Last Train to Weimar

Today was a travel day- a 2 hour train ride from from Tubingen to Frankfurt, most of which I slept through, followed by a 3-hour ride from Frankfurt to Weimar, which was breathtaking. Foothills covered with dense forests set against bright blue skies and white marble clouds, villages full of red-roofed wood-frame cottages surrounding Protestant churches with metal sculptures of roosters atop their steeples. Patchworks of farmland, crystal clear rivers, winding country roads and the crumbling ruins of medieval castles atop steep cliffs. I didn’t want to close my eyes for fear of missing something. The sunlight was the most perfectly clear pre-dusk hue, and made everything appear to glow. Juanma, Darut, Abi, Majd and I had dinner at the most authentic of German restaurants, the furniature was all dark upholstered oak and the place was full of kitchy knick-knacks. Greasy food, good beer, and a great conversation about politics. I’ve definitely noticed a difference in architecture now that we’ve crossed over into the former GDR, or maybe just because this town had to be completely rebuilt after the war. It looks more like Krakow, planning-wise, with its straight, wide streets and boxy buildings, but it’s much cleaner and quieter. It’s strange to think of this small sleepy town as the cultural center of Nazism so many years ago.