisp morning air. Pine and oak trees soared like skyscrapers towards the heavens, whilst every inch of the forest floor was covered by the fallen winter leaves. Hiking through the forest was quite an adventure and proved to be more challenging for some than others. However, in true South African spirit we encouraged each other until we all finally reached the summit. The regular pittstops and delicious snacks provided by Marion also helped things along. Needless to say, the view from Wurmlinger Kapelle was breathtaking. Far into the horizon one could see the pine trees of the Black forest. The little village of Wurmlingen, to which the chapel belongs could easily be viewed. Castle Hohenzollern (which we will visit next week) and was also closeby. Our descent to Hirschau proved to be even more enjoyable. Everyone was really excited about lunch. Eventually we could not contain our excitement and we had to break out into song and dance. It was fantastic to walk through the streets of Germany singing traditional South African songs and bringing smiles to the locals faces. Once we made our way down to the Emka Reception (in traditional African style), we were treated to hot meal known as Gulas soup. A perfect way to end the hike!

Report by Ruwaida Sirkhot (University of Durban-Westville)