First Challenge: German Visa
Well, I waited exatly 2 months until I received it (from 2. Sep. to 2. Nov.). Quite slow ja.
I expected to celebrate Halloween (for the very first time) in Germany but that did not come true. :(
Ok, part of the reasons for being so late are on me, this July I spent my Summer holiday in Japan. Hence, I started to make preparations until August. However, visiting Torishirojima has the highest priority in my heart than any other things. Plus, a period of 2 months is way too long under any circumstances and in any country. Unacceptable man.
Verdammt, Bundesamt für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten, FICK DICH.
The following parts of this article would be updated in the next days.
Day 1: Shanghai -> Frankfurt am Main
I arrived at Flughafen Frankfurt (FRA) after 14 hours of airtrip. Frankfurt is not as “big” as I imagined before. Yeah, It’s not that modern and shocking when you put it with Shanghai or Tokyo, at the very first glance. But the goods price here is quite big. I bought a coke and a choco with 2,5€ for both at a shop near Frankfurt train station. (They would cost ca. 1,5€ in Germany as usual.)
I only stay here for one night. No time for further exploration.
Day 2: Frankfurt am Main -> Heidelberg
I ordered a Ride on FreeNow on the second morning with ca. 110€ and go to have a look at the apartment I will move in, at Im Eichwald, Heidelberg. Well, it’s not even fully furnished. I would stay in the nearby hotel for a week. Unlucky again :(.
After that, I went down the steep hill roads to have my first glance at Heidelberg Alte Brücke. It was a quite long way down there with several catholic churchs scatter on it. I also see for the first time the trains running on the same roads with cars.
With feet you will need over 1 hour to get to that site. However, the awesome landscape alongside River Neckar worths all the tiredness and efforts. The Winter sky in Germany is said to be always cloudy (at least for this day, all day long). But I can clearly imagine how gourgeous it would look like in Spring or Summer.
I also tasted the food in the students’ restaurant. It’s not bad (day 5 edit: no it’s bad, you would not like to eat it all the year). It’s just so strange and “eatable” to a minimum anyway.
The way back to Im Eichwald was a nightware: OVER 30 degree rampway starting from Rohrbach to Im Eichwald. There’s also a graveyard on the way. I realized then, life here without a bicyclec (day 5 edit: without public transport) will be a big challenge and no joke, I will become a top athelete before I graduate from Uni Heidelberg. :) Besides, I also find other problems already. I must solve them asap and yeah the most important, buy a bicycle tomorrow.
So tired and so much for this day.. Gute Nacht.
Day 4: Relish the Moment alongside the Neckar River
This day was the first Saturday since I’d been here. And the first day of sun. Good weather always give man good moods. I managed to fix some problem (with my Chinese SIM Card) last night. There’re still many things undone.
In the morning I ride down the countryroad to Kaufland and DM to get a German phone number (the fellow students recommended me to buy a prepaid Vodafone CallYa SIM Card) and to buy some life necessities. On the way here and there I encountered a big school of pigeons, so cute.
I bought a Döner Kebab for lunch. I must say it was a lifesaver in one such Sahara of Fine Foods: Deutschland. A Drehspiess mit Hähnchen is sold for 6€. Well, it’s not only goat in quality (the taste) but also fantastic when it comes to quantity. I love Kebab.
The Neckar River under sufficient sunlight is quite beatiful. I took several photos.
Enjoy it, at least at present.
Day 5: Try the public transport for the first time
I think the time and money I spent for the previous days are sadly wasted :(. The public transport is way too easy and convenient.
Also tried the Pide mit Döner. It’s peak.
So much for today. Many of the problems are solved. Life is changing towards a better direction. Happy.
New Week, Uni life and great challenges
OK. Use one picture to describe the first Uni days:
“Everyday in the d**ned uni is not good.”
Pick your opponent:
English with
- Sauerkraut flavour (Deutsch)
- Curry flavour (Indian)
- Kebab flavour (Turkish)
- …
Well, nix klappt, tue ich nix. :(
But there’re still few good things in the dull life, like the (Black-headed) gulls I encountered on my way to the shitty students’ canteen. I even don’t believe they can be true. Almost the same as what I saw on Megijima. (but that was fake)
Let’s have a look:
The fake ones in Megijima:
I will move to my rented house this Friday. I think things are really getting better but I need to emphasize more on study and work hard..
Move into the apartment
Hello new life!
Snippets of the Days
Sidequest
Konomi
Konomi is a Japanese 喫茶店 running by a Japanese Grandma near Peterskirche (Peter’s Church) in Heidelberg Altstadt. It’s famous in the city and has awesome vibe inside. Matcha Latte and Japanese snacks like Takoyaki, Udon, Soba etc. are the signature products. I tried Matcha Latte (with standard milk) and Soba. That was good.
「Entschuldigung, 写真オーケー？」
「Haha, ja!」
Then I took the photos:
After I finished the dish, I gave the Grandma a classical 「ご馳走様でした！」. She was really delighted. :) I guess. I also bet that she came from Kyoto.
Min Ramen Bar
Bust on Bismarckplatz
