Hike – Sunday 9th January

by Fran Heathcote

If I were to be completely truthful about things, I would have to admit that when Barbara joyfully announced that we would be going on a hike, my heart sank a little…like Black Hole of Calcutta ‘little’. Aimlessly trampling around in freezing, slushy snow in minus degree temperatures did not exactly lift my spirits nor fill me with eager enthusiasm. However, my expectations were thankfully completely misguided and I ended up having one of the best little walks I have ever experienced!

There is a beautiful little wood just outside the town of Tuebingen and it truly is the stuff fairy tales are made of: tall pine trees artfully decorated with snow and wonderful views of the surrounding areas with the kind of clarity that you only get in really cold weather. The sun was even shining and not a cloud could be seen! How more lucky could we get? I think I wore very single item of clothing I packed and even though I suspect that I may have looked like Michelin Man, I wasn’t too cold! Nicki and Marion guided us through the city gates of Tuebingen and the alleyways of the castle to get to the woods on the other side. We took the walk very slowly with plenty of little breaks to admire the surrounding country side – and, of course, to replenish our energy from the seemingly endless supply of chocolate that our remarkably fore-sighted guides had brought!

Our destination was a little chapel at the top of a hill which was unfortunately closed, although we still had the opportunity to admire the amazing views and the meticulously well-kept graveyard. In fact, I decided there and then that if I am to be buried, I too would like my grave to be decorated with a Christmas tree during the festive season! After a quick photo shoot, we all trundled off down the hill to a sports/fitness gym where we enjoyed a delicious lunch of goulash soup and homemade bread or vegetarian pizza. After that long walk I didn’t even feel guilty about tucking into extra-large helpings of everything, even with the members of this gym wandering past in very-active-and-fit-looking clothing! I do believe, however, that we may have enjoyed our lunch a little too much – it’s rather difficult to walk quickly on a rather full tummy and when the Germans mean it is a 6.45 minute walk to the bus stop, they mean exactly that – not a 10 minute South African dawdle as we heave our tummies along with us! We had to run the last little bit to catch the bus but miraculously we all made it, and half an hour later or so we found ourselves, once again, back in front of our hostel.

Many thanks to our encouraging guides – ever a wealth of information regarding the city, the woods and the university, as well as a never-ending supply of chocolate! Willy Wonka has nothing on you guys! It really was a super-fantastisch day! Thank you!