Untitled Page 288

29.3.60
Hi Sweetie -

And from Heidelberg finally! We left Oppenheim at 9, were here by 11am. The
ride was quite lovely, all along the base of the range of hills which we were on
top of last night. The view up there was even lovelier in the bright morning
sunshine that at twilight or after dark - though each time has its special beauty
really. All along this morning we passed fruit trees in blossom, more than we have
ever seen before - white, pink, yellow, and the bright light green of new leaves -
like a pastel rainbow under the blue skies!

On arriving we dropped our gear off at the hostel (the largest in
Germany, almost 600 beds, quite modern and nice, but no showers! Then
we rode on into town, stopped at the railroad station to buy this week's Time,
then at American Express for mail (because of geography, not in order of
importance!) I got two more newsy letters from Mom, and three from you,
my love. One of Mom's was postmarked the 24th but your most recent was
only the 21st (8 days!). Will check again tomorrow, but apparently it's pretty
slow getting here (Stuttgart is a major air terminal, perhaps thats' the difference)
and thus I'll have a stack at the Burg, where it all catches up! Sounds
like you had a nice vacation, sweetheart, at least in first 3 days. I'll bet
you were glad to get through finals, too - I usually have that "will it
ever end?" feeling - except for the last two wonderful quarters when I
had you to take my mind off of it. (Time out here for a snack - 3 thick slices
of fresh, wonderful graham bread and jam - we've tried many varieties of bread,
a loaf a day between us, but this is the best so far!) Here at the Burg we
don't have time to get bothered - finals come and go too fast in two quick
days, so even without you to "distract" me it wasn't bad. And next quarter
I can pack for a plane ride instead of studying!

We went first this morning to the university mensa (cafeteria) for another
good cheap lunch (these are usually better and cheaper even than hostels).
Then we left the bikes and set out on foot to wander around the old part
of town. Walked along the Neckar as far as the Alte Brücke, which was once
a wood covered bridge, the only entry into town across the river, with a
tower above one end to control entry. From here it is a short distance to
the Heilig Geist church, the best known in the city. It was been completely
rebuilt, looks the same as before outside and quite modern within. The
inside was one of the best jobs of moderinization I've seen - with more
light, more sense of free open space, good use of glass, etc. The basic shape
remains the same, but the tone of it is completely changed, and for me