Last night I didn’t sleep very well at all.  The guy above me (the one who had advised me not to move because it would threaten the quality of his sleep) tossed and turned all night, got in and out of bed several times, and made the bed move a lot.  After he checked out around 8AM I dozed in and out of consciousness until around 10 when I figured it was time to do something with the day.

I put all my laundry in a basket and paid the hostel €5 to have it washed and dried by 4PM.  I asked the hostel receptionist where the best place to exchange money would be and he told me to go to the big bank across the street, so I did.  I went in and gave the guy $300 and for some reason the bank valued USD roughly 6% less than online estimates and I only ended up getting €245 back after a €9 processing fee.  Hmm.

After I got money I walked over to a highly rated bakery and cafe on the other side of the river and got a tomato and mozzarella omelette with two rolls and a salad, a cherry pastry, and a cappuccino for just a little over €10.  It was very tasty and the cafe was very nice to sit and journal in, but I touched my eye at one point during the meal and it swelled up to about twice its normal size.  I don’t know what I was allergic to but I took Benadryl as soon as I began to feel little lumps forming under my eye and headed back to the hostel where I then took a nap for about two hours.

After my nap, I got my laundry back and then went out to see the big castle in Heidelberg.  It was a very warm day (mid 70s!) so I stopped to get some sorbet before heading up the incredibly steep hill.

The view was amazing from the top of the castle and I was able to spend a decent amount of time up there before it started to drizzle and I made my way back down to Altstadt for dinner.  I decided to go to a cozy pizza place, the menu looked good with decent prices and they had free wifi.

Learning how to eat alone in a restaurant amongst families and couples has been a little bit difficult.  At the beginning I always thought that people were judging me and I became very self conscious about the way I ate and the way I presented myself to these total strangers, but that’s not really the case anymore.  I always have my journal with me and I use meal times as a time to reflect on my journey so far and what more I want out of it.  I’ve learned to accept my own company as being just as important and valid as someone else’s.