der Schwäbischen Alb

minor Exkursion time! much better in a smaller group. it was basically the same size as our classes, but with new faces to talk to.

Bad Urach was the town where Graf Eberhard (ie: Eberhard-Karls Universität) was born. teeny tiny. BIG church. we hiked up to some waterfalls. very beautiful. not Bridal Veil Falls, but very nice. it was great to be out in the woods, fond memories of many many hikes. i found my teacher for the next course and one of the Tutorium, Clemens, is getting ready to spend two years in Eugene, Oregon. later, he and i had a pretty long discussion about microbrews.

meh, you get the 'picture' that it was just another activity for interaction. successful. here are some PHOTOS.

[playing with water at slow shutter speeds]

following the falls was another hike up to some castle ruins (every town has them, on top of a hill of course). i can't complain too much about the steep hikes. the view is always worth it. we were especially lucky because initially it was supposed to rain all day. die Wolken in der Himmel made the feeling even more dramatic.

[some of our crew on the edge of the ruins]

this place was very peaceful. it kind of reminded me of St. Louis and the Arch. i am still amazed at how that structure can be plopped in the middle of a city and have the same effect. one cannot ignore the history attached to ruins. Germany still has a lot for me to unlock while i am here.