"We're on top."

Hello everyone.

I had another really good week of work (and life) this past week even without soccer on Wednesday because the stadium was occupied. I believe that we will resume playing again this week, but we'll see. Looking at my calendar it is hard to believe that I am already halfway finished with my period of work here in Germany. Only four weeks of work left and then about two and a half of travel. This weekend I have been trying to finalize my plans for the remaining weeks which are looking to be very busy. In light of the need for preparation (and rest), I decided to forgo making a day trip to a far off location such as Nuremberg, and instead visit a place next to a town that is near Darmstadt: Frankenstein Castle. I would be traveling by myself. Apparently, this castle was the one that inspired Mary Shelley to write her famous novel. Since I wrote a term paper on the book during my junior year of high school, the place has a special significance to me, beyond the usual coolness of a castle in general. Oh, and it is supposedly haunted.

I got an early start on Saturday morning after eating a quick breakfast and gathering my supplies. I took the trolley near my apartment to a bus/train station (not the primary one), and then boarded a bus that would take me to Eberstadt, which is the town I mentioned that is next to Darmstadt. When I arrived in Eberstadt, the final bus that I needed to take in order to get to the castle (which was on top of a mountain) was not going to arrive for another forty minutes, so I thought that I would explore and take some pictures of the surrounding area when I chanced across a road sign stating the direction of Burg Frankenstein. Since I still had a good amount of time, I decided to walk, for as long as time would allow, along a path that seemed to follow the directions given by the sign. It led me over the highway and to the base of the mountain where I was led to believe Frankenstein Castle was located. I arrived at a fork in the road and chanced across a young man who was running in the area, so I asked him if I was on the right path to "Burg Frankenstein". He responded in the affirmative, pointing to one of the paths which went "up, up, and up the mountain", his arms extending higher with each up.

Next, I did something that was probably very rash. I decided to follow this path as far as time and nerve would allow, taking the word of the runner and abandoning the guarantee of the bus system. My thoughts were as follows: "At worst, I will have spent some time exploring beautiful scenery, taking some good pictures, and getting some exercise. I could always go back and wait for a later bus." As it was still mid morning, I didn't have to worry about nightfall catching me off guard. So, I followed the path and was very pleased by the scenery (also here and here). Things seemed to be going extremely well until I was met with my first fork in the road. There would be others farther along. Unwilling to turn back after already having gone so far, I would mark my path through a variety of ways. In all of my years of exploring the forest near my house (yes, I did go there Mom and Dad) or in Rock Springs, I have never done that, but I am glad that I did. There were simply to many forks to remember, especially in a foreign country in an area with which I am completely unfamiliar.

Eventually after over an hour of hiking and climbing, I found stone among the rock and knew that I was getting close. Since it was requested that I take more pictures of myself, here is one of me in front of the stone quarry. Anyway, shortly thereafter I saw the foundations of a stone wall. However, I didn't know if I had made it to Frankenstein Castle or some lord's castle, so I was careful not to look like I was sneaking around and that I was supposed to be there. I entered through the first gate I found. The castle was empty, and the first person I saw was a small boy who looked surprised to see me and was all by himself. One would think that such a famous location would have had more people visiting it even in the late morning. But, since he didn't seem threatened by my presence and as I had already come so far, I went in a little further. Finally, my suspicious were laid to rest when I found a sign welcoming guests to Frankenstein Castle. I made it.

While I am sure that there are castles that are much bigger or more interesting, and even though I have been waiting my whole life to explore a castle, I was not disappointed. Here, here, here, here, and here are some pictures I took of the grounds along the way to the highest accessible tower. As you can see, some of the castle is undergoing repair. The view from the top was absolutely amazing with lots of communities and interesting landscapes within sight. After staying in the tower for some time, I headed back down and explored more of the castle. Here, here, and here are a few more shots of the castle grounds. I ate lunch at the restaurant that was part of the castle, and eventually made it to the roof of the restaurant and took some more pictures of the surrounding area. It turns out to the North that even Frankfurt was in view.

After lunch, I decided to return to the tower and more seriously take in the experience, recording my thoughts and feelings. One of the things that I realized and that really struck me was the fact that I am probably never going to see that wonderful place again, and the same is true for the vast majority of the places I will visit this summer. It was definitely a bittersweet realization. On the one hand, that was it. That would be the only time in my life that I will see these wonderful things. But, it's not like I won't see other wonderful things between then and the end. On the contrary, I will probably see many other great places, some before the end of the summer. And even if I don't for one reason or another, I am thankful to have been able to see these once. There are probably too many wonderful places on Earth to see in a lifetime. I should be content to see as much as I can.

Then I thought that maybe there was something more to be learned. I will never experience the same moment more than once in my life. With every passing moment, I and the world around me are forever changed, and no matter how meticulous one's effort to reconstruct a time or place, one can never return to the way things were. Just as before, I should not regret the moments past. Rather, I should be thankful for what I have already experienced and for what I will experience. I am undoubtedly one of the luckiest kids on Earth.

Meanwhile, a crowd was beginning to build both in the castle and in the tower, and as I had already explored all of the accessible areas of the castle, I decided to head back, taking more pictures of the landscape along the way. I was able to find the trail I took to find the castle and follow my signs and markings all the way back to bus station. Surprisingly, both on the way up and on the way down, I never took an incorrect path. I made it back home safely but exhausted. Even though I had high expectations for visiting Frankenstein Castle, my hopes were exceeded. What a great day.