Schwetzingen

Last weekend I went with my group of St. Eds students led by our professor to Schwetzingen and Heidelberg, two very quaint towns. We originally went to Schwetzingen to go to a waterpark they had there, but it was very cool outside that day, so we wanted to stay in the indoor pool, but they had it closed because they were painting it. So that was foiled, but we did get to see the grounds of the Schwetzingen castle, which were very extensive. The gardens started out very clean and neat, with flower beds lining the walkways. if you go straight, you encounter a big fountain, then past that are arcades of trees. Scattered along the way are many statues, some of mythological characters, others of mythological animals. Past the trees is a pond/lake with swans and ducks. You can't really see it in this picture, but behind us, the swans are nipping at our backsides, apparently looking for food. Then the swans would get mad at each other then attack and chase each other. It was absolutely hilarious!

Hidden along one of the many paths is a grotto, which is so pleasant, it is breathtaking. Further along that path was a little house that was absolutely gorgeous! However, I wasn't allowed to take pictures, so I can only describe it to you. First of all, you have to wear these special slippers that go over your shoes, and they are hard to walk in, because they are one size fits all, so my tennis shoes were flopping all over the place in the slippers. The purpose of the slippers is to not scuff the floor. Well, when you walk into the little (compared to the castle) house, there are beautiful statues facing the center of the oval room. To each side is an entrance to a wing. In each wing there are three rooms. The center room was the one we were allowed to enter on each side. The house was furnished with beautiful matching antique chairs, cabinets, and other various items of furniture. On one side of the house was a bathing area. The tub was bigger than queen size bed. You could almost swim in it. It was amazing. I had to wonder if the people who used this little house appreciated it or took it for granted. It was amazingly detailed.

In some parts of this garden, it looked like the part in "The Sound of Music" where Maria was on her way to meet the Trapp family, and sang the "Confidence" song. The two girls I was walking with and I all burst out into song! It was great! We decided that before we go to Salzburg, we will rent "The Sound of Music" and then go on the extremely touristy Sound of Music Tour, which I unfortunately missed the last time I was there. There is almost nothing that will stop me from making that tour this time!