Another beautiful day in Neckargemünd

Lebendiger Neckar

It really felt like summer this weekend (hence the sunglasses!). The sun finally came back out and it was a weekend of festivities to mark 'Lebendiger Neckar', or Living Neckar. That meant that all along the river between Mannheim and Eberbach there were events taking place.

Here in Neckargemünd there was 'Menzer Park Fest' in one of the local parks, with the main event being Saturday night when everyone gathered to listen to live music and pig out on things such as burgers, sausages, doughnuts and waffles from one of the many food and drink stands. I did intend to go, but having been in Heidelberg most of the day, headed back to my flat to get changed and have some dinner and then just as I left to go to Menzer Park Fest it started to rain and I decided that a evening in eating chocolate and watching The Thick of It was preferable...The rain got pretty heavy in the end so I think I made a good decision. Unfortunately there wasn't quite the same atmosphere when I went to see what was going on today - probably everyone who was there last night was too hungover to be out in Neckargemünd this morning, and that meant it was only small children and a few elderly people who were dancing along to the band that was playing. Needless to say, I didn't hang around long. 

Also taking place today here was Orientfest, where there were a few stalls selling Middle Eastern style food, clothes and other items, as well as a stage where local dance schools were performing. I went along because Joanne's daughter is part of a belly dancing and tribal dance group. Here is a photo from their performance:

It was interesting to see a dancing style that I haven't really seen before, apparently it is quite popular here. I was a bit shocked to see one of the women start belly dancing on the tables during her performance, but hey, she seemed to be enjoying herself.

I didn't stay in Neckargemünd too long, because there wasn't much more to see in all honesty. Instead I headed into Heidelberg, and as expected there was a lot more going on. 

Here on the Neckarwiese there were people EVERYWHERE, and loads of stalls selling things or promoting local schools and businesses, as well as hundreds of food and drink stands. It was a really nice atmosphere because there were areas set up with tables and chairs and people were all just sitting together eating and chatting. There were dance performances taking place here too; I stood at the streetdance stage for about 15 minutes and some of it was really impressive. There was also a ramp set up by the river for cyclists who wanted to do jumps into the river, and another group were doing rope gymnastics above the river which was cool to watch. I attempted to get a photo but you can't see very well.

I would loved to have gone into Mannheim to see what was taking place there too. As it's a much bigger city there probably would have been more to see. Unfortunately I didn't really think about it until too late, but I definitely have to get to Mannheim before I leave, apparently it's good for shopping too! Nevertheless, it was  still nice to have another weekend soaking up the sun in Heidelberg; I don't think I'll ever get bored of it. I really couldn't have asked to end up in a nicer location.

GO ENGLAND!!!!!

Yes, I seem to have got myself caught up in all the madness over Euro 2012... I, of course, was planning to watch England's games, but somehow every day I have found myself tuning in to watch whoever is playing. Maybe I'm more like dad that I thought! I'm following Germany very closely too, I figure that if/when England are out I can become an honorary German and still have a chance of winning. The atmosphere here would be absolutely amazing to witness if Germany actually won, even at this stage there are German flags everywhere and it's all people can talk about. Though aside from teasing Joanne and I about their games, there isn't quite as much interest about England as I expected. I went out with my flatmate and her friend yesterday to watch the game and for a while we were sitting cheering along in an otherwise largely silent bar. Nothing could dampen our spirits though (Cappi joining me in supporting England, despite being French..) and later we found ourselves feeling very smug as the final whistle blew and we were surrounded by Sweden supporters. There is definitely something very fun about being abroad during events like this.

Other than football, it's been a good but tiring week. Honestly, we've all just had a holiday but everyone I spoke to at work this week said that they felt really tired. Maybe it's the weather, the last few days have been horrible - just heavy rain and cloud non-stop. We're in for a better weekend though, so I'm looking forward to getting some sunshine and being able to leave the flat without being buried under a coat and umbrella. In other news, CAPPI IS BACK. Due to me going back to England and her visiting her family in Paris, I hadn't seen her since the beginning of May. She finally got back here on Wednesday and it was great to catch up with her. We've decided that we are going to start running together twice a week, just to try and get a bit more fit and also make the most of our surroundings. Yesterday we went running in the woods along  the river, and you really couldn't hope for a nicer setting. It's a shame that my legs didn't want to move when I woke up this morning, clearly it was a bit of a shock for my muscles... :)

As for this weekend, I'm not sure what I'll be doing, but I'm really looking forward to going back into Heidelberg and being able to have a wander. It's amazing how much I missed it whilst I was home. I will definitely be coming back here for holidays in the future.

Have a good weekend everyone!

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A few people have said that they've been unable to post comments on any of my blog posts. I'm hoping I've fixed the problem now, so comment away!
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Oh my god is that a new post??

Yes, I am finally updating my blog after weeks (months??) of being useless. Truth be told there hasn't been much going on here besides the ordinary, so I will use that as an excuse for why I haven't updated. Well, that and my laziness.

Anyway, hello!

If I look a little bit tired it's because I am. I have just got back home from my two week holiday in England, and cleverly I chose to get a 7am flight from Heathrow...Still, it is good to be back, and tomorrow I will begin what is to be my final half term at the Stephen Hawking Schule here in Neckargemünd. It really has gone fast!

Last half term was a bit mad to say the least. We had two weeks where most of the students in our section were away doing work experience, which meant there was nearly no one about during break and lunch time. Instead we took it as an opportunity to have a major clean up, so I spent a large amount of time shredding paperwork, cleaning the kitchen and tidying the store cupboard. It was well worth the effort though, the place definitely looks a lot better. Following those two weeks of relative calm, however, we were suddenly greeted by a couple of weeks of craziness. The combination of school trips and illness meant that a few members of staff were all away at the same time, and that left the rest of us much busier than normal. I found myself doing a few extra homework lessons and cleaning up the kitchen alone on most days. As weird as it sounds, I actually quite enjoyed it. Sometimes it's better to be run off your feet than sitting around with nothing happening. Finally, last half term was exam time for the students! That meant that the students had to do their English presentations, which I have been helping to correct since February. Happily enough they all got great marks, which is good for them and also nice for me. I hope I was helpful to them in some way; if anything being in their lessons has made me realise that English can be pretty difficult sometimes. That's one of the things I find most interesting about being here, it gives me the opportunity to see things from a completely different perspective. Next time I'm complaining about German I'll have to remind myself that learning English isn't exactly a walk in the park either!

As for the next few weeks, I'm not really sure what to expect, but I assume that we're probably going to be very busy again. Although exams are now finished, lessons are still going on as normal and in addition there will be a number of class trips, which will mean more members of staff will be away. Hopefully it should be a fun few weeks, especially when things start to wind down for the holidays. I will definitely be trying to update more often, if only with more pictures from around Heidelberg. Summer is in full swing now and everywhere is green and covered in flowers. I loved it here in the winter but this is definitely my favourite time of year here. There's nothing quite like having a late afternoon wander around Heidelberg with the sun shining and an ice cream in your hand. 

Until then, thank you for actually still reading my blog, and I hope you're all well!

Tschüß!